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Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to count people respectfully? Find out at the end of this video!
Hi everybody! I'm Alisha.
안녕하세요. 노경진입니다.
Welcome to Korean Counters for Beginners, where you'll learn how to count all sorts of different objects in Korean! Noh Seonsaengnim (노 선생님), what counter will we learn in this lesson?
명 (myeong)
First, let's take a look at what sorts of objects can be counted with the counter.
When counting people, you can use this counter.
명 (myeong)
This counter can be used when counting people. You can use this counter for anyone – men, women, children, and the elderly.
Okay, let's count from 1 to 10 with this counter.
한 명
두 명
세 명
네 명
다섯 명
여섯 명
일곱 명
여덟 명
아홉 명
열 명
This counter can be used for any numbers. But you can also use a different counter for less formal situations. Do you know what the counter is?
사람(saram)
한 사람(han saram)
두 사람(du saram)
세 사람(se saram)
네 사람(ne saram)
Okay. Now let's take a look at some sample sentences using this counter.
우리 가족은 네 명 입니다. (uri gajogeun ne myeong imnida.)
My family has 4 family members.
손님이 열 명 있습니다. (sonnimi yeol myeong isseumnida.)
There are 10 customers.
여덟 명이 파티에 왔습니다. (yedeol myeongi pati-e wasseumnida.)
8 people came to the party.
It's now time for a quiz. I'm going to ask you a question in English. Answer the question in Korean. Are you ready? Make sure to use the right counter.
How many students are there?
학생이 일곱 명 있습니다. (haksaeng-i ilgop myeong isseumnida.)
How many children do they have?
아이가 두 명 있습니다. (ai-ga du myeong isseumnida.)
The Korean language always involves politeness and respect. For counting people, there's a special counter when you're counting someone respectfully. Do you know what the counter is? The answer is...
분(bun)
When you're counting someone who's older than you, or of a higher social status, you can count them using this counter. That's why you will often hear this counter at hotels, restaurants and cafes. For example...
세 분 이세요? (se bun iseyo?)
It means "are you a group of three?" or literally "Are you three people?" This phrase can be used when a staff member in a restaurant wants to confirm how many people your group has.
Okay, everyone. That's it for this lesson. I'll see you next time!

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