Counting in Japanese - Indicators and Counters

Unlike us, the Japanese use an extension after the number to indicate that they are counting something. The problem is that beginners can end up getting lost, because in addition to recording the numbers, they must many counting indicators, and know the right moment to use them.

In this article, we are going to talk about the indicators or counters used as suffix or prefix of numbers to indicate certain item in Japanese language.

How Japanese Numerical Counting Works

This article will not teach the numbers in japonês. When we talk about counting, we are referring to counting objects which in japanese always combine the number with a certain ideogram that represents a specific object.

For example, I want to indicate that there are 5 people. I simply say gonin [五人] which is the combination of the number 5 + the ideogram for person hito [人]. This does not happen only with numbers, as an example we have burajirujin [ブラジル人] which means Brazilian.

Most of the time, the ideogram or kanji that will represent the object being counted will have its Chinese pronunciation ON. Apart from these details, there are 3 difficulties:

• The pronunciation of the counter changes depending on the number. Example: [匹] can be Hiki or Biki;
• The pronunciation of the number changes depending on the counter. Example: One and Two become hitori and futari along with kanji.人];
• You have to analyze and which object or thing uses such a form or count indication;

It may seem complicated, but with time you get used to it. There are no differences between Japanese words that use ideograms and these counting forms.

To help, we will leave at the end a table explaining the euphonic changes in the counts. This way you can carefully examine the counts and then know the right way to use them.

ants in Japanese

First we will leave a table with the top 8 counters, then another table with most of the counters. If you have doubts, know that it's simple. Just say the number and then the counter.

If you want to say: "There are 5 people", you say: Go Nin Imasu. Looking at the table below you will understand better.

If you're new to Japanese, we recommend not going past the top 8 ways to count, so you don't end up losing your mind. But you can take a look, it's just not necessary to learn all of them at this point. But see the end of the article which shows very important things.

• 人 (nin) - It's used to count people, human beings.
• 匹 (hiki; piki; biki) - Counter related to small animals, such as fish, cats, rats, among others.
• つ (tsu) - Generic counter for most things and objects that do not correspond to other categories
• 個 (ko) - For small or compact inanimate objects, usually rounded, like apples, oranges, stones, etc.
• 台 (dai) - Counter for large objects, such as cars, wardrobes, appliances (refrigerators, computers, etc.)
• 本 (hon; pon; bon) - Used to count slender and elongated objects like pencils, trees, as well as video tapes and phone calls.
• 冊 (satsu) - Counter for printed materials, such as books, magazines, pamphlets, workbooks, etc.
• 枚 (mai) - Counter for fine objects, such as shirts, sheets of paper, plates, blankets, among others.

Common people and things counters

• 部 (bu) - Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packages of papers
• 杯 (hai; pai; bai) - Glasses and drinking cups, cuttlefish, octopuses, crabs, squids, and boats
• 階 (kai; gai) - To count floors and stories
• 個; 箇; 个; ヶ (ko) - Word for general counting, used when there is no specific counter. Implies that the item is small or round. 個 is also used for military units.
• 名 (mei) - Polite people (名 means "name")
• 面 (men) - Mirrors, board game boards (chess, igo, shogi), computer game stages, walls of a room, tennis courts
• 話 (wa) - Stories, episodes of TV series, anime, etc.

Time, calendar and attendance counters

• 秒 (byo) - seconds
• 分 (fun; pun) - minutes
• 月 (gatsu; tsuki) - Months of the year
• 泊 (haku; paku) - Number of nights
• 時 (ji) - Times of Day
• 時間 (jikan) - Long period of hours / Time
• 日 (ka) - Day of month
• ヶ月; 箇月 (kagetsu) - Long period of months
• 年 (nen) - Years, school years (grades). Do not use for age years.
• 日 (nichi) - Days of the month (with exceptions)
• 歳; 才 (sai) - Years old (才 is used informally as an abbreviation)
• 週 (shuu) - weeks
• 倍 (bai) - Multiples, several times
• 番 (ban) - Position (in sports games)
• 度 (do; tabi) - Occurrences, number of times, degrees of temperature or angle
• 畳 (jou) - Counting of tatamis
• 回 (kai) - Occurrences, number of times

Other Unknown ants

ing that such are unknown and rarely used, and there is probably a more correct way of saying such a thing.

