A counter follows a number by kind of thing: 人 people, 枚 flat things, 本 long things. Number and counter stand after the noun and its particle: りんごを三つください。
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern | noun and particle, then number and counter, then the verb | りんごを三つ買います。 | I buy three apples. | |
| ひとつ〜とお | up to ten, for things without a counter of their own | ひとつ / みっつ / とお | one / three / ten | |
| 人 | 一人, 二人; from 3, number + 人 | 一人 / 二人 / 四人 | one person / two people / four people | |
| Choosing the counter | 枚 flat, 本 long, 個 small, 冊 bound | 紙三枚 / ビール二本 | three sheets of paper / two bottles of beer | |
| Sound changes | after 1, 3, 6, 8 and 10 many counters change: っ, ぼ, ぽ | いっぽん / さんぼん / ろっぽん | 1 / 3 / 6 | |
| Asking how many | いくつ for ひとつ…; 何 + counter for the rest | いくつ / 何人 | how many things / how many people | |
| More counters | 台 machines, 匹 small animals, 杯 cups | 二台 / 二匹 / 二杯 | two machines / two small animals / two cups | |
| Before the noun | before the noun, the count takes の | 三人の学生 | three students | |
| Trap | one and two people are 一人 and 二人 | 学生が二人います。 | There are two students. | |
| Trap | a number before a verb always brings its counter | ペンが二本あります。 | There are two pens. |
Overview
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- A counter stands right after a number and names the kind of thing counted. 三人 / 三枚 / 三本three people / three sheets of paper / three pens
- The noun and its particle come first, then the number with its counter, then the verb. りんごを三つ買います。I buy three apples.
- The numbers themselves: see Numbers.
Counting things: ひとつ to とお
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| Number | Word | Level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ひとつ | |
| 2 | ふたつ | |
| 3 | みっつ | |
| 4 | よっつ | |
| 5 | いつつ | |
| 6 | むっつ | |
| 7 | ななつ | |
| 8 | やっつ | |
| 9 | ここのつ | |
| 10 | とお |
- ひとつ to とお count anything without a counter of its own, up to ten. ケーキをふたつください。Two cakes, please.
- とお has no つ; from 11, the plain number takes a counter such as 個. りんごが十一個あります。There are eleven apples.
People: ひとり, ふたり, さんにん
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| Number | Word | Level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一人 | |
| 2 | 二人 | |
| 3 | 三人 | |
| 4 | 四人 | |
| 5 | 五人 | |
| 6 | 六人 | |
| 7 | 七人 | |
| 8 | 八人 | |
| 9 | 九人 | |
| 10 | 十人 |
- 1 and 2 are special: 一人, 二人; from 3, the number takes 人. 一人 / 二人 / 三人one person / two people / three people
- 4 is 四人; 7 is 七人 or 七人. 家族は四人です。There are four people in my family.
- 人 counts people; after a country name the same character is read じん: 日本人.
Common counters
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| Counter | What it counts | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 枚 | flat, thin things: paper, tickets, plates, shirts | 紙を三枚ください。 | Three sheets of paper, please. | |
| 本 | long, thin things: pens, bottles, trees, umbrellas | ビールを二本ください。 | Two bottles of beer, please. | |
| 個 | small compact things: apples, eggs, sweets, items in general | たまごを六個買います。 | I buy six eggs. | |
| 冊 | bound things: books, notebooks, magazines | 本を二冊読みます。 | I read two books. | |
| 歳 | age in years | 私は十八歳です。 | I am 18 years old. | |
| 回 | times, occasions: visits, tries | 週に二回プールへ行きます。 | I go to the pool twice a week. | |
| 台 | machines and vehicles: cars, computers, bicycles | パソコンが三台あります。 | There are three computers. | |
| 匹 | small animals: cats, dogs, fish, insects | ねこが二匹います。 | There are two cats. | |
| 杯 | drinks and rice in a cup, glass or bowl | コーヒーを一杯ください。 | One cup of coffee, please. |
Sound changes
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- 個 and 回 take a small っ after 1, 6, 8 and 10.
