Meaning and Usage
"스물" is the native Korean word for the number twenty. It is commonly used when counting age, people, or occurrences in everyday conversation. Unlike Sino-Korean numbers, native Korean numbers like "스물" are often used for counting age and small quantities.
Common Contexts
- Age: "스물 살" means "twenty years old." This is a very common way to express age in Korean.
- Counting people or objects: "스물 명" means "twenty people."
- Frequency or attempts: "스물 번" means "twenty times."
Collocations and Patterns
- 스물 살: age twenty
- 스물 명: twenty people (명 is a counter for people)
- 스물 번: twenty times (번 is a counter for occurrences)
Notes
When expressing age, Koreans often use native numbers like "스물" instead of Sino-Korean "이십". However, for other contexts like money or dates, Sino-Korean numbers are more common.
A common learner mistake is mixing native and Sino-Korean numbers incorrectly. For example, saying "이십 살" is less natural than "스물 살" when talking about age.
Use "스물" in informal and formal contexts, but remember that it is a native Korean number, so it pairs naturally with native Korean counters.