In English, one must say, “two sheets of paper” rather than “two papers”. In Korean, the term jang (장) is used to count sheets, or paper-like material in general. So “ten bus tickets” would be beoseu pyo yeol jang (버스 표 열 장), literally, “bus ticket ten ‘sheets'”. In fact, the meanings of counter words are frequently extended in metaphorical or other image-based ways (Lakoff, 1987).

For instance, in addition to counting simply sheets of paper, jang (장) in Korean can used to refer to any number of thin, paper-like objects. Leaves (namunnip 나뭇잎) are counted using this count word. In this way, the ways in which a particular count word can be used is generally very open-ended and up to the construal or creativity of the speaker.

There are two systems of numerals in Korean: native Korean and Sino-Korean. Native Korean numerals are used with most counter words. yeol gwa (열 과) would mean ‘ten lessons’ while sip gwa (십 과) would mean ‘lesson ten.’ Sino-Korean numerals are used with many time counters.

<Examples of counting units>
•    sal (살) — years
•    se (세) — years
•    song-i (송이) — picked flowers, bunches of grapes, bunches of bananas
•    tol (톨) — grains of rice (not cooked), stones
•    tong (통) — letters, telegrams, telephone calls, and e-mail
•    tong (통) — watermelons