Episode 16 — 셀 수 있는 명사 vs 셀 수 없는 명사

MisoEnglish Grammar Series

Episode 16 — 셀 수 있는 명사 vs 셀 수 없는 명사

영어는 왜 나누는가

"문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" Don't memorize grammar. Feel it.

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🧭 들어가며 | Introduction

영어는 모든 명사를 두 종류로 나눈다.

English divides every noun into two categories.

셀 수 있는 명사 (Countable Nouns) 셀 수 없는 명사 (Uncountable Nouns)

한국어에는 이 구분이 없다. "사과 하나, 사과 둘" — "물 하나, 물 둘"처럼 뭐든 셀 수 있다.

Korean doesn't make this distinction. "사과 하나, 사과 둘" — "물 하나, 물 둘" — you can count anything.

영어는 다르다. "물"은 하나, 둘로 셀 수 없다. "사과"는 셀 수 있다. 이 구분이 관사, 복수형, 수량 표현 전체에 영향을 준다.

English is different. "Water" cannot be counted as one, two. "Apple" can. This distinction affects articles, plurals, and every quantity expression.

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1. 셀 수 있는 명사 | Countable Nouns

하나, 둘, 셋... 으로 셀 수 있는 명사. 단수와 복수 형태가 있다.

Nouns you can count as one, two, three... They have singular and plural forms.

an apple / two apples a book / three books a cat / five cats an idea / many ideas

셀 수 있는 명사의 특징 | Features

• 단수: a / an 또는 the 사용
• 복수: -s / -es 붙임
• 수량: many, few, a few, several, a number of

I have a dog. 나는 개 한 마리가 있다.
I have three dogs. 나는 개 세 마리가 있다.
How many dogs do you have? 개가 몇 마리야?
I have a few friends. 나는 친구가 몇 명 있다.

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2. 셀 수 없는 명사 | Uncountable Nouns

하나, 둘로 셀 수 없는 명사. 복수형이 없고, a / an을 쓸 수 없다.

Nouns that cannot be counted as one, two. No plural form. Cannot use a / an.

셀 수 없는 명사의 종류 | Categories

① 물질 / 액체 / 기체 | Substances / Liquids / Gases

water, milk, coffee, tea, oil, air, smoke, gold, silver, wood, paper

② 추상 개념 | Abstract Concepts

love, happiness, freedom, knowledge, information, advice, news, music, time, money*

③ 학문 / 언어 | Academic Subjects / Languages

English, mathematics, history, science, Chinese

④ 음식 재료 | Food Ingredients

rice, bread, meat, butter, flour, sugar, salt, cheese

⑤ 집합적 개념 | Collective Concepts

furniture, luggage, baggage, equipment, clothing, traffic, weather, homework

셀 수 없는 명사의 특징 | Features

• a / an 사용 불가
• 복수형(-s) 없음
• 수량: much, little, a little, a great deal of, a lot of

~~a water~~ ❌ / ~~two waters~~ ❌ → water / some water ✅
~~an information~~ ❌ → information / some information ✅
~~advices~~ ❌ → advice ✅
~~furnitures~~ ❌ → furniture ✅

How much water do you drink? 물을 얼마나 마셔?
I have a little time. 시간이 조금 있어.
She gave me a lot of advice. 그녀는 나에게 많은 조언을 해줬다.

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3. 단위 표현으로 셀 수 없는 명사 세기 | Counting Uncountable Nouns with Units

셀 수 없는 명사를 세고 싶을 때는 **단위 명사(unit noun)**를 앞에 붙이면 된다.

When you need to count uncountable nouns, add a unit noun in front.

a + 단위명사 + of + 셀 수 없는 명사
a + unit noun + of + uncountable noun

셀 수 없는 명사 단위 표현 예문

water	a glass of / a bottle of	a glass of water
coffee	a cup of	a cup of coffee
bread	a slice of / a loaf of	a slice of bread
cheese	a piece of	a piece of cheese
advice	a piece of	a piece of advice
information	a piece of	a piece of information
furniture	a piece of	a piece of furniture
paper	a sheet of	a sheet of paper
news	a piece of	a piece of news
music	a piece of	a piece of music

Can I have two glasses of water? 물 두 잔 주실 수 있어요?
She gave me a piece of advice. 그녀가 조언을 하나 해줬어.
I need three sheets of paper. 종이 세 장이 필요해.

