Mastering Essential Grammar: Japanese Counters

In this post we’ll learn about Japanese counters, also known as classifiers or measure words. First, we’ll define counters and explain how they’re used in Japanese grammar. Then we’ll look at ten common Japanese counters that beginners should know. After that we’ll look at a few typical situations when you’d use counters.

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What are Japanese Counters?

In Japanese, numbers usually can’t directly modify nouns the way they do in English. Instead, you use special words called counters (助数詞 josūshi) that classify what you’re counting: people, flat objects, long objects, drinks, animals, and so on.

For many English nouns, this is quite different from English grammar. In English, you can simply say three apples or ten houses. But there are also many English nouns (called mass nouns) that you can’t count or make plural. For example, you can’t say two advices, five clothings, or forty cattles. Instead, you need something that functions pretty much just like a Japanese counter: two pieces of advice, five articles of clothing, forty head of cattle.

All Japanese nouns function like English mass nouns, not just the things we think of as being “massy” in English. So, to say three apples, you need to say something like three round-things of apple. The counter that you’ll use in Japanese depends on the thing you’re counting.

りんご三個
ringo sanko
three apples

Some Japanese counters, especially for food or drink, are just the containers that those things typically come in, for example cups, glasses, bowls, plates, and so on.

コーヒー二杯
kōhī nihai
two cups of coffee

Key Grammar for Using Japanese Counters

Before we see learn ten important basic Japanese counters, let’s cover some essential grammar you’ll need to know to use them.

Counters and Numbers

Counters are not independent words in Japanese. They are always attached as a suffix to a number, or in just a few cases a number-like word related to quantity. They never appear as independent words.

Number + Counter

Keep in mind that there are two ways of asking how many in Japanese. 何 nan is used with most counters. But the generic/all-purpose counter ～つ uses いくつ ikutsu.

Word order

The most common and neutral word order for using counters is:

Noun + Particle + Number + Counter

The counter is always attached to a number, following it and forming one phrase. That phrase in turn typically follows the noun that is being counted, as well as any grammatical particles. For example:

りんごを三個食べました。
ringo o sanko tabemashita.
I ate three apples.
毎日コーヒーを二杯飲みます。
mainichi kōhī o nihai nomimasu.
I drink two cups of coffee every day.

Another possible word order is:

Number + Counter + の no + Noun

This may be used to emphasize the number, for example in response to a question with how many:

りんごを何個食べましたか。
ringo o nanko tabemashita ka
How many apples did you eat?
三個のりんごを食べました。
sanko no ringo o tabemashita
I ate three apples.

There are a few other word orders that you may hear, but as a beginner student, these two are the most important to keep in mind.

Sino-Japanese vs Native Japanese Numbers

Remember that Japanese uses two different sets of numbers. For a review of them, check out this post. As a quick summary, there are native Japanese numbers from zero to ten. There are also Sino-Japanese numbers, derived from Chinese, which can count as high as you want.

Native Japanese: 一つ (ひとつ) hitotsu 1, 二つ (ふたつ) futatsu 2, 三つ (みつ) mitsu 3, 四つ (よつ) yotsu 4, 五つ (いつつ) itsutsu 5…
Sino-Japanese: 一 ichi 1, 二 ni 2, 三 san 3, 四 yon, shi 4, 五 go 5…

Most Japanese counters use Sino-Japanese numbers. As a beginner, you’ll only use the Native Japanese numbers with the all-purpose counter ～つ -tsu as in one to five above, when you’re counting one or two people, or giving the day of the month up to the tenth.

Pronunciation Changes in Japanese Counters

Pronunciation often changes when numbers combine with counters. These changes usually occur with 1, 3, 6, 8, and 10, where consonants double or the initial consonant of the counter changes. We’ll cover those changes for each counter.

Ten Essential Japanese Counters

1. ～人 –nin (-ri): People

Use the counter ～人 –nin to count people. It’s pronounced –nin and uses Sino-Japanese numbers only for three and above.

学生が三人います。
gakusei ga sannin imasu.
There are three students.
家族は四人です。
kazoku wa yonin desu.
My family has four people.
会議に五人来ました。
kaigi ni gonin kimashita
Five people came to the meeting.
何人いますか。
nannin imasu ka.
How many people are there?

When you are talking about one or two people, you use native Japanese numbers, and ～人 is pronounced –ri: 一人 hitori (one person), 二人 futari (two people).

一人で行きます。
hitori de ikimasu.
I’m going alone.
姉妹が二人います。
shimai ga futari imasu
I have two sisters.

Irregularities with ～人 –nin (-ri)

Here are all the forms of native numbers with the counter ～人 –nin (-ri). Remember that the irregularities are just in the expressions for one person and two people.

1: 一人（ひとり） hitori
2: 二人（ふたり） futari
3: 三人（さんにん） sannin
4: 四人（よにん） yonin
5: 五人（ごにん） gonin
6: 六人（ろくにん） rokunin
7: 七人（ななにん） nananin
8: 八人（はちにん） hachinin
9: 九人（きゅうにん） kyūnin
10: 十人（じゅうにん） jūnin

2. ～個 -ko: Small Objects

Use the counter ～個 -ko to count small, compact items like fruit, eggs, candies.

りんごを三個買いました。
ringo o sanko kaimashita.
I bought three apples.
卵が二個あります。
tamago ga niko arimasu.
There are two eggs.
卵を六個買いました。
tamago o rokko kaimashita
I bought six eggs.
オレンジを何個欲しいですか。
orenji o nanko hoshii desu ka.
How many oranges do you want?

Pronunciation Changes with ～個 -ko

一 ichi is pronounced i-, 六 is pronounced ro– 八 is pronounced ha-, and 十 is pronounced ju– or sometimes ji. Consonants are doubled before 1, 6, 8, and 10.

