In the lesson on numbers (L105), you learned that different counting words (“counters”) need to be used for counting different kinds of things. To make things harder, these counters often undergo sound changes when combined with different numbers.

The list below gives some common counters, and how they are pronounced in combination with numbers from 1 to 10.

If you don’t know the specific counter for something, you can always use the generic counter “tsu” (see the section on this in L105). But this will sound strange if you are using them in place of one of the more common counters.

People

Counting People: 人

  • Pronunciations:  ri (only for one and two), nin (all other numbers)
  • One to ten: hitori, futari, sannin, yonin, gonin, rokunin, nananin or shichinin, hachinin, kyuunin, juunin
  • How many: nannin

Example

 

三人の学生
sannin no gakusei
three students

 

Counting Years of Age: 歳, 才

  • Pronunciations:  sai
  • One to ten: issai, nisai, sansai, yonsai, gosai, rokusai, nanasai, hassai, kyuusai, jussai
  • Exception: hatachi (twenty years old)
  • How many: nansai

Animals

Animals are counted with special words, often depending on the size of the animal.

Counting Small Animals: 匹

  • Pronunciations: hiki, biki, piki
  • One to ten: ippiki, nihiki, sanbiki, yonhiki, gohiki, roppiki, nanhiki or shichihiki, happiki, kyuuhiki, juppiki
  • How many: nanbiki

Example

一匹の猫
ippiki no neko
one cat

Counting Birds, Rabbits, Frogs, etc. (flying or hopping animals): 羽

  • Pronunciations:  wa, ba, pa
  • One to ten: ichiwa, niwa, sanba, yonwa, gowa, rokuwa or roppa, nanawa or shichiwa, hachiwa or happa, kyuuwa, juuwa or juppa
  • How many: nanba

Example

五羽の兎
gowa no usagi
five rabbits

Counting Horses, Cows, Large Animals: 頭

  • Pronunciations:  tou
  • One to ten: ittou, nitou, santou, yontou, gotou, rokutou, nanatou, hattou or hachitou, kyuutou, juttou
  • How many: nantou

Example

四十頭の牛
yonjuttou no ushi
forty cows or forty head of cattle

Objects Classified by Shape

Many things are classified by their shape, this may for instance depend on if they are round, flat, cylindric or spheric.

Counting Flat Objects (paper, postage stamps, etc.): 枚

  • Pronunciations: mai
  • One to ten: ichimai, nimai, sanmai, yonmai, gomai, rokumai, nanamai or shichimai, hachimai, kyuumai, juumai
  • How many: nanmai

Example

一枚の紙
ichimai no kami
a sheet of paper, one sheet of paper

Counting Long, Slender Objects (pencils, trees, rolls of film, etc.): 本

  • Pronunciations: hon, bon, pon
  • One to ten: ippon, nihon, sanbon, yonhon, gohon, roppon or rokuhon, nanahon, happon, kyuuhon, juppon
  • How many:nanbon

Example

八本のボールペン
happon no boorupen
eight ball-point pens

Counting Small Objects with Irregular Shapes: 個

  • Pronunciations: ko
  • One to ten: ikko, niko, sanko, yonko, goko, rokko, nanako, hachiko, kyuuko, jukko
  • How many: nanko

Example

六個のねじ
rokko no neji
six screws

Other counters

Some things have counters used only for that type of object, for instance books and magazines use the counter -satsu.

Counting Books, Magazines, etc.: 冊

  • Pronunciations: satsu
  • One to ten: issatsu, nisatsu, sansatsu, yonsatsu, gosatsu, rokusatsu, nanasatsu, hassatsu, kyuusatsu, jussatsu
  • How many: nansatsu

Examples

二冊の辞書
nisatsu no jisho
two dictionaries

同じ本を二冊
onaji hon o nisatsu
two copies of the same book

Cupfuls of things to Drink: 杯

  • Pronunciations: hai, bai, pai
  • One to ten: ippai, nihai, sanbai, yonhai, gohai, rokuhai or roppai, nanahai, hachihai or happai, kyuuhai, juppai
  • How many: nanbai

Example

二杯のお茶
nihai no ocha
two cups of (green) tea

Pairs of Footwear: 足

  • Pronunciations: soku
  • One to ten: issoku, nisoku, sansoku, yonsoku, gosoku, rokusoku, nanasoku, hassoku, kyuusoku, jussoku
  • How many: nansoku

Example

三足の靴
sansoku no kutsu
three pairs of shoes

Links

 

Related posts:

  1. Japanese Numbers and Counters
  2. Japanese List of Verbs
  3. Japanese List of Languages
  4. Japanese Family Word List