American Learns Korean Day20 If Day19 was about Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼…) for prices, dates, and many “official” number contexts, American Learns Korean Day20 is where your Korean starts sounding real in everyday life: Native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋…) used for counting things and people, and especially for age.
Today is not about memorizing a list and moving on. It’s about building a reflex so you can answer instantly when someone asks:
- “몇 개예요?” (How many items?)
- “몇 명이에요?” (How many people?)
- “몇 살이에요?” (How old are you?)
What You’ll Be Able to Do After Day20
By the end of American Learns Korean Day20, you will be able to:
- Say Native Korean numbers 1–10 without hesitation
- Use the most common “counter + number” combos: 개 / 명 / 살 / 잔
- Build 11–49 using 열 / 스물 / 서른 / 마흔
- Avoid the #1 beginner mistake: saying “하나 개” instead of 한 개
Core List: Native Korean Numbers 1–10
Say these out loud once before you read further.
1 하나 (one)
2 둘 (two)
3 셋 (three)
4 넷 (four)
5 다섯 (five)
6 여섯 (six)
7 일곱 (seven)
8 여덟 (eight)
9 아홉 (nine)
10 열 (ten)
Pronunciation Notes (Quick Fixes for English Speakers)
- 여섯 (6) vs 여덟 (8)
- 여섯 ends like “-seot” (섯)
- 여덟 ends like “-deol” (덜)
- 일곱 (7): keep it short: “il-gop” (not “il-gope”)
- 아홉 (9): two beats: “a-hop”
The Most Important Rule: Numbers Change Before Counters
This is the “Korean sounds natural” switch.
When Native Korean numbers come before counters, these four usually change:
- 하나 → 한
- 둘 → 두
- 셋 → 세
- 넷 → 네
So in real Korean, you say:
- 한 개 (one item)
- 두 명 (two people)
- 세 살 (three years old)
- 네 잔 (four cups)
The #1 Mistake
Beginners often say 하나 개.
Correct, natural Korean is 한 개.
The Counters You Need Today (Minimal but Powerful)
For American Learns Korean Day20, don’t try to learn 50 counters. Learn 4 that cover most daily life.
- 개: general items (apple, ticket, thing)
- 명: people
- 살: age
- 잔: cups/glasses (coffee, beer, juice)
Examples:
- 사과 한 개 (one apple)
- 손님 두 명 (two customers)
- 세 살 (three years old)
- 커피 네 잔 (four coffees)
10–49: Build Bigger Numbers Fast
You only need these “tens blocks” first:
- 10 열
- 20 스물
- 30 서른
- 40 마흔
Then combine: tens + 1–9
Examples:
- 11 열하나
- 12 열둘
- 15 열다섯
- 21 스물하나
- 22 스물둘
- 33 서른셋
- 48 마흔여덟
One Very Common Real-Life Form
- 20 years old is often said as 스무 살 (very common in conversation).
You will still hear 스물 살, but 스무 살 is extremely natural.
Micro-Lesson Script (Teacher Tone, 10–15 Seconds)
Read it twice: slow → normal speed.
T (Teacher): 사과 한 개 주세요.
S (Student): 네, 한 개요.
T: 여기 몇 명이에요?
S: 네 명이에요.
T: 몇 살이에요?
S: 서른두 살이에요.
Drill Set (This is the core of Day20)
Drill 1 — Speed Drill 1–10 (30 seconds)
Rule: I say it → you repeat twice (no thinking).
하나 / 둘 / 셋 / 넷 / 다섯 / 여섯 / 일곱 / 여덟 / 아홉 / 열
Goal: one full round in 30 seconds. Do 3 rounds daily.
Drill 2 — Counter Switch Drill (60 seconds)
Only use these answers: 한/두/세/네 + 개/명/살/잔
Q: 사과 몇 개예요?
A: 한 개예요.
Q: 손님 몇 명이에요?
A: 두 명이에요.
Q: 아이 몇 살이에요?
