Japanese Counters: How to Talk About Numbers Like a Native

Japanese counters

Prerequisite of Japanese Counters: Counting in Japanese

This article builds off of a previous understanding of basic counting in Japanese. We suggest reading our article about Japanese numbers before continuing with this guide.

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What Are Japanese Counters?

In Japanese, numerals cannot quantify nouns by themselves. Numerals must be combined with a counter word that corresponds with the object or concept being counted. These counters are also not independent words; they must appear with a numeric prefix.Ā 

This may sound confusing at first, but let’s take a look at a similar pattern in English:

Ā āœ” ā€œI have three bottles of wine at home.ā€Ā 

āŒ ā€œI have three wines at home.ā€

Ā āœ” ā€œCan you give me three sheets of paper?ā€Ā 

āŒ ā€œCan you give me three papers?ā€

As you can see, this counter system is also at play when counting certain nouns in English. Some nouns just don’t sound natural when being counted unless you have a counter word describing them. However, the key difference between the two languages is that Japanese nouns will always have a counter associated with them while some English nouns do not (e.g. counting cats and dogs requires no counter in English).

So, you’re probably thinking, ā€œOkay, teach me the most common counter words already so I can start speaking Japanese naturally!ā€ But there’s one more thing you should know — the numeric prefix can be radically different depending on the syllables that follow it or the type of counter that follows it.

 

Japanese Counters and Three Counting Systems: Kango, Wago and Gairaigo

Japanese Counters: 3 different counting system wago kango gairaigo
Three methods of counting with different linguistic origins in Japanese.
Wago, Kango, and Gairaigo Numbers 1 - 10
WagoKangoGairaigo
1äø€ (ひと)äø€ (恄恔)ワン
2二 (恵)二 (恫)ćƒ„ćƒ¼
3äø‰ (み)äø‰ (恕悓)ć‚¹ćƒŖćƒ¼
4四 (悈)四 (ć‚ˆć‚“ćƒ»ć—)ćƒ•ć‚©ćƒ¼
5äŗ” (恄恤)äŗ” (恔)ćƒ•ć‚”ć‚¤ćƒ–
6六 (悀)六 (悍恏)ć‚·ćƒƒć‚Æć‚¹
7七 (なな)七 (ć—ć”ćƒ»ćŖćŖ)ć‚»ćƒ–ćƒ³
8八 (悄)八 (はご)ć‚Øć‚¤ćƒˆ
9九 (恓恓)九 (ććƒ»ćć‚…ć†)ćƒŠć‚¤ćƒ³
10十 (とお)十 (恘悅恆)ćƒ†ćƒ³

Japanese Counters with KangoĀ 

The most common counting system is Kango (ę¼¢čŖž). Kango means that the word is Sino-Japanese, or has its roots in the Chinese language. The pronunciation is similar to the original Chinese pronunciation of the kanji for numbers (See the chart above).

This is the counting method that’s taught first to Japanese learners because it appears most frequently. Commonplace counters for minutes (分), hours (Ꙃ間), amount of yen (円), flat objects like sheets of paper (Ꞛ), long and thin object like bottles (本), and small animals (匹) go with Kango numbers. For example, äŗŒåˆ† (恫恵悓) is two minutes and 五円 (恔恈悓) is five yen.

 

Japanese Counters with Wago

The next counting system is Wago (å’ŒčŖž), meaning that the word is derived from native Japanese pronunciation.Ā 

While Kango is seen far more frequently than Wago, it is still essential that you get used to counting in Wago style because there is a generic counter you can use for the idea of ā€œthingsā€Ā that’s used for many physical and abstract nouns. Plus, it will come in handy if you forget the counter for a specific object. While using this counter may not sound natural for every object, you will be understood. (p.s. 恄恏恤 means “how many things?”).

