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Japanese commonly combines a number with a counter when counting things. Counters are not the same as English collective nouns such as “a pride of lions”: they classify the item being counted. Shape and size can matter, but so can the type of object or living thing.
General counting with つ
The native counting forms below are useful for many ordinary objects when you do not know a more specific counter. Learn the doubled consonants in mittsu, yottsu, muttsu and yattsu.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一つ | hitotsu | one |
| 二つ | futatsu | two |
| 三つ | mittsu | three |
| 四つ | yottsu | four |
| 五つ | itsutsu | five |
| 六つ | muttsu | six |
| 七つ | nanatsu | seven |
| 八つ | yattsu | eight |
| 九つ | kokonotsu | nine |
| 十 | tō | ten |
This series includes ten; it is not limited to amounts smaller than ten. It does not extend as an ordinary つ series past ten. Use an appropriate counter for larger quantities.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| コーヒーを二つください。 | Kōhī o futatsu kudasai. | Two coffees, please. |
| いくつですか。 | Ikutsu desu ka. | How many? |
二つ can count two coffee orders in a suitable context. 二杯 (nihai) is more specific for two cups.
Common counters
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 台 | dai | vehicles, machines and appliances |
| 匹 | hiki / biki / piki | small animals; reading changes with the number |
| 本 | hon / bon / pon | long, thin objects; reading changes with the number |
| 枚 | mai | flat objects, such as paper and tickets |
| 冊 | satsu | books and bound volumes |
| 階 | kai / gai | building floors, not individual stair steps |
| 個 | ko | many small or discrete objects |
To ask “how many”, combine 何 with the counter and learn the resulting reading. For example, 何匹 is nanbiki and 何本 is nanbon; it is not just a matter of dropping the i from nani.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何台ですか。 | Nandai desu ka. | How many vehicles or machines? |
| 何冊ですか。 | Nansatsu desu ka. | How many books? |
| 何枚ですか。 | Nanmai desu ka. | How many flat items? |
| りんごは何個ですか。 | Ringo wa nanko desu ka. | How many apples? |
Counting people
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一人 | hitori | one person |
| 二人 | futari | two people |
| 三人 | sannin | three people |
| 四人 | yonin | four people |
| 五人 | gonin | five people |
| 六人 | rokunin | six people |
| 七人 | nananin / shichinin | seven people |
| 八人 | hachinin | eight people |
| 九人 | kyūnin | nine people |
| 十人 | jūnin | ten people |
一人 and 二人 have special readings. 四人 is yonin, with one n between yo and in, not yonnin. 何人ですか (nannin desu ka) asks “How many people?”. Restaurant staff may politely ask 何名様ですか (nanmei-sama desu ka). 名 is a more formal counter for people and 様 adds politeness; it does not literally ask how many “masters” you brought.
Practice
Count three pens, two books and four people. Compare 三本 (sanbon), 二冊 (nisatsu) and 四人 (yonin). The number and counter work together, including pronunciation changes.
