N이나/나³ Express the speaker thinks that the quantity or the degree is large or high

미국으로 소포를 보내려고 하는데요.
I am going to send a parcel to the United States.
이 저울에 상자를 올리세요. 160,000원입니다.
Place the box on this scale. It’s 160,000 won.
160,000원요? 너무 비싼데요.
160,000 won? It’s too expensive.
빨리 도착해야 하는 물건이 아니면 배편으로 보내세요. 한 달 정도 걸리지만 요금은 절반 정도입니다.
If it’s not something that needs to arrive quickly, send it on a ship. It will take a month but the charge is almost half.
한 달이나 걸려요?
Does it take a month (that long)?
네, 배편으로 보내면 보통 한 달 정도 걸립니다.
Yes, it usually takes a month on average if you send things on a ship.

N이나/나³
It is used to express the speaker thinks that the quantity or the degree is large or high.

See more:
N이나/나¹ Indicate that only one of the listed items is selected.
N이나/나² Choose the one that is easy to choose though it is not the best choice among many
N이나/나³ Roughly ask how many in numbers or how much in quantity.

택시비가 2만 원이나 나왔어요.
The taxi fare came out to be 20,000 won (that much).

저는 어제 잠을 열두 시간이나 잤어요.
I slept for twelve hours (that long) yesterday.

배가 고파서 햄버거를 세 개 먹었어요.
I ate three hamburgers (that many) because I was hungry.

Related words
저울 a scale
상자 a box
올리다 to place, to put
배편 on a ship
요금 a charge
절반 a half
택시비 a taxi fare

Source: Yonsei University. Korean Language Institute

See also  N부터¹ Denote the beginning point.

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