One of the Japanese counters for things 1- 10 and their pronunciation:Ā 

  •  一つ-ひとつ – one
  •  二つ-ふたつ – two
  •  三つ-みっつ – three
  •  四つ-ć‚ˆć£ć¤ – four
  •  五つ-恄恤恤 – five
  •  六つ-むっつ – six
  •  七つ-ななつ – seven
  •  八つ-やっつ – eight
  • Ā ä¹ć¤-恓恓恮恤 – nine
  • Ā åć¤-とお – ten

*Take note — after you exceed ten things, the counter changes from 恤 to 個 (恓) and begins to follow Kango numbers. For example, fifteen things is åäŗ”å€‹ (恘悅恆恔恓). You can also use the 個 counter for one through ten using Kango, but while 一つ (ひとつ) and 一個 (いっこ) are often interchangeable, there are some cases where one can’t replace the other.*

Besides the generic counter for ā€œthings,ā€ you must also learn Wago numbers in order to express number of days and days of the month.

  • 一旄 (ć„ć”ć«ć”ćƒ»ć¤ć„ćŸć”)Ā  – one day 惻 first of the month
  • äŗŒę—„ (恵恤恋) – two days or 2nd of the month
  • 三旄 (みっか) – three days or 3rd of the month
  • 四旄 (ć‚ˆć£ć‹) – four days or 4th of the month
  • 五旄 (恄恤恋) – five days or 5th of the month
  • å…­ę—„ (悀恄恋) – six days or 6th of the month
  • äøƒę—„ (なのか) – seven days or 7th of the month
  • å…«ę—„ (悈恆恋)Ā  – eight days or 8th of the month
  • ä¹ę—„ (恓恓恮恋)Ā  – nine days or 9th of the month
  • åę—„ (ćØćŠć‹) – ten days or 10th of the month
  • 何旄 (なんにご) – how many days or what day?

You may have noticed that the pronunciation of some of these numerical prefixes is slightly different from the corresponding pronunciation in the ā€œthingā€ counters (e.g. ふたつ and 恵恤恋, やっつ and 悈恆恋). It’s easiest to just memorize these small differences as they come up, especially since the ā€œthingā€ counter and days of the month are very common subjects in daily Japanese conversation.Ā 

There are other counters in which ā€œoneā€ and ā€œtwoā€ are counted with Wago numbers (and sometimes even a different pronunciation of the counter word) and the rest of the numbers are counted with Kango numbers. For example, äŗŗ (恫悓), the counter for the number of people, starts with 一人 (ć²ćØć‚Š), 二人 (ćµćŸć‚Š), 三人 (恕悓恫悓), 四人 (ć‚ˆć«ć‚“), 五人 (恔恫悓), and so on. These exceptions also just have to be memorized as you discover them.

 

Japanese Counters with Gairaigo

The last counting system in Japanese comes from the pronunciation of numbers in English. This is the least common counting system and is typically replaceable with a Kango number (See the chart above).

  • Example: ćƒÆćƒ³ć‚»ćƒƒćƒˆ = one set

Easy enough, right? Don’t stress memorizing these numbers right away. They’re easy enough to pick up once you’ve grown accustomed to transliteration patterns in wasei-eigo (Japanese words of English origin) and mostly come in handy outside of the counter context (e.g. ć‚»ćƒ–ćƒ³ć‚¤ćƒ¬ćƒ–ćƒ³ = 7-Eleven, ćƒÆćƒ³ćƒ‘ćƒ³ćƒžćƒ³ = One Punch Man).

 

Systematic Reading Changes of Japanese Counters

To complicate things further, these base numeric prefixes will often change pronunciation through linguistic phenomena called rendaku and sokuon. In essence, this refers to altering pronunciation or dropping sounds to make words easier to say. You can read more about this in the ā€œTricky Pronunciation Rulesā€ section of our basic counting article.

Systematic Reading Changes of Kango Word Counters

Let’s take a look at how Kango numbers will commonly drop a syllable or change the pronunciation of the first syllable of the Japanese counter that follows them. Keep in mind that the following rules have a handful of exceptions, but are generally a safe guideline to follow.

äø€ (恄恔) becomes いっ when followed by kana from the k, s, t, h, or p column. When followed by kana from the h column, the h column kana changes from an h to a p sound.Ā 

Examples include: 一個 (いっこ) – one thing, 一足 (ć„ć£ćć) – one pair (e.g. of shoes), 一頭 (いっとう) – one large animal (e.g. cow), äø€åˆ† (いっぷん) – one minute.

二 (恫) will become your new best friend because it does not change depending on the kana that follow it. The only times it changes are when the counter requires a Wago pronunciation (e.g. as we saw before, äŗŗ (恫悓) requires ふた pronunciation for 二, and the pronunciation of the counter itself even changes from 恫悓 to 悊).

