Korean Quantity Words Vocabulary: 25 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Quantity Words Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 25 words in five groups of five. It runs from a lot to a little, then from all to none, then part of a whole, then the words for about and nearly, and ends with the degree and manner adverbs that most learners use daily. It belongs to Shapes, Materials and Measurements in Korean and follows Korean Position Words Vocabulary.

Most of these words are adverbs, and a few are nouns. Adverbs sit right before the verb or adjective, so 많이 먹어요 means I eat a lot. The nouns, such as 일부 and 절반, take particles like other nouns. The big grammar point is the negative pairing, explained in the section on negation below. For the grammar of negative sentences, see negation.

Which Quantity Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 많이 (a lot), 조금 (a little), 다 (all), 너무 (too much) and 정말 (really) first. These five words change the size of almost any sentence, and they are short. Add 하나도 and 전혀 next, because they unlock the negative sentences that learners need for "I have none" and "I do not know at all".

• Words to say. 많이, 조금, 좀, 다, 너무, 정말, 빨리, 천천히. They appear in daily requests and reactions.
• Words to recognise. 모두, 전부, 대부분, 일부, 약간, 거의. They are common in speech and in news.
• Words to understand when spoken. 대략, 잔뜩, 가득, 나머지. A speaker uses them to be precise or lively.

The words run on a scale. The next table puts the ones that mean an amount in order from none to all. Learn the order, and you can pick the right word for how much you mean.

Several of these words, such as 많이 and 조금, also appear in the list of the top 100 Korean words.

Word · 10

1. 1

   많이

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   mani

   a lot; many; much

2. 2

   조금

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   jogeum

   a little; a bit

3. 3

   가득

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   gadeuk

   full; to the brim

4. 4

   모두

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   modu

   everyone; all

5. 5

   다

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   da

   all; completely; (a finished action)

6. 6

   하나도

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   hanado

   not even one; none at all

7. 7

   일부

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   ilbu

   some; a part

8. 8

   절반

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   jeolban

   half; one half

9. 9

   나머지

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   nameoji

   the rest; remainder

10. 10

    약

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    yak

    about; approximately (before a number)

How Do You Say a Lot and a Little in Korean?

These five words cover the amounts you mention in daily life: a lot, a little, a bit, full and heaps. 많이 and 조금 are the pair to learn first, and the others add shades. All five are adverbs, so they sit before the verb.

Example Sentences

The sentences in this group follow one frame: the adverb sits right before the verb, as in 비가 많이 와요 (it rains a lot), 설탕을 조금 넣어요 (I add a little sugar) and 문 좀 열어 주세요 (please open the door for me). The adverb does not normally go at the end of the sentence. A related pattern uses 이/가 + adverb + verb, as in 컵에 물이 가득 찼어요, where the water is the subject and 가득 describes how it is full. In requests, 좀 or 조금 sits before the verb. Say each sentence aloud after its clip.

How Do You Say All and Not at All in Korean?

These five words say that every one of something is included or that none is. Three mean all, and two need a negative verb to mean none. The negative pairing is the most important grammar point on this page.

Negative sentences are the part to watch. 하나도 and 전혀 cannot be used with a positive verb. You say 하나도 없어요 (I have none), not 하나도 있어요. The same is true of the phrase 아무것도 (nothing), as in 아무것도 없어요 (there is nothing). These words are called negative polarity items, because they only work in a negative sentence. The grammar is explained on the negative polarity items page.

The three words for all have different feelings. 모두 is warm and covers people, 전부 stresses the whole and is good for things, and 다 is the casual everyday word. In speech, learners can use 다 almost all the time and be understood.

How Do You Say Some and Most in Korean?

Between none and all lie the words for part. These five words say some, most, slightly, half and the rest. 일부, 절반 and 나머지 are nouns and take particles, 약간 is an adverb, and 대부분 can be either. They are the words a news report or a survey result uses.

The words 일부 and 대부분 both go before a noun: 일부 학생 (some students) and 대부분의 사람 (most people). With 대부분 the particle 의 is the careful form, and it is often dropped in speech. They do not need the plural marker 들. Korean nouns are plural only when the plural needs to be clear, so 학생 can mean one student or many students depending on the context. The marker 들 can be added, as in 학생들, but it is optional, and with words that already say many (많은, 모두, 대부분) it is usually left out.

Approximately (약, 정도)

Approximate words let you give a number without being exact. Korean has five common words: one goes before the number, two go after it, and two work alone. Learn the position of each, because that is the main difference.

Position decides the word. 약 goes before the number: 약 열 명. 정도 and 쯤 go after it: 열 명 정도, 세 시쯤. You cannot say 열 명 약 or 정도 열 명. 정도 and 쯤 are both natural, but 쯤 is more often used with times, and 정도 with amounts and durations. Speakers often add 한 (about) before the number as well, as in 한 열 명쯤 (about ten people).

The word 거의 with a positive verb means almost, and with a negative verb it means hardly: 거의 없어요 means there is almost none. That makes 거의 a bridge between the none words and the all words in the earlier table. The sentence 거의 다 왔어요 (we are almost there) is something you will hear on any long trip.