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4. 주의! 같은 단어가 두 가지로 쓰이는 경우 | Watch Out! Same Word, Two Uses

같은 단어가 셀 수 있는 명사와 셀 수 없는 명사 둘 다로 쓰이는 경우가 있다. 의미가 달라진다.

Some words work as both countable and uncountable — with different meanings.

단어 셀 수 없는 명사 (불가산) 셀 수 있는 명사 (가산)

chicken	chicken 닭고기 (재료)	a chicken 닭 한 마리 (동물)
paper	paper 종이 (재료)	a paper 신문 / 논문
glass	glass 유리 (재료)	a glass 유리잔
iron	iron 철 (재료)	an iron 다리미
time	time 시간 (개념)	a time 한 번, 때
hair	hair 머리카락 전체	a hair 머리카락 한 올
room	room 공간, 여유	a room 방
experience	experience 경험 (일반)	an experience 경험 (특정 사건)

I love chicken.
나는 닭고기를 좋아한다. (음식)
There is a chicken in the yard.
마당에 닭이 한 마리 있다. (동물)

Do you have room for one more?
한 명 더 들어갈 자리 있어? (공간)
This is a nice room.
이 방은 멋지다. (방)

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5. 자주 틀리는 불가산 명사 | Commonly Mistaken Uncountable Nouns

한국어로는 복수처럼 느껴지지만 영어에서는 셀 수 없는 명사들.

These feel countable in Korean — but they're uncountable in English.

~~informations~~ ❌ → information ✅
~~advices~~ ❌ → advice ✅
~~furnitures~~ ❌ → furniture ✅
~~homeworks~~ ❌ → homework ✅
~~luggages~~ ❌ → luggage ✅ ~
~equipments~~ ❌ → equipment ✅
~~traffics~~ ❌ → traffic ✅
~~weathers~~ ❌ → weather ✅
~~musics~~ ❌ → music ✅
~~moneys~~ ❌ → money ✅

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6. 수량 표현 총정리 | Quantity Expressions — Complete Guide

표현 셀 수 있는 명사 셀 수 없는 명사

많다	many books	much water
적다	few books (거의 없다)	little water (거의 없다)
조금 있다	a few books	a little water
많다 (구어)	a lot of books	a lot of water
충분하다	enough books	enough water
얼마나?	How many?	How much?

I have few friends. 친구가 거의 없다. (부정적)
I have a few friends. 친구가 몇 명 있다. (긍정적)

There is little hope. 희망이 거의 없다. (부정적)
There is a little hope. 희망이 조금 있다. (긍정적)

few vs a few / little vs a little — 이 차이를 꼭 느껴야 한다! Feel the difference — few/little (barely any) vs a few/a little (some).

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📌 이번 편 요약 | Episode Summary

1. 셀 수 있는 명사 — a/an 가능, 복수(-s) 가능, many/few/a few 사용 Countable — a/an OK, plurals OK, use many/few/a few.
2. 셀 수 없는 명사 — a/an 불가, 복수 불가, much/little/a little 사용 Uncountable — no a/an, no plurals, use much/little/a little.
3. 단위 명사로 셀 수 없는 명사 세기 — a cup of, a piece of, a glass of Count uncountables with unit nouns — a cup of, a piece of, a glass of.
4. 같은 단어가 두 가지 의미 — chicken(닭고기 vs 닭), room(공간 vs 방) Same word, two meanings — chicken (meat vs animal), room (space vs room).
5. few vs a few / little vs a little — 거의 없다 vs 조금 있다 few/little = barely any. a few/a little = some (positive).

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🔜 다음 편 예고 | Coming Up Next

Episode 17 — 전치사 in·on·at : 공간과 시간을 느끼는 법 Prepositions in / on / at: How to Feel Space and Time

전치사는 외우는 게 아니다. in, on, at
— 이 세 개가 공간과 시간을 표현하는 방식에는 각각의 이미지가 있다.
그 이미지를 느끼는 순간, 전치사가 보인다.

Prepositions aren't memorized — they're felt. in, on, at
— each one carries a distinct image of space and time.
The moment you see those images, prepositions click.

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 3 — Episode 16 "문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" | "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns: Why English Draws the Line

The Distinction That Changes Everything — Articles, Plurals, Quantities

MisoEnglish Grammar Series — Episode 16

"Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Introduction

In Korean, you can count almost anything. "사과 하나, 사과 둘" — "물 하나, 물 둘." The language doesn't force you to categorize.