äø‰ (恕悓) changes the pronunciation of kana following it when they are from the h column. If followed by は、ひ、へ、or 恻, the pronunciation will change from an h sound to a b sound. If followed by 恵, the pronunciation will change from an f sound to a p sound. Finally, if followed by the kana 悏, it can be pronounced the same or change the 悏 to a 恰 sound.

Examples include: äø‰ęœ¬ (さんぼん) – three long cylindrical objects (e.g. bottles), äø‰åˆ† (恕悓恷悓) – three minutes, and 三羽 (ć•ć‚“ć‚ćƒ»ć•ć‚“ć°) – three birds or rabbits.

四 (悈悓) can change the pronunciation of kana following it when they are from the h column to a p sound, but it is also acceptable to leave it as is. Same goes for when 四 is followed by 悏; it’s acceptable to change the 悏 to 恰 or keep the 悏 as is. Sometimes, the 悓 is dropped, as in 四時 (悈恘) – four o’clock.

Examples include: 四分 (ć‚ˆć‚“ćµć‚“ćƒ»ć‚ˆć‚“ć·ć‚“) – four minutes, 四羽 (ć‚ˆć‚“ć‚ćƒ»ć‚ˆć‚“ć°ćƒ»ć‚ˆć‚) – four birds or rabbits.

äŗ” (恔) is even more user-friendly than 二 because it will not change the pronunciation of any kana following it.Ā 

六 (悍恏) becomes ć‚ć£ when followed by kana from the k, h, or p column. When followed by kana from the h column, the h column kana changes from an h to a p sound. When followed by the 悏 kana, the 悍恏 pronunciation can stay the same or contract to ć‚ć£ and turn the 悏 into a 恱 sound.Ā 

Examples include: 六個 (ć‚ć£ć“) – six things, å…­ęœ¬ (ć‚ć£ć½ć‚“) – six long cylindrical objects (e.g. bottles), 六分 (ć‚ć£ć·ć‚“) – six minutes, å…­ē¾½ (ć‚ćć‚ćƒ»ć‚ć£ć±) – six birds or rabbits.

七 (ćŖćŖćƒ»ć—ć”) does not change the pronunciation of the kana that follow it. なな can technically be swapped for 恗恔 in any given context and still be correct. However, it simply sounds more natural in daily conversation to use one over the other(for example, äøƒę™‚ (seven o’clock) is much more commonly pronounced ć—ć”ć˜ than ななじ). なな is often used to avoid misunderstandings because 恗恔 sounds quite a bit like 恄恔, especially over the phone.Ā 

八 (はご) is a bit tricky because it can shorten to はっ when followed by kana from the k, s, t, or p column, but doesn’t always have to. When followed by 悏, it can stay はご or become はっ and convert the 悏 into 恱.

Examples include: 八個 (ćÆć”ć“ćƒ»ćÆć£ć“) – eight things, å…«č¶³ (ćÆć”ćććƒ»ćÆć£ćć) – eight pairs (e.g. of shoes), 八頭 (ćÆć”ćØć†ćƒ»ćÆć£ćØć†) – eight large animals (e.g. cows), 八分 (ćÆć”ćµć‚“ćƒ»ćÆć£ć·ć‚“), å…«ćƒšćƒ¼ć‚ø (はごぺーじ・はっぺーじ) – eight pages, å…«ē¾½ (ćÆć”ć‚ćƒ»ćÆć£ć±).

九 (ćć‚…ć†ćƒ»ć) will not change the pronunciation of any kana following it. Occasionally, the 恍悅恆 pronunciation becomes 恏. For example, ä¹ę™‚ (恏恘) – nine o’clock.

十 (恘悅恆) can either change to ć˜ć‚…ć£ or じっ when followed by a kana in the k, s, t, h, or p column. When followed by 悏, it can either shorten to ć˜ć‚…ć£ or じっ and turn the 悏 into a 恱, or remain as is.