• 場 (ba) - Scene from a game
• 倍 (bai) - To count multiple things, multiple things
• 晩 (ban) - Count nights
• 番 (ban) - Position, platform for a train line, and sports games
• 尾 (bi) - Small fish and shrimp (used in the fish trade)
• 部 (bu) - Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packages of papers
• 文 (bun) - sentences
• 拍子 (byōshi) - Musicals and beats
• 着 (chaku) - Clothing suits
• 挺 (chō) - Weapons, knives, tools, instruments, violins
• 丁 (chō) - Tools, scissors, saws, pants, guns, tofu cakes, portions in a restaurant
• 町 (chō) - City blocks/blocks
• 代 (dai) - Generations, historical periods, kingdoms
• 段 (dan) - Levels, degrees, steps (stairs)
• 段落 (danraku) - paragraphs
• 筆 (fude) - Sequences of letters or drawings without removing the pen from the paper.
• 服 (fuku; puku) - Green tea powder, powder medication packages, puffs (cigarette)
• 幅 (fuku; puku) - Hanging scrolls (Kakejiku)
• 振 (furi) - Swords
• 学級 (gakkyū) - Classes (pre-university education)
• 語 (go) - Words
• 言 (gon; koto) - Words
• 具 (gu) - Furniture sets, suits
• 行 (gyo) - lines of text
• 泊 (haku) - Nights (stay)
• 敗 (hai) - Losses (in sports)
• 箱 (hako) - Boxes
• 張 (hari) - Umbrellas, tents
• 柱 (hashira) - Gods and tombstones
• 発 (hatsu; patsu) - Shots, bullets, fireworks; orgasms
• 品 (hin; pin) - Parts of a meal
• 筆 (hitsu; pitsu) - Pieces of land, lots
• 歩 (ho; po) - Number of steps
• 票 (hyo; pyo) - Wishes
• 字 (ji) - Letters, kanji, kana
• 児 (ji) - Children ("father of two children")
• 錠 (jō) - Tablets, capsules
• 条 (jō) - Articles of the law, fine objects, rays of light
• 架 (ka) - Structures, frames
• 課 (ka) - lessons
• 株 (kabu) - forest nurseries
• 回 (kai) - Occurrences, number of times
• 階 (kai; gai) - number of floors
• ヶ国 (kakoku) - countries
• ヶ国語 (kakokugo) - Languages (national)
• 画 (kaku) - Kanji strokes
• 貫 (kan) - pieces of nigiri-zushi
• 艦 (kan) - Warships
• 系統 (keitou) - Bus lines
• 件 (ken) - Abstract questions and cases
• 軒 (ken; gen) - housing
• 機 (ki) - aircraft, machines
• 基 (ki) - Graves, Us, dams
• 斤 (kin) - Breads
• 切れ (kire) - Slices of bread, cake, sashimi
• 戸 (ko) - Houses (戸 means "door")
• 校 (kō) - Schools
• 稿 (kō) - Drafts of manuscripts
• 行 (kō) - banks
• 齣 (koma) - Frames, s
• 献 (kon) - Drink shots
• 区 (ku) - Sections, districts of the city
• 句 (ku) - Haiku, Senryu
• 口 (kuchi) - Bank s, donations
• 組 (kumi) - Groups, pairs of people
• クラス (kurasu) - school classes
• 脚 (kyaku) - Tables, chairs, stem glasses
• 客 (kyaku) - Pairs of cups and saucers
• 曲 (kyoku) - music pieces
• 局 (kyoku) - Radio stations, TV channels
• 巻 (maki; kan) - Rolls, volumes of books
• 幕 (maku) - plays
• 門 (mon) - cannons
• 問 (mon) - Questions
• 人前 (ninmae) - food portions
• 折 (ori) - Folded paper boxes
• ページ; 頁 (peji) - Pages
• 例 (rei) - Cases, examples
• 礼 (rei) - Arches in a shrine
• 輪 (rin) - Wheels, flowers
• 両 (ryō) - rail cars
• 棹 (sao) - Dressers, flags
• 社 (sha) - Companies
• 式 (shiki) - Document or furniture sets
• 勝 (shō) - Victories (sports)
• 首 (shu) - Tanka / Waka (poems)
• 週 (shū) - weeks
• 種類/種 (shuruiou; shu) - type, species
• 足 (soku) - Pairs of shoes and socks
• 束 (taba) - Groups of flowers and vegetables
• 体 (tai) - Images, statues, dolls
• 俵 (tawara) - rice bags
• 滴 (teki) - drops of liquid
• 点 (ten) - Points, pieces of a set
• 頭 (tō) - Large animals, cattle, elephants
• 時 (toki) - Periods of time
• 通り (Tori) - combinations
• 通 (Tsu) - Letters
• 坪 (tsubo) - Area unit (3.3 m²)
• 粒 (tsubu) - Grains, almonds
• 通話 (tsūwa) - Phone calls
• 羽 (wa; ba; pa) - Birds, rabbits
• 把 (wa) - packages
• 話 (wa) - Stories, TV episodes
• 夜 (ya) - Nights
• 膳 (zen) - Pairs of chopsticks/rice bowls

