In the past year, we’ve been working harder at using Korean vocabulary instead of English when we can at Tucson Chayon-Ryu. One of the easiest things to tackle, especially with new students, is counting. We count from one to three, four, five, or ten on a regular basis as we do our techniques, so it’s easy to get practice in!

Unfortunately, it’s also easy to get incorrect pronunciation in. Master Hwang, one of the cofounders of the Tucson branch of Chayon-Ryu, would often say during a class that “practice makes permanent” – it is important to try to be accurate when you’re repeating something, so that what you retain is correct.

I know my own pronunciation of Korean words is pretty bad, and I’ve been looking around for a while for some ways to help my students (and myself!) get a better handle on the words we use in class. So here are some videos from YouTube that I’ve found that feature the two types of Korean counting.

The native Korean counting system is the one we use most often, during warm-ups and basic movements. This first video explains a little about there being two different systems (the other is Sino-Korean, which is influenced by Chinese), and shows how to count from one to twelve, with lots of repetition. I think it’s very useful to hear the numbers over and over:

Here’s a much shorter video featuring counting from one to ten, and then ten backwards to one:

Next, some Sino-Korean counting. We use this system for our forms, saying “kibon hyung il chol” for “basic form one.” Here’s a longer video, with nice repetition (and lots and lots of orange juice!):

And last, for a little silly fun, here’s an animated counting song. If you listen closely, you can hear the Sino-Korean numbers – but they go by very fast!