Examples include: 十個 (ć˜ć‚…ć£ć“ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć“) – ten things, åč¶³ (ć˜ć‚…ć£ćććƒ»ć˜ć£ćć) – ten pairs (e.g. of shoes), 十頭 (ć˜ć‚…ć£ćØć†ćƒ»ć˜ć£ćØć†) – ten large animals (e.g. cows), 十分 (ć˜ć‚…ć£ć·ć‚“ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć·ćƒ») – ten minutes, åē¾½ (ć˜ć‚…ć£ć±ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć±ćƒ»ć˜ć‚…ć†ć‚) – ten birds or rabbits.

百 (ć²ć‚ƒć) becomes ć²ć‚ƒć£ when followed by a kana from the k, h, or p column. When followed by kana from the h column, it converts the h sound to a p sound. When followed by 悏, it can shorten to ć²ć‚ƒć£ and change the 悏 to 恱, or remain as is.

Examples include: 百個 (ć²ć‚ƒć£ć“) – one hundred things, ē™¾åˆ† (ć²ć‚ƒć£ć·ć‚“) – one hundred minutes, 百羽 (ć²ć‚ƒćć‚ćƒ»ć²ć‚ƒć£ć±) – one hundred birds or rabbits.

千 (恛悓) does not change in pronunciation when followed by a counter. However, when followed by は, ひ, へ, or 恻, it will change the h sound to a b sound. When followed by 恵, it will change the f sound to a p sound. When followed by 悏, it can change the 悏 to 恰 or leave it as is.

Examples include: åƒęœ¬ (せんぼん) – one thousand long and cylindrical objects (e.g. bottles), 千分 (恛悓恷悓) – one thousand minutes, åƒē¾½ (ć›ć‚“ć‚ćƒ»ć›ć‚“ć°) – one thousand birds or rabbits.

äø‡ (まん) does not change in pronunciation but is preceded by an äø€ (恄恔). However, when followed by は, ひ, へ, or 恻, it will change the h sound to a b sound. When followed by 恵, it will change the f sound to a p sound. When followed by 悏, it can change the 悏 to 恰 or leave it as is.

Examples include: äø€äø‡ęœ¬ (いごまんぼん) – ten thousand long and cylindrical objects (e.g. bottles), äø€äø‡åˆ† (いごまんぷん) – ten thousand minutes, 一万羽 (ć„ć”ć¾ć‚“ć‚ćƒ»ć„ć”ć¾ć‚“ć°) – one thousand birds or rabbits.

何 (なん) does not change in pronunciation. However, when followed by は, ひ, へ, or 恻, it will change the h sound to a b sound. When followed by 恵, it will change the f sound to a p sound.

Examples include: ä½•ęœ¬ (なんぼん) – how many long and cylindrical objects (e.g. bottles), 何分 (なんぷん) – how many minutes.

 

Systematic Reading Changes of the Japanese Counter 個 (恓)

Using our newfound knowledge of systematic reading changes, let’s take a look at the Kango counter for things – 個 (恓).

  • 一個 (いっこ) – one thing
  • äŗŒå€‹ (恫恓) – two things
  • 三個 (恕悓恓) – three things
  • 四個 (悈悓恓) – four things
  • 五個 (恔恓) – five things
  • 八個 (ć‚ć£ć“) – six things
  • äøƒå€‹ (ćŖćŖć“ćƒ»ć—ć”ć“) – seven things
  • 八個 (ćÆć”ć“ćƒ»ćÆć£ć“) – eight things
  • 九個 (恍悅恆恓) – nine things
  • 十個 (ć˜ć‚…ć£ć“ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć“) – ten things
  • 百個 (ć²ć‚ƒć£ć“) – one hundred things
  • 千個 (恛悓恓) – one thousand things
  • 一万個 (いごまんこ) – ten thousand things
  • 何個 (なんこ) – how many things?

Systematic Reading Changes of the Japanese Counter 匹 (ć²ć)

Now let’s try 匹 (ć²ć), the Japanese counter for small animals! If you’ll recall, there are a lot of pronunciation changes here.

