Korean Conversation · Level 34
15 words
Korean word
명
Pronunciation
Romanizationmyeong
Meaning
- nounperson
Example
가게에 1명 있어요.ka ge e 1 myeong i sseo yo
There is one person in the store.
More examples
몇 명 왔어요?myeot myeong wa sseo yo
How many people came?
Core concept
A person-by-person unit used after numbers when counting people.
Common phrases
한 명han myeong
one person
두 명tu myeong
two people
몇 명myeot myeong
how many people
Similar words
사람saram: One human being viewed as an individual.
분pun: A polite unit used after a number to count people.
Definition in Korean
사람을 세는 단위로, 수와 함께 써서 '한 명', '두 명'처럼 한 사람을 가리키는 말sa ra meul se neun ta nwi ro su wa ham kke sseo seo han myeong tu myeong cheo reom han sa ra meul ka ri ki neun mal
Word origin
The counter 명 (myeong, "person-counting counter") grew from the Sino-Korean meaning name to its established use for counting people.
Usage tips
- English speakers often expect a number to be enough, but Korean uses a specific counter here in ordinary conversation.