Lesson 5: Korean Vocabulary, Native Numbers, and Counters

Vocabulary: Items (물건)

• Food and Beverages

  • 우유: milk
  • 주스: juice
  • 과자: snack; cookie
  • 빵: bread
  • 사과: apple
  • 딸기: strawberry
  • 포도: grapes
  • 오렌지: orange
  • 케이크: cake
  • 샌드위치: sandwich
  • 햄버거: hamburger
  • 콜라: cola

• Household and Personal Care Items

  • 비누: soap
  • 수건: towel
  • 칫솔: toothbrush
  • 치약: toothpaste

• Animals

  • 강아지: puppy
  • 고양이: cat

• Transportation and Entertainment

  • 영화관: cinema; movie theater
  • 표: ticket
  • 기차표: train ticket
  • 버스 요금: bus fare

Native Korean Numbers (고유어 수)

• Numbers $1$ to $10$

  • $1$: 하나 (Standard form) / 한 개 (Counting form)
  • $2$: 둘 (Standard form) / 두 개 (Counting form)
  • $3$: 셋 (Standard form) / 세 개 (Counting form)
  • $4$: 넷 (Standard form) / 네 개 (Counting form)
  • $5$: 다섯 (Standard form) / 다섯 개 (Counting form)
  • $6$: 여섯 (Standard form) / 여섯 개 (Counting form)
  • $7$: 일곱 (Standard form) / 일곱 개 (Counting form)
  • $8$: 여덟 (Standard form) / 여덟 개 (Counting form)
  • $9$: 아홉 (Standard form) / 아홉 개 (Counting form)
  • $10$: 열 (Standard form) / 열 개 (Counting form)

• Numbers Beyond $10$

  • $11$: 열하나 (Standard form) / 열한 개 (Counting form)
  • $20$: 스물 (Standard form) / 스무 개 (Counting form)
  • $21$: 스물하나 (Standard form) / 스물한 개 (Counting form)
  • $30$: 서른 (Standard form) / 서른 개 (Counting form)

Counting Units (분류사)

Korean uses specific counters depending on the category of the item being counted:

• 개: Used for most general objects.
• 명: Used for counting people.
• 마리: Used for counting animals.
• 권: Used for counting books or notebooks.
• 잔: Used for counting cups of coffee or tea.
• 병: Used for counting bottles of drink.
• 살: Used for counting years of age.
• 장: Used for counting sheets of paper, pictures, tickets, etc.

Key Expressions and Phrases (표현)

• General Terms

  • 나이: age
  • 모두: all

• Common Interaction Phrases

  • 뭘 드릴까요? / 뭐 드릴까요?: What would you like? / What can I get you?
  • 몇 개 있어요?: How many are there?
  • 몇 명 있어요?: How many people are there?
  • 몇 살이에요?: How old are you?
  • 나이가 어떻게 되세요?: May I ask how old you are? (Honorific/Polite form)
  • 교실에 누가 있어요?: Who is in the classroom?
  • 어서 오세요: Welcome!
  • 요즘은 뭐가 맛있어요?: What's good these days? / What’s delicious these days?
  • 몇 개 드릴까요?: How many would you like?
  • 맛있게 드세요: Enjoy your meal.

Exercises and Practice (연습 문제)

• Number Modification Recall

  • When counting items, the following native Korean numbers change their form before a counter:
    • 하나 ($1$) becomes 한 (e.g., 한 개)
    • 둘 ($2$) becomes 두 (e.g., 두 개)
    • 셋 ($3$) becomes 세 (e.g., 세 개)
    • 넷 ($4$) becomes 네 (e.g., 네 개)
    • 스물 ($20$) becomes 스무 (e.g., 스무 개)

• Selecting Correct Counters

  • 학생 한 (명): One student
  • 물 한 (잔/병): One glass/bottle of water
  • 모자 한 (개): One hat
  • 강아지 한 (마리): One puppy
  • 책 한 (권): One book
  • 표 한 (장): One ticket

• Vocabulary Practice Identifiers

  • Items often used in practice: 비누 (soap), 치약 (toothpaste), 칫솔 (toothbrush), 수건 (towel), 빵 (bread), 사과 (apple).