  • äø€åŒ¹ (ć„ć£ć“ć) – one small animal
  • 二匹 (ć«ć²ć) – two small animals
  • äø‰åŒ¹ (ć•ć‚“ć³ć) – three small animals
  • 四匹 (ć‚ˆć‚“ć²ć) – four small animals
  • äŗ”åŒ¹ (ć”ć²ć) – five small animals
  • 六匹 (ć‚ć£ć“ć) – six small animals
  • 七匹 (ćŖćŖć²ććƒ»ć—ć”ć²ć) – seven small animals
  • 八匹 (ćÆć”ć²ććƒ»ćÆć£ć“ć) – eight small animals
  • 九匹 (ćć‚…ć†ć²ć) – nine small animals
  • 十匹 (ć˜ć‚…ć£ć“ććƒ»ć˜ć£ć“ć) – ten small animals
  • ē™¾åŒ¹ (ć²ć‚ƒć£ć“ć) – one hundred small animals
  • 千匹 (ć›ć‚“ć³ć) – one thousand small animals
  • äø€äø‡åŒ¹ ļ¼ˆć„ć”ć¾ć‚“ć³ć) – ten thousand small animals
  • 何匹 (ćŖć‚“ć³ć) – how many small animals?

How to Know What Japanese Counter to Use: Databases That You Can Use

It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? So many counters, so little time… luckily, with enough practice, you’ll have the most common ones down pat in no time. For more uncommon instances, you can search the Japanese concept or object using the following databases:

Minna no Chishiki: Chotto Benricho

Ā ć‚‚ć®ć®ę•°ćˆę–¹ć€”åŠ©ę•°č©žć€• database

Japanese Counters
Screenshot of MInna No Chishiki, you can input the word you look for in the blank space before “検瓢” or use the kana chart

Kazoekata Tani Jiten

Ā ę•°ćˆę–¹å˜ä½č¾žå…ø

Japanese Counters
Screenshot of Kazoekata Tani Jiten, you can input the word you look for in the blank space before “検瓢”

These databases require some knowledge of Japanese to navigate, as they are written entirely in Japanese. However, they provide very detailed information on the appropriate circumstances for the counter! For example, when you search 恶恩恆 (grapes) in Kazoekata Tani Jiten, it explains that the 房 (恵恕) counter is used for bunches of grapes, å±± (やま), ē®± (はこ) or 袋 (ćµćć‚) are used for retail packages of grapes, and grapevines are counted with the 本 (恻悓) or ę Ŗ (恋恶) counters. That’s a lot of info!

Here you will find an excellent list of fifteen kinds of more advanced but still very useful counters.

 

How to Use Japanese Counters in Sentences

Now that you have gotten a taste of a few common counters, let’s see how they’re used in a sentence!

Counters Counting Nouns 1: number + counter + 恮 + noun

When a counter isn’t specific (e.g. number of people, time, etc.) then the number and counter need to be followed by the specific noun that the counters are counting.

  • äŗŒåŒ¹ć®ēŠ¬ćŒć„ć‚‹ć€‚
  • There are two dogs.
  • äø‰ć¤ć®ćƒŖćƒ³ć‚“ć‚’č²·ć„ć¾ć—ćŸć€‚
  • I bought three apples.

Counters Counting Nouns 2: noun + number + counter

When a counter is specific (e.g. number of people, time, etc.), then the number and counter can act as a subject/object on their own in the sentence.

  • äŗŒäŗŗćÆäø€ē·’ć«ę˜¼ć”é£Æć‚’é£Ÿć¹ćŸć€‚
  • The two ate lunch together.
  • ć‚ćØååˆ†ć§é£Ÿć¹ć‚‹ć‚ˆć€‚
  • We’ll be eating in another ten minutes.

Counters as Adverbs: number + counter + verb

 

  • ćƒ“ćƒ¼ćƒ«ć‚’äŗŒęœ¬é£²ć‚“ć ć€‚
  • beer + direct object marker + two bottles + drank
  • (I) drank two bottles of beer.
  • ēŒ«ć‚’äø‰åŒ¹é£¼ć£ć¦ć„ć‚‹ć€‚
  • cat + three small animals + owning
  • (I) own three cats.

List of Common Japanese Counters

The following are lists of some common Japanese counters to get you started on your numerical journey!

