Korean Counters Quiz: Practice Native and Sino-Korean Numbers
This Korean counters quiz drills both halves of counting in Korean, the counter and the number in front of it. Pick the counter for a noun, such as 마리 (mari) for 고양이 (goyangi, cat), or see 3 + 개 and type 세 개 (se gae) in Hangul. Each answer is marked at once, and a near miss such as 셋 개 or 세개 is marked "almost," with the reason. The quiz is free and needs no Korean keyboard or signup, and when you stop, you can practice only the questions you missed.
How the Korean counters quiz works
The quiz asks two kinds of question, and you pick one before you start. In "Pick the counter," you see a noun, such as 고양이 (goyangi, cat), and four counters, one of them right, and you tap one or press 1 to 4. In "Write the number and counter," you see 3 + 개 and type 세 개 (se gae) in Hangul. A noun typed in front is accepted, so 사과 세 개 (sagwa se gae, three apples) counts too.
Choose the counters and the numbers
Pick the counter groups you want from six: things, food and drink, animals and plants, people and age, time and dates, and money, floors and pages. "Pick the counter" works with the first four, the groups for nouns. Then pick the numbers, 1 to 10 or 1 to 99, and add "how many?" questions if you like, such as 몇 개 (myeot gae, how many?), 몇 시 (myeot si, what time?) and 며칠 (myeochil, how many days?).
What counts as almost right
Each answer is marked at once, and when you're close, the quiz says "almost" and tells you why. That covers the right counter with the wrong numbers, such as 삼 개 for 세 개 (se gae, three things), and the long native form, such as 셋 개 for 세 개 or 스물 살 for 스무 살 (seumu sal, twenty years old). It also covers a missing space, as in 세개, and three fixed spellings: 며칠 (myeochil) rather than 몇 일, 유월 (yuwol, June) rather than 육월 and 첫 번째 (cheot beonjjae, first) rather than 한 번째.
Where both forms are right
Where Korean allows two forms, the quiz accepts both. Three and four months can be 세 달 or 석 달 (seok dal) and 네 달 or 넉 달 (neok dal), and 잔, 장 and 대 take 석 as well. With counters for things, animals and people, the quiz accepts both number systems from 20, so 서른 개 and 삼십 개 (30 things) are both right, and it names native as the more common. Written together, 두시, 육층 and 삼학년 count as right, because the spelling rules allow it when the number shows order, such as a time, a floor or a school year. Age with 살 stays native, which is why 이십 살 is marked almost right.
These forms were checked against 표준국어대사전 (the Standard Korean Language Dictionary), 한국어기초사전 (the Basic Korean Dictionary) and the official spelling and standard language rules (한글 맞춤법 and 표준어 규정).
No Korean keyboard needed
You don't need a Korean keyboard, because the on-screen keys build Hangul syllables as you tap the letters. On a computer, your own keys type by position, so R gives ㄱ (g) and K gives ㅏ (a), and a Korean keyboard works too if you have one.
Your score and your mistakes
A running score stays on screen as you answer, and you can stop at any time. After you stop, the quiz lets you practice only the questions you missed.
More Korean counters practice
The Korean counters list has all 56 counters with the numbers each one takes, and a printable PDF of the whole chart. The Korean counter finder gives the counter for 1,102 nouns, and the Korean counters worksheets print three exercises with an answer key for practice on paper. For the numbers on their own, the Korean number converter has a practice quiz that runs from native Korean 1 to 20 up to 만 (man, 10,000) and 억 (eok, 100,000,000). If you learn Japanese too, the Japanese counters quiz marks every answer right, almost or wrong, and the right counter with the wrong sound change counts as almost.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Korean counters quiz free?
Yes, it's free, and there's no signup or anything to install.
Do I need a Korean keyboard?
No Korean keyboard is needed, because the on-screen keys build Hangul syllables as you tap the letters. On a computer, your keys type by position (R is ㄱ, K is ㅏ), and a Korean keyboard works too.
Can I answer with the keyboard?
Yes, in "Pick the counter" you press 1 to 4 for the four counters. In "Write the number and counter," you type the answer in Hangul with your own keys, which type by position.
Why was my answer marked almost?
It means you were close, and the note says why. The quiz marks the right counter with the wrong numbers (삼 개 for 세 개), the long native form (셋 개 for 세 개), a missing space (세개) and a fixed spelling such as 몇 일 for 며칠 as almost right.
Is it 세 달 or 석 달?
Both mean three months and both are correct, with 세 달 (se dal) the general form and 석 달 (seok dal) the older style. The quiz accepts either, and the same goes for 네 달 and 넉 달 and for 석 with 잔, 장 and 대.
Is it 서른 개 or 삼십 개?
Both are used for 30 things, and the quiz accepts both from 20 while naming native as the more common. With counters for things, animals and people, native numbers are usual for small counts, and from 100 on only Sino-Korean is used, as in 백 개 (baek gae, 100 things).
Can I practice only the counters I got wrong?
Yes, when you stop, you can go through only the questions you missed.
Which counters are in the quiz?
You choose from six groups: things, food and drink, animals and plants, people and age, time and dates, and money, floors and pages. "Pick the counter" uses the four noun groups, from things to people and age.
Licenses and credits
The nouns are from the 한국어 학습용 어휘 목록 of the National Institute of Korean Language (KOGL Type 1), with each noun's counters and English written for NexaProva. The romanization of the nouns is by koroman (MIT), in Revised Romanization; the number forms are built and romanized by rule.