What you'll learn
- Count one to ten bottles with 병, using the correct native number forms.
- Order bottled drinks and ask 몇 병 to find out how many.
- Choose between 병 (bottle), 잔 (glass) and 캔 (can) for the same drink.
- Tell the counter 병 from the other word 병 that means illness.
Prerequisites: native Korean numbers 1-10. Estimated time: 30 minutes.
Korean Counter Byeong: the Essentials
The Korean counter byeong (병) is a short word that follows a number and means "a bottle of". A counter is a word that tells you what kind of unit a number refers to. English has similar words, such as "two bottles of water" or "three cans of cola". Korean needs a counter almost every time, and 병 is the one for liquids sold or served in a bottle.
The pattern is: contents + native number + 병.
| Contents | Number + 병 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 소주 (soju) | 소주 한 병 | one bottle of soju |
| 맥주 (maekju) | 맥주 두 병 | two bottles of beer |
| 물 (mul) | 물 세 병 | three bottles of water |
| 간장 (ganjang) | 간장 네 병 | four bottles of soy sauce |
The word 병 is also a noun. It means "bottle" on its own and appears inside other words: 물병 (a water bottle), 술병 (a liquor bottle) and 유리병 (a glass bottle). The counter grew out of this noun, so 물 두 병 literally says "two bottles' worth of water".
Like 잔 and 그릇 (but not 인분, which takes Sino-Korean numbers), 병 takes native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋), not Sino-Korean ones (일, 이, 삼). So 두 병 is correct and 이 병 is not. The wider system is explained in how Korean counters work. The next section puts the counter into sentences.
How Do You Use 병 in a Sentence?
To use 병 in a sentence, put the contents first, then the native number, then 병: 맥주 세 병을 샀어요 (I bought three bottles of beer). English puts the number before the noun, but Korean puts the counter phrase after the noun, and the counter is an extra word that English does not need.
Three patterns cover almost every real sentence.
| Job | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ordering | Contents + number + 병 + 주세요 | 소주 한 병 주세요. |
| Saying what you bought | Contents + particle + number + 병 + verb | 물을 여섯 병 샀어요. |
| Saying how many exist | Contents + 이/가 + number + 병 + 있어요 | 냉장고에 맥주가 두 병 있어요. |
More sentences to hear and repeat:
- 식탁 위에 와인이 한 병 있어요. (There is a bottle of wine on the table.)
- 친구가 간장 두 병을 선물했어요. (A friend gave me two bottles of soy sauce as a gift.)
- 어제 맥주를 세 병 마셨어요. (I drank three bottles of beer yesterday.)
The particle 을/를 or 이/가 can sit on the contents (물을 여섯 병) or be dropped in speech (물 여섯 병 샀어요). You never put a particle between the number and 병. Writing 세를 병 is always wrong. A particle after the counter phrase is fine: 두 병만 주세요 means "just two bottles, please".
Now you can build a full sentence. Next comes the number rule that makes the counter work.
Which Number System Does 병 Take?
The counter 병 takes native Korean numbers from 1 to 99. Five native numbers shorten before any counter, and learning those five forms once covers every counter that takes native numbers, including 잔, 그릇 and 개.
| Number | Before 병 | Spoken | Revised Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 한 병 | [한병] | han byeong | one bottle |
| 2 | 두 병 | [두병] | du byeong | two bottles |
| 3 | 세 병 | [세병] | se byeong | three bottles |
| 4 | 네 병 | [네병] | ne byeong | four bottles |
| 5 | 다섯 병 | [다섣뼝] | daseot byeong | five bottles |
| 6 | 여섯 병 | [여섣뼝] | yeoseot byeong | six bottles |
| 7 | 일곱 병 | [일곱뼝] | ilgop byeong | seven bottles |
| 8 | 여덟 병 | [여덜병] | yeodeol byeong | eight bottles |
| 9 | 아홉 병 | [아홉뼝] | ahop byeong | nine bottles |
| 10 | 열 병 | [열병] | yeol byeong | ten bottles |
Look at the "Spoken" column for 5, 6, 7 and 9. A final ㅅ or ㅂ is said as a plain stop ([ㄷ] or [ㅂ]), and that stop usually makes the ㅂ of 병 tense, so you hear [ㅃ]. This is tensification, covered by the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법). After ㄹ, as in 여덟 병 and 열 병, the standard form stays plain. The same effect gives 몇 병 the sound [멷뼝].