Degree and Manner

The last group covers the adverbs of degree (very, really, too) and of manner (quickly, slowly). They are not amounts, but they belong with quantity words because they answer the same questions: how much and how. These five are among the most frequent adverbs in speech.

The degree adverbs have different registers. 매우 is the formal choice, 아주 is the neutral one, and 너무 and 정말 are the everyday ones. Where 너무 is concerned, teachers used to say it should only go with a negative idea (too much). The standard dictionary now accepts it with positive words as well, so 너무 맛있어요 (it is so delicious) is fine in conversation. In writing, choose 아주 or 매우 if you want to be safe.

Manner adverbs often come from adjectives. 빠르다 (be fast) gives 빨리, and 천천히 is the adverb for slowly. For the adjective forms, see adjectives.

How Do You Use 정도, 쯤 and 약 with Numbers?

Approximate words follow the number pattern of the unit. A native number goes with a counter, and the approximate word sits after the whole phrase, as in 열 명 정도. A Sino-Korean number goes with a unit, as in 삼십 분 정도.

The number systems follow their usual rules. Hours use native numbers (세 시) and minutes use Sino-Korean numbers (삼십 분). The approximate words do not change this. For the full rules, see native Korean numbers and Sino-Korean numbers.

How Do Quantity Words Pair with Negation?

A negative sentence changes which quantity words you can use. Some quantity words need a negative verb, and some change meaning when the verb is negative. Here is the full picture in one table.

The pairs 하나도 + 없다 and 전혀 + 모르다 are fixed. A Korean listener expects the negative verb as soon as they hear 하나도 or 전혀, so you can even drop the verb in a reply: 하나도요? (None at all?). The new word 아무도 (nobody) in the last row follows the same rule, and it belongs with 아무것도 (nothing). The details of negative sentences are on the negation hub.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Quantity words are short, but a few have sounds that differ from the spelling. The main changes are a silent ㅎ in 많이, tensing in 약간, and the double ㄹ in 빨리. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which records some sound changes and ignores others.

The tense consonants in 빨리, 잔뜩 and 쯤 are the sounds that learners find hard. A tense consonant is made with a tight throat and no puff of air. Hold a piece of paper in front of your mouth: with ㅃ, ㄸ and ㅉ, the paper should hardly move. The aspirated versions ㅍ, ㅌ and ㅊ make the paper move. Compare 달 (dal, moon), 딸 (ttal, daughter) and 탈 (tal, mask) and notice the difference.

Audio and Slow Playback

Every headword and every example sentence has its own audio. The five clips below replay the trickiest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Quantity Words?

These five mistakes come up often with quantity words.

1. Using 하나도 or 전혀 with a positive verb. 전혀 알아요 is wrong. Use a negative verb: 전혀 몰라요.
2. Putting the adverb after the verb. 먹어요 많이 is not the normal order. The adverb sits before the verb: 많이 먹어요.
3. Using 약 after the number. 열 명 약 is wrong. 약 goes before: 약 열 명. Use 정도 or 쯤 after the number.
4. Saying 많아요 where you need 많이. 많아요 is an adjective (be many) and 많이 is an adverb. Say 물이 많아요 (there is a lot of water), but 물을 많이 마셔요 (I drink a lot of water).
5. Overusing 너무. 너무 is not always the same as very. Write 너무 비싸요 for too expensive. For a calm, neutral very, choose 아주.

A habit that avoids most of these: put the quantity word right before the word it describes, and listen for a negative ending when you use 하나도, 전혀 and 아무것도.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you know each of the 25 words. Second, switch to listening mode and answer from the audio alone. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 25 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, put a few coins, apples or pencils on a table and describe the amount with four different words: 많이 있어요, 조금 있어요, 절반만 있어요, 하나도 없어요. Saying the sentence while you look at the objects fixes both the word and the amount.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Opposites Vocabulary, which pairs words that mean the opposite, or go back to Korean Position Words Vocabulary. For the grammar behind the negative sentences, see negation. To return to the full set, go to Shapes, Materials and Measurements in Korean.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say a Lot in Korean?

A lot is 많이 (mani) as an adverb, as in 많이 먹어요 (I eat a lot). As a verb, 많다 means to be many, as in 사람이 많아요 (there are many people). Put the adverb right before the verb. The related word 너무 means too much, and 아주 means very.

How Do You Pronounce 조금 (jogeum)?

Say jo-geum, with two short syllables. The first vowel ㅗ is a rounded "o", like in "go" but shorter. The second vowel ㅡ is unrounded: spread your lips and say "uh" with your tongue back. The final ㅁ closes the lips. There is no sound change, so the spelling matches the sound.

How Many Quantity Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 많이, 조금, 다, 너무 and 정말. At five new words a day, the whole list of 25 takes five days plus review. Add 하나도 and 전혀 on day two, because they teach the negative pairing that Korean needs for "none" and "not at all".

Where Can I Practise Quantity Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 25 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, and it offers recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser, so return daily and review the cards you missed.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not show every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Quantity Words?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 25 words.

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