CounterPronunciation 1-10
ļ½žć¤ć€€Wago counter for thingsć²ćØć¤ć€ćµćŸć¤ć€ćæć£ć¤ć€ć‚ˆć£ć¤ć€ć„ć¤ć¤ć€ć‚€ć£ć¤ć€ćŖćŖć¤ć€ć‚„ć£ć¤ć€ć“ć“ć®ć¤ć€ćØćŠ
ļ½žå€‹ (恓)Ā  Kango counter for thingsć„ć£ć“ć€ć«ć“ć€ć•ć‚“ć“ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć“ć€ć”ć“ć€ć‚ć£ć“ć€ćŖćŖć“ćƒ»ć—ć”ć“ć€ćÆć”ć“ćƒ»ćÆć£ć“ć€ćć‚…ć†ć“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć“ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć“

Japanese Counters for Objects

ļ½žęžš 怀flat objects (e.g. CDs, papers, cookies, paintings)ć„ć”ć¾ć„ć€ć«ć¾ć„ć€ć•ć‚“ć¾ć„ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć¾ć„ć€ć”ć¾ć„ć€ć‚ćć¾ć„ć€ćŖćŖć¾ć„ćƒ»ć—ć”ć¾ć„ć€ćÆć”ć¾ć„ć€ćć‚…ć†ć¾ć„ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć¾ć„
ļ½žęœ¬ Ā  Ā  long, cylindrical objects (e.g. bottles, umbrellas, pencils)ć„ć£ć½ć‚“ć€ć«ć»ć‚“ć€ć•ć‚“ć¼ć‚“ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć»ć‚“ć€ć”ć»ć‚“ć€ć‚ć£ć½ć‚“ć€ćŖćŖć»ć‚“ćƒ»ć—ć”ć»ć‚“ć€ćÆć”ć»ć‚“ćƒ»ćÆć£ć½ć‚“ć€ćć‚…ć†ć»ć‚“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć½ć‚“ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć½ć‚“
ļ½žå†Š Ā  Ā  booksć„ć£ć•ć¤ć€ć«ć•ć¤ć€ć•ć‚“ć•ć¤ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć•ć¤ć€ć”ć•ć¤ć€ć‚ćć•ć¤ć€ćŖćŖć•ć¤ćƒ»ć—ć”ć•ć¤ć€ćÆć”ć•ć¤ćƒ»ćÆć£ć•ć¤ć€ćć‚…ć†ć•ć¤ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć•ć¤ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć•ć¤
ļ½žč»’ Ā  Ā  houses and buildingsć„ć£ć‘ć‚“ć€ć«ć‘ć‚“ć€ć•ć‚“ć’ć‚“ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć‘ć‚“ć€ć”ć‘ć‚“ć€ć‚ć£ć‘ć‚“ć€ćŖćŖć‘ć‚“ćƒ»ć—ć”ć‘ć‚“ć€ćÆć£ć‘ć‚“ć€ćć‚…ć†ć‘ć‚“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć‘ć‚“
ļ½žč¶³Ā  Ā  pairs (e.g. shoes)ć„ć£ććć€ć«ććć€ć•ć‚“ććć€ć‚ˆć‚“ććć€ć”ććć€ć‚ćććć€ćŖćŖććć€ćÆć£ććć€ćć‚…ć†ććć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ćććƒ»ć˜ć£ćć