Which Forms Shorten before 병?
Five numbers shorten before 병: 하나 becomes 한, 둘 becomes 두, 셋 becomes 세, 넷 becomes 네 and 스물 becomes 스무. These short forms are numeral determiners (수 관형사). They stand in front of the counter the way an adjective stands in front of a noun.
| Full number | Counting form | Example with 병 |
|---|---|---|
| 하나 (1) | 한 | 한 병 |
| 둘 (2) | 두 | 두 병 |
| 셋 (3) | 세 | 세 병 |
| 넷 (4) | 네 | 네 병 |
| 스물 (20) | 스무 | 스무 병 |
The shortening applies at the end of larger numbers too: 열한 병 (11), 열두 병 (12), 스물한 병 (21). Round tens keep their full form: 서른 병 (30), 마흔 병 (40).
Expert tip: learners often say 셋 병 or 넷 병 because they learned 셋 and 넷 first. Say 세 병 and 네 병. The pair 세 and 네 differ by one consonant, so listen for the ㅅ and the ㄴ at the start.
How Do You Count Bottles in Shops and Bars?
Shops and bars count bottles with 병 up to 99 and switch to Sino-Korean numbers above that. A warehouse that holds 오백 병 uses a Sino form. Everyday quantities stay in the native range, and some of them are good to memorise.
| Quantity | Korean | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| a bottle of water | 생수 한 병 | convenience store |
| a six-pack of bottles | 생수 여섯 병 | supermarket |
| a drinking session | 소주 세 병 | bar table |
| a full box | 한 박스에 스무 병 | delivery or shop |
The word 생수 means bottled drinking water, and it is the usual label on shop shelves. When you write with digits, attach the counter without a space: 3병, 12병. When you write the number in Hangul, keep a space: 세 병, not 세병. The spacing rule is Article 43 of the 한글 맞춤법 (Hangul spelling rules).
You can now count any crate. Next is the question that asks for the count.
How Do You Ask How Many with 몇 병?
To ask how many bottles there are, say 몇 병이에요? The word 몇 means "how many", so 몇 병 means "how many bottles". It is pronounced [멷뼝] because the final ㅊ of 몇 is said as [ㄷ], which tenses the ㅂ.
| Situation | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Asking about stock | 물이 몇 병 있어요? | 여섯 병 있어요. |
| Checking an order | 소주 몇 병 드릴까요? | 두 병 주세요. |
| Asking about habits | 맥주를 몇 병 마셨어요? | 세 병 마셨어요. |
| Planning a party | 음료수를 몇 병 살까요? | 열 병쯤 사요. |
The answer repeats the same pattern: number + 병 + 이에요 or a verb. After 병 the copula takes the 이에요 form because 병 ends in a consonant, so you say 세 병이에요. The ending 쯤 in 열 병쯤 means "about".
Bar and Store Dialogues
The first dialogue happens at a restaurant table. The second one happens at a convenience store. Both use 병 for the order and for the confirmation.
손님: 여기 소주 한 병이랑 맥주 두 병 주세요. (One bottle of soju and two bottles of beer here, please.)
직원: 네. 소주는 차가운 걸로 드릴까요? (Yes. Shall I bring a cold soju?)
손님: 네, 그리고 물도 한 병 주세요. (Yes, and a bottle of water too.)
손님: 생수 두 병이랑 이 주스 한 병 주세요. (Two bottles of water and one of this juice, please.)
직원: 모두 세 병이에요. 봉투 필요하세요? (That is three bottles in all. Do you need a bag?)
손님: 아니요, 괜찮아요. (No, I am fine.)
The particle 이랑 in 한 병이랑 means "and" and attaches to the counter phrase. For more table-side lines, see Korean restaurant phrases. First, compare 병 with the other drink counters.
Should You Use 병, 잔 or 캔?
Use 병 for bottles, 잔 for glasses and cups, and 캔 for cans. The same drink can take all three counters, and the counter tells the listener how the drink arrives or how it is poured. Beer is the clearest case.
| Drink | By the bottle | By the glass | By the can |
|---|---|---|---|
| 맥주 (beer) | 맥주 한 병 | 맥주 한 잔 | 맥주 한 캔 |
| 콜라 (cola) | 콜라 한 병 | 콜라 한 잔 | 콜라 한 캔 |
| 물 (water) | 물 한 병 | 물 한 잔 | not common |
| 소주 (soju) | 소주 한 병 | 소주 한 잔 | not common |
A simple rule works at a soju table. People order by the bottle (소주 한 병 주세요) and pour by the glass (소주 두 잔). A typical green soju bottle holds 360 ml, so one bottle gives several glasses. For the glass counter, see the 잔 counter.
