의존명사 (ui-jon-myeong-sa, uijonmyeongsa) · 단위명사 (dan-wi-myeong-sa, danwimyeongsa) · 대명사 (dae-myeong-sa, daemyeongsa)
의존명사 (uijonmyeongsa) depend on other words to complete meaning, 단위명사 (danwimyeongsa) indicate quantity units, and 대명사 (daemyeongsa) replace people or things.
One lane per word — no nested boxes, just the gist.
Dependent nouns that rely on other words for meaning, not used alone but with particles.
When to use
quantity expression, degree expression, method expression
The nuance
Dependent nouns cannot stand alone; they must attach to preceding words or particles, often expressing quantity, degree, or method.
Unit nouns used for counting quantities or indicating measurement units.
When to use
quantity unit, length unit, time unit
The nuance
Unit nouns attach after nouns to express units and can independently represent quantities.
Pronouns that replace people, things, or places instead of specific names.
When to use
person replacement, object replacement, place replacement
The nuance
Pronouns replace specific nouns and can function independently as subjects or objects in sentences.
몇 개
myeoch gae
‘몇’ is a dependent noun and cannot be used alone; it must combine with a unit noun like ‘개’.
세 개
se gae
‘개’ is a unit noun used to count quantities.
그 사람
geu sa-ram, geu sa ram
‘그’ is a pronoun that replaces a specific person.
몇 사람
myeoch sa-ram, myeoch sa ram
‘몇’ is a dependent noun; ‘사람’ is a noun, and ‘몇 사람’ is natural.
개 몇
gae myeoch
Dependent nouns must attach after the preceding word; ‘몇 개’ is correct, ‘개 몇’ is incorrect.
세 몇
se myeoch
‘몇’ is a dependent noun and cannot be preceded by a quantity modifier.
그 개
geu gae
‘그’ is a pronoun that can replace ‘개’ to indicate a specific object.
그 몇
geu myeoch
‘몇’ is a dependent noun and cannot be used alone with a pronoun like ‘그’.
What type of noun is ‘몇’?
What type of noun is ‘개’?
What type of noun is ‘그’?
Which is correct: ‘몇 개’ or ‘개 몇’?