Japanese Counters for Living Beings

ļ½žäŗŗĀ  peopleć²ćØć‚Šć€ćµćŸć‚Šć€ć•ć‚“ć«ć‚“ć€ć‚ˆć«ć‚“ć€ć”ć«ć‚“ć€ć‚ćć«ć‚“ć€ćŖćŖć«ć‚“ćƒ»ć—ć”ć«ć‚“ć€ćÆć”ć«ć‚“ć€ćć‚…ć†ć«ć‚“ćƒ»ćć«ć‚“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć«ć‚“
ļ½žåŒ¹Ā  small to medium animals (e.g. insects, cats, frogs)ć„ć£ć“ćć€ć«ć²ćć€ć•ć‚“ć³ćć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć²ćć€ć”ć²ćć€ć‚ć£ć“ćć€ćŖćŖć²ććƒ»ć—ć”ć²ćć€ćÆć”ć²ććƒ»ćÆć£ć“ćć€ćć‚…ć†ć²ćć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć“ććƒ»ć˜ć£ć“ć
ļ½žé ­Ā  large animals (e.g. cows, horses, large fish)ć„ć£ćØć†ć€ć«ćØć†ć€ć•ć‚“ćØć†ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ćØć†ć€ć”ćØć†ć€ć‚ććØć†ć€ćŖćŖćØć†ćƒ»ć—ć”ćØć†ć€ćÆć”ćØć†ćƒ»ćÆć£ćØć†ć€ćć‚…ć†ćØć†ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ćØć†ćƒ»ć˜ć£ćØć†
ļ½žē¾½ Ā  rabbits, bats, birdsć„ć”ć‚ć€ć«ć‚ć€ć•ć‚“ć‚ćƒ»ć•ć‚“ć°ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć‚ćƒ»ć‚ˆć‚“ć°ćƒ»ć‚ˆć‚ć€ć”ć‚ć€ć‚ćć‚ćƒ»ć‚ć£ć±ć€ćŖćŖć‚ćƒ»ć—ć”ć‚ć€ćÆć”ć‚ćƒ»ćÆć£ć±ć€ćć‚…ć†ć‚ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć‚ćƒ»ć˜ć‚…ć£ć±ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć±
ļ½žå°¾ Ā  certain small fish and shrimpć„ć”ć³ć€ć«ć³ć€ć•ć‚“ć³ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć³ć€ć”ć³ć€ć‚ćć³ć€ćŖćŖć³ćƒ»ć—ć”ć³ć€ćÆć”ć³ć€ćć‚…ć†ć³ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć³

Japanese Counters for Transportation

ļ½žå° Ā  Ā  large machines and appliances, cars, trucks, bikesć„ć”ć ć„ć€ć«ć ć„ć€ć•ć‚“ć ć„ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć ć„ć€ć”ć ć„ć€ć‚ćć ć„ć€ćŖćŖć ć„ćƒ»ć—ć”ć ć„ć€ćÆć”ć ć„ć€ćć‚…ć†ć ć„ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć ć„
ļ½žę©ŸĀ  Ā  airplanesć„ć£ćć€ć«ćć€ć•ć‚“ćć€ć‚ˆć‚“ćć€ć”ćć€ć‚ć£ćć€ćŖćŖććƒ»ć—ć”ćć€ćÆć£ćć€ćć‚…ć†ćć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć
ļ½žäø” Ā  Ā  train carsć„ć”ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ć«ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ć•ć‚“ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ć”ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ć‚ćć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ćŖćŖć‚Šć‚‡ć†ćƒ»ć—ć”ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ćÆć”ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ćć‚…ć†ć‚Šć‚‡ć†ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć‚Šć‚‡ć†
ļ½žéš»ć€€ boatsć„ć£ć›ćć€ć«ć›ćć€ć•ć‚“ć›ćć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć›ćć€ć”ć›ćć€ć”ć›ćć€ć‚ćć›ćć€ćŖćŖć›ćć€ćÆć£ć›ćć€ćć‚…ć†ć›ćć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć›ć

Japanese Counters for Time

ļ½žē§’ Ā  secondsć„ć”ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ć«ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ć•ć‚“ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ć”ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ć‚ćć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ćŖćŖć³ć‚‡ć†ćƒ»ć—ć”ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ćÆć”ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ćć‚…ć†ć³ć‚‡ć†ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć³ć‚‡ć†
ļ½žåˆ† Ā  minutesć„ć£ć·ć‚“ć€ć«ćµć‚“ć€ć•ć‚“ć¶ć‚“ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć·ć‚“ćƒ»ć‚ˆć‚“ćµć‚“ć€ć”ćµć‚“ć€ć‚ć£ć·ć‚“ć€ćŖćŖćµć‚“ćƒ»ć—ć”ćµć‚“ć€ćÆć£ć·ć‚“ćƒ»ćÆć”ćµć‚“ć€ćć‚…ć†ćµć‚“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć·ć‚“ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć·ć‚“
ļ½žę™‚Ā  Ā  o’clockć„ć”ć˜ć€ć«ć˜ć€ć•ć‚“ć˜ć€ć‚ˆć˜ć€ć”ć˜ć€ć‚ćć˜ć€ć—ć”ć˜ćƒ»ćŖćŖć˜ć€ćÆć”ć˜ć€ćć˜ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć˜
ļ½žę™‚é–“ Ā  hoursć„ć”ć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ć«ć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ć•ć‚“ć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ć”ć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ć‚ćć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ć—ć”ć˜ć‹ć‚“ćƒ»ćŖćŖć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ćÆć”ć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ćć˜ć‹ć‚“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć˜ć‹ć‚“
ļ½žćƒ¶ęœˆć„ć£ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ć«ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ć•ć‚“ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ć”ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ć‚ć£ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ćŖćŖć‹ć’ć¤ć€ćÆć”ć‹ć’ć¤ćƒ»ćÆć£ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ćć‚…ć†ć‹ć’ć¤ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć‹ć’ć¤ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć‹ć’ć¤