Learn the drink names themselves in Korean drinks vocabulary.
What Else Does 병 Count?
병 counts any bottle-shaped container, not only drinks. That includes sauces, medicine, perfume and jam in glass jars. The container shape decides, not the contents.
| Item | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 간장 (soy sauce) | 간장 한 병 | one bottle of soy sauce |
| 케첩 (ketchup) | 케첩 두 병 | two bottles of ketchup |
| 잼 (jam) | 잼 한 병 | one jar of jam |
| 약 (medicine) | 약 세 병 | three bottles of medicine |
| 향수 (perfume) | 향수 한 병 | one bottle of perfume |
병 does not count cans (캔), cartons or paper packs (팩), plastic bags (봉지) or boxes (상자). Milk in a carton is 우유 한 팩, and milk in a glass bottle is 우유 한 병. The counter follows the container you can see, so check the shape before you choose.
Is 병 the Bottle or the Illness?
The counter 병 is the bottle word, and a different word 병 means illness. They share a sound and the same Hangul spelling, but they come from different Chinese characters, 甁 for the bottle and 病 for illness, and Korean listeners tell them apart from context. The illness word comes from the Chinese character 病, and it appears in 병원 (hospital) and 병에 걸리다 (catch an illness).
| Clue | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A drink or sauce noun before the number | bottle | 물 두 병 |
| Verbs such as 걸리다, 나다, 낫다 | illness | 병에 걸렸어요. |
| Words such as 병원, 환자 | illness | 병원에 가요. |
| 물병, 술병 | bottle | 물병이 비었어요. |
In practice the confusion is rare. A number plus 병 after a food or drink noun is always bottles. The illness word is not counted, so you never hear 두 병 for two illnesses.
Daily-Life Phrases with 병
Most real uses of 병 fall into a few daily scenes: shopping, eating out, cooking and gifts. Learn these phrases as whole chunks, because the number and counter then come out together without thinking.
| Scene | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience store | 생수 두 병 주세요. | Two bottles of water, please. |
| Restaurant | 소주 한 병 더 주세요. | One more bottle of soju, please. |
| Supermarket | 간장 한 병 살게요. | I will buy a bottle of soy sauce. |
| Gift | 와인 한 병 가져왔어요. | I brought a bottle of wine. |
| Home | 물 한 병 남았어요. | One bottle of water is left. |
| Recycling | 빈 병은 여기에 버리세요. | Throw empty bottles here. |
The word 더 in 한 병 더 means "one more", and it follows the counter. The phrase 빈 병 (empty bottle) uses 병 as a plain noun with no number. Finding the noun and the counter in the same sentence is good listening practice.
Misconceptions about 병
Learners often assume that 병 is only for alcohol, or that the bottle must be glass. Both ideas are wrong, and this section clears them up.
Misconception 1: 병 is only for alcohol. 병 counts water, juice, sauce, medicine and perfume as well. The link with alcohol comes from 소주 한 병, which is a very common phrase, not from the counter.
Misconception 2: 병 needs a glass bottle. Plastic bottles also take 병. A 페트병 (PET bottle) of water is counted as 생수 한 병.
Misconception 3: 병 is the same as 잔 for a drinking session. 병 counts the bottles on the table, and 잔 counts the glasses that people drink. A table can have 소주 두 병 and 소주 열두 잔 in the same hour.
Misconception 4: Sino numbers sound more polite. 병 never takes them below 100. Politeness lives in the verb ending (주세요, 주시겠어요?), not in the number system.
Common Mistakes and Fixes
The most frequent errors with 병 are about number forms and word order. Each one has a simple fix.
| Mistake | Why it is wrong | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 소주 이 병 주세요. | Sino number with a native counter | 소주 두 병 주세요. |
| 맥주 셋 병 주세요. | Full number before a counter | 맥주 세 병 주세요. |
| 두 병 맥주 주세요. | Counter phrase before the noun sounds unnatural in an order | 맥주 두 병 주세요. |
| 스물 병 | Full form of 20 before a counter | 스무 병 |
| 우유 한 병 (for a carton) | Cartons are packs | 우유 한 팩 |
| 콜라 한 병 (for a can) | Cans have their own counter | 콜라 한 캔 |
Remember the rule of thumb: if the container has a neck you can hold, use 병. If it is a metal can with a ring pull, use 캔.