- 冊 and 歳 take a small っ after 1, 8 and 10 only.
| Number | 個 | 回 | 冊 | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | いっこ | いっかい | いっさつ | |
| 2 | にこ | にかい | にさつ | |
| 3 | さんこ | さんかい | さんさつ | |
| 4 | よんこ | よんかい | よんさつ | |
| 6 | ろっこ | ろっかい | ろくさつ | |
| 8 | はっこ | はっかい | はっさつ | |
| 10 | じゅっこ | じゅっかい | じゅっさつ | |
| 何 | なんこ | なんかい | なんさつ |
- 本 becomes ぼん after 3, and ぽん with a small っ after 1, 6, 8 and 10.
- 枚 never changes its sound.
| Number | 本 | 枚 | 歳 | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | いっぽん | いちまい | いっさい | |
| 2 | にほん | にまい | にさい | |
| 3 | さんぼん | さんまい | さんさい | |
| 4 | よんほん | よんまい | よんさい | |
| 6 | ろっぽん | ろくまい | ろくさい | |
| 8 | はっぽん | はちまい | はっさい | |
| 10 | じゅっぽん | じゅうまい | じゅっさい | |
| 何 | なんぼん | なんまい | なんさい |
- 匹 and 杯 change like 本; 台 never changes.
| Number | 匹 | 杯 | 台 | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | いっぴき | いっぱい | いちだい | |
| 2 | にひき | にはい | にだい | |
| 3 | さんびき | さんばい | さんだい | |
| 4 | よんひき | よんはい | よんだい | |
| 6 | ろっぴき | ろっぱい | ろくだい | |
| 8 | はっぴき | はっぱい | はちだい | |
| 10 | じゅっぴき | じゅっぱい | じゅうだい | |
| 何 | なんびき | なんばい | なんだい |
Asking how many
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| いくつ asks how many things; the answer is ひとつ, ふたつ… | りんごはいくつありますか。 — 五つあります。 | How many apples are there? — There are five. | |
| 何 plus the counter asks how many of that kind | 学生は何人いますか。 — 十二人います。 | How many students are there? — There are twelve. | |
| After 何, a counter changes as it does after 3 | ペンは何本ありますか。 — 三本あります。 | How many pens are there? — There are three. | |
| Asking age: 何歳, or politely おいくつ | おいくつですか。 — 二十歳です。 | How old are you? — I am twenty. |
- Twenty years old has a word of its own: 二十歳.
Word order
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| Point | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| The number with its counter stands between the particle and the verb | りんごを二つ食べます。 | I eat two apples. | |
| With あります and います, the thing takes が | 学生が三人います。 | There are three students. | |
| Before the noun, the count takes の | 三人の学生が来ます。 | Three students are coming. |
- For the particles and the verb at the end, see Particles を, に, で, へ and Word Order.
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 学生が一人います。 | 学生が一人います。 | one and two people are 一人 and 二人 | |
| 家族は四人です。 | 家族は四人です。 | four people is 四人, without ん | |
| ペンが三本あります。 | ペンが三本あります。 | after 3, 本 becomes ぼん | |
| ペンが六本あります。 | ペンが六本あります。 | after 6, 本 becomes ぽん, with a small っ before it | |
| ペンが二あります。 | ペンが二本あります。 | Japanese needs a counter after the number; “two pens” alone is not enough | |
| 本を二個買います。 | 本を二冊買います。 | 個 does not fit everything: books take 冊 | |
| ペンは何本ありますか。 | ペンは何本ありますか。 | 何 is read なん before a counter, not なに | |
| ねこが二人います。 | ねこが二匹います。 | 人 counts people only: small animals take 匹 |
Start over
HiraganaThe 46 basic hiragana, one sound each, set out in a table of five vowels and ten rows.Start over
HiraganaThe 46 basic hiragana, one sound each, set out in a table of five vowels and ten rows.