A: 세 살이에요.
Q: 커피 몇 잔 주세요?
A: 네 잔 주세요.
Focus point: you must automatically switch 하나→한, 둘→두, 셋→세, 넷→네.
Drill 3 — Instant Answer Drill (45 seconds)
Do not translate in your head. Answer immediately.
Q: 몇 개 주세요?
A: 두 개 주세요.
Q: 몇 명이요?
A: 세 명이요.
Q: 몇 잔 드릴까요?
A: 한 잔 주세요.
Q: 몇 살이에요?
A: 스물한 살이에요.
Real-Life Mini Dialogues (Short, Useful, Repeatable)
Dialogue 1: Convenience Store
A: 물 두 개 주세요.
B: 네, 두 개요.
Dialogue 2: Café
A: 아메리카노 세 잔 주세요.
B: 네, 세 잔 맞으세요?
Dialogue 3: Restaurant (People Count)
A: 몇 분이세요?
B: 네 명이에요.
Dialogue 4: Age (Simple & Polite)
A: 몇 살이에요?
B: 서른 살이에요.
Common Errors (Fix These and You Level Up Fast)
- 하나 개 → 한 개
- Saying 넷 개 → natural is 네 개
- Pausing between tens and ones (스물 / 하나) → keep it connected: 스물하나
- Mixing 여섯/여덟 → remember: 6 = -섯, 8 = -덜
- Knowing numbers but not making sentences → that’s why Day20 includes sentence drills
Shadowing Practice (10 Lines)
Shadowing means: listen in your head → repeat with rhythm. Say each line 3 times.
- 사과 한 개 주세요.
- 물 두 개 주세요.
- 커피 세 잔 주세요.
- 여기 네 명이에요.
- 저는 스물한 살이에요.
- 동생은 서른 살이에요.
- 열다섯 개 있어요.
- 스물둘 명 아니에요. (No—this is wrong on purpose; see note below.)
- 손님 두 명이요.
- 마흔여덟 살이에요.
Note: #8 is intentionally unnatural because “명” doesn’t pair like that here; it’s included to train your “this sounds wrong” radar. Use: “스물두 명이에요” (not with 살, and context must fit).
Homework (10 minutes total)
Homework A (2 minutes, voice recording)
Record yourself saying:
- 한 개 / 두 개 / 세 개 / 네 개 (5 times each)
- 스물하나 / 스물둘 / 스물셋 / 스물넷 (3 times each)
Homework B (3 minutes, writing)
Fill in Korean:
- 2 items: ________
- 4 people: ________
- 3 years old: ________
- 22 items: ________
Homework C (5 minutes, real-world application)
Today or tomorrow (online shopping counts), say it out loud:
- “이거 두 개 주세요.”
- “세 개 주세요.”
Quiz (20 Questions) + Answer Key
Write answers in Korean.
- one item
- two people
- three years old
- four cups
- 6 (Native Korean)
- 8 (Native Korean)
- 11
- 15
- 20 (tens block)
- 21
- 22
- 30 (tens block)
- 33
- 40 (tens block)
- “Please give me two items.”
- “We are three people.”
- “How many cups?” (simple)
- “I’m 31 years old.”
- Choose the natural form: 하나 개 / 한 개
- Choose the natural form: 넷 개 / 네 개
Answer Key
- 한 개
- 두 명
- 세 살
- 네 잔
- 여섯
- 여덟
- 열하나
- 열다섯
- 스물
- 스물하나
- 스물둘
- 서른
- 서른셋
- 마흔
- 두 개 주세요.
- 세 명이에요.
- 몇 잔이에요? / 몇 잔이요? (both acceptable; the second is very common)
- 서른한 살이에요.
- 한 개
- 네 개
Next Step Preview (Internal Link Guidance)
After American Learns Korean Day20, the natural next lesson is:
- Day21: Telling Time Basics (시, 분, 초)
Because time expressions connect directly with numbers, and Korean uses different number systems depending on what you’re counting.