Abstract Japanese Counters

ļ½žå›žĀ  number of times an action is doneć„ć£ć‹ć„ć€ć«ć‹ć„ć€ć•ć‚“ć‹ć„ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć‹ć„ć€ć”ć‹ć„ć€ć‚ć£ć‹ć„ć€ćŖćŖć‹ć„ćƒ»ć—ć”ć‹ć„ć€ćÆć”ć‹ć„ćƒ»ćÆć£ć‹ć„ć€ćć‚…ć†ć‹ć„ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć‹ć„ćƒ»ć˜ć£ć‹ć„
ļ½žē•Ŗć€€numbers in a seriesć„ć”ć°ć‚“ć€ć«ć°ć‚“ć€ć•ć‚“ć°ć‚“ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć°ć‚“ć€ć”ć°ć‚“ć€ć‚ćć°ć‚“ć€ćŖćŖć°ć‚“ćƒ»ć—ć”ć°ć‚“ć€ćÆć”ć°ć‚“ć€ćć‚…ć†ć°ć‚“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć†ć°ć‚“
ļ½žę­³ Ā  years oldć„ć£ć•ć„ć€ć«ć•ć„ć€ć•ć‚“ć•ć„ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć•ć„ć€ć”ć•ć„ć€ć‚ćć•ć„ć€ćŖćŖć•ć„ćƒ»ć—ć”ć•ć„ć€ćÆć£ć•ć„ć€ćć‚…ć†ć•ć„ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć•ć„
ļ½žę›²Ā  Ā  songsć„ć£ćć‚‡ćć€ć«ćć‚‡ćć€ć•ć‚“ćć‚‡ćć€ć‚ˆć‚“ćć‚‡ćć€ć”ćć‚‡ćć€ć‚ć£ćć‚‡ćć€ćŖćŖćć‚‡ćć€ćÆć£ćć‚‡ćć€ćć‚…ć†ćć‚‡ćć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ćć‚‡ć
ļ½žä»¶Ā  Ā  incidents, eventsć„ć£ć‘ć‚“ć€ć«ć‘ć‚“ć€ć•ć‚“ć‘ć‚“ć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć‘ć‚“ć€ć”ć‘ć‚“ć€ć‚ć£ć‘ć‚“ć€ćŖćŖć‘ć‚“ć€ćÆć£ć‘ć‚“ć€ćć‚…ć†ć‘ć‚“ć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć‘ć‚“
ļ½žē”»Ā  Ā  strokes in a kanji characterć„ć£ć‹ćć€ć«ć‹ćć€ć•ć‚“ć‹ćć€ć‚ˆć‚“ć‹ćć€ć”ć‹ćć€ć‚ć£ć‹ćć€ćŖćŖć‹ćć€ćÆć£ć‹ćć€ćć‚…ć†ć‹ćć€ć˜ć‚…ć£ć‹ć

Tips on Learning Japanese Counters

The secret to learning Japanese counters is pattern recognition and practice, practice, practice! Flashcards are very handy for beginning to memorize the many pronunciation changes that occur when counters are added to numbers. It’s good to devote plenty of time to the numbers and counters that are more often subject to change. For harder numbers and counters like the unique days of the month, using songs as mnemonic devices can help to get the words initially stuck in your head.

Finally, there are lots of useful apps like LingoDeer that will teach you Japanese counters clearly and precisely and make sure they’re ingrained in your memory through the use of spaced repetition quizzes! The most important thing is not to be afraid of Japanese counters. Counter words are one of the most unique and fascinating aspects of the Japanese language that make it such a joy to practice and master!

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ferzchan
ferzchan
1 month ago

Is there a counter for counters?