Convert numbers between Arabic numerals and Korean. Enter a number like "42" to see it in hanja (四十二), Hangul (사십이), and romanization — or enter hanja to convert back. Below, find a reference guide for Korean counters used with different types of objects.
Supports numbers 0–999,999,999
Korean uses special counter words when counting objects. The counter changes based on what you are counting. Korean counters use the native Korean number system (하나, 둘, 셋...) rather than the Sino-Korean system (일, 이, 삼...). Here are the most common ones:
General-purpose counter for things
한 개 (1), 두 개 (2), 세 개 (3), 네 개 (4), 다섯 개 (5)
Counting people
한 명 (1), 두 명 (2), 세 명 (3), 네 명 (4)
Pens, pencils, long tools
한 자루 (1), 두 자루 (2), 세 자루 (3)
Paper, tickets, photos
한 장 (1), 두 장 (2), 세 장 (3)
All animals (cats, dogs, fish, birds)
한 마리 (1), 두 마리 (2), 세 마리 (3)
Cars, computers, machines
한 대 (1), 두 대 (2), 세 대 (3)
Books, notebooks, volumes
한 권 (1), 두 권 (2), 세 권 (3)
Number of times/occasions
한 번 (1), 두 번 (2), 세 번 (3)
Bottles of liquid
한 병 (1), 두 병 (2), 세 병 (3)
Cups, glasses of drink
한 잔 (1), 두 잔 (2), 세 잔 (3)
Korean has two number systems. Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼...) group by 10,000 (만) and are used for dates, money, and math. Native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋...) are used with counters for counting objects.
When counting things in Korean, you need a "counter word" that matches the type of object. 개 (gae) for general things, 장 (jang) for flat things, 마리 (mari) for animals. There are dozens of counters, but learning 10-15 common ones covers most situations.
Yes, both number systems are part of TOPIK Level 1. Understanding counters becomes increasingly important at higher levels.