Euphonic Changes and Exceptions

Euphonic changes occur when certain numbers end with counters that begin with certain phonemes. For example:

• 一 ichi + 回 kai → 一回 ikkai;
• 六 roku + 匹 hiki →六匹 roppiki;

Details are listed in the following table:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>

Númeral	K	S / SH	T / CH	H	F	P	W
1 ichi	ikk [いっか]	iss [いっさ]	itt [いった]	ipp [いっぱ]	ipp [いっぷ]	ipp [いっぱ]
3 san				sanb [さんば]	sanp [さんぷ]		sanb [さんば]
4 yon				yonh [よんは]	yonf [よんふ]		yow [よわ]
4 yon				yonp [よんぱ]	yonp [よんぷ]		yonw [よんわ] yonb よんば]
6 roku	rokk [ろっか]			ropp [ろっぱ]	ropp [ろっぷ]	ropp [ろっぱ]	rokuw [ろくわ] ropp [ろっぱ]
8 hachi	hakk [はっか]	hass [はっさ]	hatt [はった]	happ [はっぱ]	happ [はっぷ]	happ [はっぱ]	happ [はっぱ] hachiw [はちわ]
10 jū	jikk [じっか]	jiss [じっさ]	jitt [じった]	jipp [じっぱ]	jipp [じっぷ]	jipp [じっぱ]	jipp [じっぱ]
10 ju	jukk [じゅっか]	juss [じゅっさ]	jutt [じゅった]	jupp [じゅっぱ]	jupp [じゅっぷ]	jupp [じゅっぱ]
100 hyaku	hyakk [ひゃっか]			hyapp [ひゃっぱ]	hyapp [ひゃっぷ]	hyapp [ひゃっぱ]
1000 sen				senb [せんば]	senp [せんぷ]
10000 man				manb [まんば]	manp [まんぷ]
何 nan				nanb [なんば]	nanp [なんぷ]

There are some Exceptions in the counts, see a table below, showing which numbers are different, when pronouncing in a certain counter.

N	日 nichi	人 nin	月 gatsu	時 ji	時間 jikan	階 kai	百 hyaku	千 sen	歳 sai
1	tsuitachi	hitori						issen
2	futsuka	futari
3	mikka					sangai	sanbyaku	sanzen
4	yokka	yonin	shigatsu	yoji	yojikan
5	itsuka
6	muika						roppyaku
7	nanoka	shichinin	shichigatsu	shichiji	shichijikan
8	yōka						happyaku	hassen
9	kokonoka		kugatsu	kuji	kujikan
10	tōka
14	jūyokka	jūyonin			jūyojikan
20	hatsuka								hatachi
24	nijūyokka	nijūyonin			nijūyojikan
何 nan		**				nangai		nanzen

That was just the basics, there are a lot of other details that we left out or didn't explain well. I hope you understood this article a little.