English does. Every noun in English is either countable or uncountable — and that categorization affects which articles you use, whether you can add -s, and which quantity words are correct.

This is one of the most persistent sources of error for Korean learners — not because it's complicated, but because the instinct simply doesn't exist in Korean.

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1. Countable Nouns

Things you can count as individual units: one, two, three...

an apple / two apples a book / three books an idea / many ideas

Countable nouns:

• Take a / an in singular
• Add -s / -es for plural
• Use many, few, a few, several for quantity

I have a dog. / I have three dogs. How many dogs do you have? I have a few friends.

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2. Uncountable Nouns

Things that exist as a mass or concept — not as individual countable units.

No plural form. No a / an.

Common categories:

• Substances / liquids / gases: water, milk, coffee, air, gold, wood, paper
• Abstract concepts: love, happiness, knowledge, information, advice, news, music, time
• Academic subjects / languages: English, mathematics, history
• Food ingredients: rice, bread, meat, butter, sugar, salt
• Collective concepts: furniture, luggage, equipment, clothing, traffic, homework, weather

~~a water~~ ❌ / ~~two waters~~ ❌ → water / some water ✅
~~an information~~ ❌ → information / some information ✅
~~advices~~ ❌ → advice ✅
~~furnitures~~ ❌ → furniture ✅

Use much, little, a little, a lot of for quantity:

How much water do you drink?
I have a little time.
She gave me a lot of advice.

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3. Counting Uncountable Nouns with Unit Nouns

When you need to express a specific amount of an uncountable noun, place a unit noun in front:

a + unit noun + of + uncountable noun

Uncountable Unit Expression Example

water	a glass of / a bottle of	a glass of water
coffee	a cup of	a cup of coffee
bread	a slice of / a loaf of	a slice of bread
advice	a piece of	a piece of advice
information	a piece of	a piece of information
furniture	a piece of	a piece of furniture
paper	a sheet of	a sheet of paper

Can I have two glasses of water?
She gave me a piece of advice.
I need three sheets of paper.

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4. Same Word, Two Uses

Some words function as both countable and uncountable — with different meanings.

Word Uncountable Countable

chicken	chicken (the meat)	a chicken (the animal)
paper	paper (the material)	a paper (a newspaper / essay)
glass	glass (the material)	a glass (a drinking glass)
room	room (space)	a room (a physical room)
time	time (the concept)	a time (an occasion)
hair	hair (all of it)	a hair (a single strand)
experience	experience (in general)	an experience (a specific event)

I love chicken. (the food)
There is a chicken in the yard. (the bird)

Do you have room for one more? (space)
This is a nice room. (the physical room)

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5. The Most Commonly Mistaken Uncountable Nouns

These feel countable in Korean — but they're not in English:

~~informations~~ ❌ → information ✅
~~advices~~ ❌ → advice ✅
~~furnitures~~ ❌ → furniture ✅
~~homeworks~~ ❌ → homework ✅
~~luggages~~ ❌ → luggage ✅
~~equipments~~ ❌ → equipment ✅
~~traffics~~ ❌ → traffic ✅
~~moneys~~ ❌ → money ✅

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6. Quantity Expressions — The Complete Guide

Expression Countable Uncountable

A lot	many books	much water
Almost none	few books	little water
Some (positive)	a few books	a little water
Informal "a lot"	a lot of books	a lot of water
Enough	enough books	enough water
Question	How many?	How much?

The critical distinction:

I have few friends. → Almost none. (negative feeling)
I have a few friends. → Some. (positive — I'm not alone)

There is little hope. → Almost none. (negative)
There is a little hope. → Some. (positive — don't give up)

The "a" makes all the difference.

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Episode Summary

1. Countable — a/an OK, plurals OK, use many/few/a few.
2. Uncountable — no a/an, no plurals, use much/little/a little.
3. Unit nouns — count uncountables with a cup of, a piece of, a glass of.
4. Same word, two meanings — chicken, room, paper, glass, time, hair.
5. few vs. a few / little vs. a little — barely any vs. some.

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Coming Up Next

Episode 17 — Prepositions in / on / at: How to Feel Space and Time

Prepositions aren't memorized — they're felt. in, on, at each carry a distinct image. Once you see those images clearly, the right preposition stops being a guess and starts being obvious.

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 3 — Episode 16 "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

 

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