First Greetings & Survival Phrases · Lesson 6 of 6

Counting Things — 하나, 둘, 셋

Korea's second number system, the counters 개 and 명 — and a full café conversation to graduate.

12 min

Korea's second number system — the native Korean numbers — is for counting things: two coffees, three people, your age. Learn ten words and two counters, and then it's graduation time.

One to ten, the native way

하나 (hana), 둘 (dul), 셋 (set), 넷 (net), 다섯 (daseot), 여섯 (yeoseot), 일곱 (ilgop), 여덟 (yeodeol), 아홉 (ahop), 열 (yeol).

팁

Which system when? A friendly rule of thumb: Sino for reading numbers off things (prices, dates, phone numbers), native for counting things you can point at (cups, people, your age). Mix them up and you'll still be understood — this comes with time.

Counters: 개 and 명

Korean counts with little unit words — like English “two cups of coffee”. You only need two for now: 개 (gae) for things, 명 (myeong) for people. And the first four numbers put on a short form before a counter: 하나→한, 둘→두, 셋→세, 넷→네.

한 개

han gae

one (thing)

하나 → 한 before a counter

두 명

du myeong

two people

The answer to “how many?” at a restaurant door

아메리카노 두 잔 주세요

americano du jan juseyo

Two Americanos, please

잔 = cup/glass counter. Number + counter + 주세요 — your Lesson 3 pattern, leveled up.

Graduation: the full café conversation

Everything from both courses, in one real moment. Read each line aloud, then reveal it:

1 · You walk in. The staff greet you — what do they say, and what do you say back?Show answer

안녕하세요! — and you answer the same: 안녕하세요. (Lesson 1)

2 · Order two lattes, politely.Show answer

라떼 두 잔 주세요 — latte + two cups + please. You can even read 라떼 from the Hangul course.

3 · Ask how much it is.Show answer

얼마예요? (Lesson 5)

4 · The staff says 구천 원이에요. How much do you owe?Show answer

9,000 won — 구 (nine) × 천 (thousand). 이에요 = “it is”, from Lesson 4!

5 · Take your drinks and leave warmly — thanks plus the right goodbye.Show answer

감사합니다! 안녕히 계세요. — they're staying, you're going. Full marks.

You can speak Korean now

Hello, thanks, sorry, yes, no, ordering, introducing yourself, and both number systems — that's a real toolkit, and you can read every word of it in Hangul. Next stop on the path: the reading articles deepen the culture behind these phrases, and the Culture Quiz tests the ideas. Ready to build sentences? Course 3 starts with how Korean sentences are ordered.

Quick check

Did it stick?

Three quick questions — instant answers, no grades, no pressure.

1.Which numbers are for counting things you can point at?

2.“One thing” uses which form?

3.Order two Americanos politely:

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Want the why behind the words?

The reading path explains the culture and logic that make Korean click — a perfect companion to these lessons.

Back to the Learning Path