One, Please 하나 주세요

일, 이, 삼 covered numbers for money, dates, and phone numbers. At a café counter, you’ll usually reach for native Korean numbers instead: 플랫화이트 하나, 물 한 잔. The number changes shape before a counter word, and the counter tells you what you’re counting.

A Different Way to Count

The first four numbers change shape when they’re directly attached to a counter word: 하나 becomes 한, 둘 becomes 두, 셋 becomes 세, 넷 becomes 네. That’s why you’ll see 한 잔 (one cup) instead of 하나 잔.

One Drink, Please

How Many?

개 isn’t the only counter. Korean picks a different one depending on what’s being counted: 명 for people, 마리 for animals, 병 for bottles, 권 for books, 장 for flat things like paper or tickets. The question and answer both follow the same shape as everything above, just with 몇 (how many) standing in for the number.

Vocabulary