Practice Set
Try these five questions before you check the answers below.
- Fill in the blank: 물 ___ 병 주세요. (two)
- Say "three bottles of beer" in Korean.
- Soju is on the table in a bottle and in glasses. Which counter counts the bottle?
- Is the 병 in 병원 the bottle or the illness?
- Correct this sentence: 생수 셋 병 주세요.
Practice · 8
Fill in the blank for two bottles of water: 물 ___ 병 주세요.
Show answer
두
병 takes native numbers, and 둘 shortens to 두 before a counter.
How do you say "three bottles of beer"?
Show answer
맥주 세 병
Put the contents first, then the native number in its short form, then 병.
Soju is on the table in a bottle and in glasses. Which counter counts the bottle?
Show answer
병
병 counts the bottles on the table, and 잔 counts the glasses that people drink.
Is the 병 in 병원 the bottle or the illness?
Show answer
The illness
병원 means hospital, and its 병 is the illness word (病), not the bottle word (甁).
Correct this order: 생수 셋 병 주세요.
Show answer
생수 세 병 주세요.
The full number 셋 shortens to 세 before a counter, and 병 takes native numbers.
How do you count milk in a carton?
Show answer
우유 한 팩
The counter follows the container: cartons and paper packs take 팩, and 병 is for bottles.
How do you count cola in a can?
Show answer
콜라 한 캔
Cans have their own counter, 캔.
How is 다섯 병 pronounced?
Show answer
[다섣뼝]
The final ㅅ is said as [ㄷ], which makes the ㅂ of 병 tense: [다섣뼝].
Answers
- 두. The sentence is 물 두 병 주세요.
- 맥주 세 병.
- 병. The glasses are counted with 잔.
- The illness. 병원 means hospital, and its 병 is the illness word (病), not the bottle word (甁).
- 생수 세 병 주세요. The full number 셋 shortens to 세 before a counter.
What This Lesson Does Not Cover
This lesson covers 병 for bottles. It does not cover glasses and cups (see the 잔 counter), bowls of food (see the 그릇 counter) or restaurant servings (see the 인분 counter). It also leaves out measuring units for volume, such as 리터 (liter) and 밀리리터 (milliliter), which are borrowed from English.
What to Learn Next
The next lesson is the 그릇 counter, which counts bowls of rice and soup. To see every food and drink counter side by side, go back to Counting Food and Drinks. Once the korean counter byeong feels natural, practise it with Korean shopping phrases and the numbers in native Korean numbers 1-100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 병 used for jars?
Yes. 병 counts any bottle-shaped container, and that includes glass jars with a neck, such as 잼 한 병 (one jar of jam). Wide tubs, cans and boxes use other counters, so 캔 counts cans and 상자 counts boxes. If the container is made of glass and holds a liquid or a paste, 병 is usually safe.
Can I use 병 for large bottles?
Yes. 병 does not depend on size, so a small 박카스 bottle and a 소주 bottle are both 병. For big plastic bottles, people say 페트병, the word for a PET bottle, and still count them with 병: 생수 한 병 or 1.5리터 한 병. The volume is added as a description, not as a new counter.
How do I say a case of beer in Korean?
Use a container counter for the whole case, not 병. 맥주 한 박스 (one box of beer) and 맥주 한 상자 are both understood. Inside the case you still count bottles: 한 박스에 맥주가 스무 병 들어 있어요 means a box holds twenty bottles. Shops and delivery staff may use their own trade words.
What does 병 mean as illness?
The 병 that means illness is a different word, written 病 in Chinese characters, and it only shares the sound with the bottle word. Phrases such as 병에 걸리다 (to catch an illness) and 병원 (hospital) show it. A number plus 병 after a drink or container noun is always bottles, never illnesses.
Does 병 take Sino-Korean numbers?
No. 병 takes native Korean numbers from 1 to 99: 한 병, 두 병, 스무 병. A form such as 이 병 sounds wrong. Above 99 Korean switches to Sino numbers, as in 백 병, but only warehouses, bars and factories count that high, so everyday speech stays with the native forms.
