What the word is
Korea's open dictionary, kept by the National Institute of Korean Language, defines the portion unit 인분 (人分) as one that counts quantity by number of people, used with Sino-Korean numerals. That last clause is the practical part. Korean has two number systems, and 인분 only takes the Sino-Korean one:
| Portions | Written | Said |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | one portion (1인분 / 일인분) | il-inbun |
| 2 | two portions (2인분 / 이인분) | i-inbun |
| 3 | three portions (3인분 / 삼인분) | sam-inbun |
| 4 | four portions (4인분 / 사인분) | sa-inbun |
The standard expression is “일인분” (il-inbun), using the Sino-Korean number for one. If pronunciation is difficult, point to the dish and show the written quantity.
Check the weight listed for a portion
There is no legal, standard or dictionary quantity for a portion (인분). The shop decides. What the shop cannot do is keep the quantity to itself. Annex 17 of the Food Sanitation Act's Enforcement Rule, the standing conduct rules for every registered restaurant, says:
A price list must show meat such as bulgogi and short ribs at a price per 100 grams, in won. Where a per-portion price is also shown, the weight of that portion must be printed with it. This is a duty, not a choice.
For example: bulgogi at ○○ won per 100 grams and one portion of 120 grams at △△ won; short ribs at ○○ won per 100 grams and one portion of 150 grams at △△ won.
> Meat prices must be shown per 100 grams. If a per-portion price is also shown, the weight and price of that portion must both be stated. > 가격표에는 불고기, 갈비 등 식육의 가격을 100그램당 가격으로 표시하여야 하며 … 100그램당 가격과 함께 1인분의 가격도 표시하려는 경우에는 1인분의 중량과 가격을 함께 표시하여야 한다.
So a Korean grill house must price meat per 100 grams, and if it also advertises a per-portion price it must print the gram weight of that portion beside that price. Where the meat arrives cooked, the pre-cooking weight may be shown. The same Annex adds that what is served must not differ from the price list in main ingredient or weight, that the list must show the price you actually pay with VAT (value-added tax) included, and that premises of 150 m² or more must post it outside as well.
Look for the portion weight on the menu or price board. Ask staff if you cannot find it. Find the per-100 g price, find the gram figure in brackets, and you know exactly what ₩19,000 buys.
What that means in real grams
The customary figure was 200 g, and it has been eroding. Meat-trade reporting describes the 200 g standard as broken and lists 150 g, 160 g and 180 g as current portion sizes for pork belly (삼겹살), with operators saying they cut the weight rather than raise the headline price. One portion of 삼겹살 averaged about ₩19,000 in Seoul in 2023, and less elsewhere — about ₩16,000 in Busan.
Two portions of pork belly between two people, plus rice and a stew, is a normal meal. Two portions for one person is a large one.
The other units on the same menu
인분 is not the only counter you meet, and recognising the other units can help you order the amount you want.
| Unit | What it counts | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|
| portion (인분) | portions by person | grilled meat, stews, platters, raw fish (회) |
| bowl of rice (공기) | a bowl of rice — 공깃밥 | ordered separately, almost always extra |
| noodle coil (사리) | a coil of noodles | added into a stew or a hotpot; the dictionary defines 사리 as a coiled bundle of noodles and as the unit for counting them |
| whole animal (마리) | a whole animal | chicken, fish — 치킨 한 마리 (one fried chicken), 닭 한 마리 (one whole chicken) |
| tray or round (판) | a flat round or tray | pizza, savoury pancake (전), eggs (계란) |
| bowl (그릇) | a bowl of a soup dish | 국밥 한 그릇 — one bowl of rice-and-soup |
| plate (접시) | a plate | side orders |
| bottle / glass (병 / 잔) | bottle / glass | 소주 한 병 (a bottle of soju — Korea's clear distilled spirit, sold in a green bottle), 맥주 한 잔 (a glass of beer) |
| small / medium / large (소 / 중 / 대) | small / medium / large | The suggested number of diners varies. Look for a separate serving-count label or ask staff. |
Note the switch: 공기, 마리, 판, 그릇, 접시, 병, 잔 all take native Korean numbers — one, two, three (한, 두, 세) — while 인분 takes Sino-Korean ones. 공기 한 개 (one bowl of rice) and 삼겹살 이인분 (two portions of pork belly) in the same sentence is correct and sounds odd only to a learner.
Ordering by grams instead
At a 정육식당 — a butcher-counter grill house, where you choose your cut from a chilled case and pay a small cooking charge for the table — meat is sold by weight, not by portion, and the per-100 g price on the wall becomes the actual price you are quoted. 300 grams of pork shoulder, please (목살 300그램 주세요) — pork shoulder is 목살 and grams are 그램 — is roughly two conventional portions. Ask whether the venue has a minimum weight or table charge; ordering by weight does not automatically remove its minimum.
Reading the meat itself
Beef carries one extra label worth learning, because it changes the price by a multiple. Under Article 5(3) of the Act on Origin Labelling of Agricultural and Fishery Products, a restaurant serving beef must show not only the country of origin but 식육의 종류 — the kind of cattle:
- 한우 — Korean native cattle. This is often sold at a premium, but the price also depends on the cut, grade and restaurant.
- 육우 — domestically raised beef cattle that are not 한우.
- 젖소 — dairy cattle.
Pork, chicken, duck, lamb and goat carry origin only. Korean-cattle short ribs (한우 갈비) and imported short ribs (수입산 갈비) are the same word on the menu with very different numbers next to it, so read the label before the price.
Saying it out loud
Start with the dish, then the number of portions, then 주세요 (please give me). For example, 삼겹살 이인분 주세요 means “two portions of pork belly, please”. Second, order in waves: Korean meals are added to as they go, and a second round of meat mid-meal is expected rather than tolerated — 1인분 더 주세요, one more portion please.