1: 一個（いっこ） ikko
2: 二個（にこ） niko
3: 三個（さんこ） sanko
4: 四個（よんこ） yonko
5: 五個（ごこ） goko
6: 六個（ろっこ） rokko
7: 七個（ななこ） nanako
8: 八個（はっこ） hakko
9: 九個（きゅうこ） kyūko
10: 十個（じゅっこ / じっこ） jukko / jikko

3. ～本 -hon: Bottles; Long, Cylindrical Objects

Use the counter ～本 -hon for long, cylindrical objects such as bottles, pens, umbrellas, bananas.

ペンを一本ください。
pen o ippon kudasai.
One pen, please.
水を二本飲みました。
mizu o nihon nomimashita.
I drank two bottles of water.
毎日バナナを二本食べます。
mainichi banana o nihon tabemasu
I eat two bananas every day.
傘を何本持っていますか。
kasa o nanbon motte imasu ka.How many umbrellas do you have?

Pronunciation Changes with ～本 -hon

一 ichi is pronounced i-, 六 is pronounced ro– 八 is pronounced ha-, and 十 is pronounced ju– or sometimes ji. The consonant h- is pronounced as double –pp– after 1, 6, 8, and 10. Also notice that h- is pronounced as b- after 三 san as well as after 何 nan (how many).

1: 一本（いっぽん） ippon
2: 二本（にほん） nihon
3: 三本（さんぼん） sanbon
4: 四本（よんほん） yonhon
5: 五本（ごほん） gohon
6: 六本（ろっぽん） roppon
7: 七本（ななほん） nanahon
8: 八本（はっぽん） happon
9: 九本（きゅうほん） kyūhon
10: 十本（じゅっぽん / じっぽん） juppon / jippon

4. ～枚 –mai: Flat Objects

Use the counter ～枚 –mai for flat objects, for example paper, shirts, plates, tickets.

切符を二枚買いました。
kippu o nimai kaimashita.
I bought two tickets.
シャツが三枚あります。
shatsu ga sanmai arimasu.
I have three shirts.
テーブルの上に皿が六枚あります。
tēburu no ue ni sara ga rokumai arimasu
There are six plates on the table.
シャツを何枚買いましたか。
shatsu o nanmai kaimashita ka.
How many shirts did you buy?

Regular Forms of ～枚 –mai

The counter ～枚 –mai does not trigger any pronunciation changes or irregularities. Here are all of its forms.

1: 一枚（いちまい） ichimai
2: 二枚（にまい） nimai
3: 三枚（さんまい） sanmai
4: 四枚（よんまい） yonmai
5: 五枚（ごまい） gomai
6: 六枚（ろくまい） rokumai
7: 七枚（ななまい） nanamai
8: 八枚（はちまい） hachimai
9: 九枚（きゅうまい） kyūmai
10: 十枚（じゅうまい） jūmai

5. ～杯 –hai: Cups and Glasses

Use ～杯 –hai to count drinks in cups, glasses, or bowls.

コーヒーを二杯飲みます。
kōhī o nihai nomimasu.
I drink two cups of coffee.
ビールを一杯ください。
bīru o ippai kudasai.
One [glass of] beer, please.
テーブルの上に水が六杯あります。
tēburu no ue ni mizu ga roppai arimasu
There are six glasses of water on the table.
お茶を何杯飲みたいですか。
ocha o nanbai nomitai desu ka.
How many cups of tea do you want?

Pronunciation Changes with ～杯 –hai

一 ichi is pronounced i-, 六 is pronounced ro– 八 is pronounced ha-, and 十 is pronounced ju– or sometimes ji. The consonant h- is pronounced as double –pp– after 1, 6, 8, and 10. Also notice that h– is pronounced as b- after 三 san and 何 nan. This is the same pattern of pronunciation changes that you saw with ～本 -hon.

1: 一杯（いっぱい） ippai
2: 二杯（にはい） nihai
3: 三杯（さんばい） sanbai
4: 四杯（よんはい） yonhai
5: 五杯（ごはい） gohai
6: 六杯（ろっぱい） roppai
7: 七杯（ななはい） nanahai
8: 八杯（はっぱい） happai
: 九杯（きゅうはい） kyūhai
10 十杯（じゅっぱい / じっぱい） juppai / jippai

6. ～匹 –hiki: (Small) Animals

Use ～匹 –hiki for animals like cats, dogs, fish, and insects. In everyday spoken language, ～匹 –hiki is also used for larger animals, for example livestock or large mammals. But in more formal or “correct” settings, you should use～頭 –tō for larger animals. For birds, use～羽 –wa.

猫が二匹います。
neko ga nihiki imasu.
There are two cats.
魚を三匹捕まえました。
sakana o sanbiki tsukamaemashita.
I caught three fish.
かわいい犬が二匹見えます。
kawaii inu ga nihiki miemasu
I can see two cute dogs.
ネズミを何匹見ましたか。
nezumi o nanbiki mimashita ka.
How many mice did you see?

Pronunciation Changes with ～匹 –hiki

一 ichi is pronounced i-, 六 is pronounced ro– 八 is pronounced ha-, and 十 is pronounced ju– or sometimes ji. The consonant h- is pronounced as double –pp– after 1, 6, 8, and 10. Also notice that h– is pronounced as b- after 三 san and 何 nan. This is the same pattern of pronunciation changes that you saw with ～本 -hon and ～杯 –hai.

1: 一匹（いっぴき） ippiki
2: 二匹（にひき） nihiki
3: 三匹（さんびき） sanbiki
4: 四匹（よんひき） yonhiki
5: 五匹（ごひき） gohiki
6: 六匹（ろっぴき） roppiki
7: 七匹（ななひき） nanahiki
8: 八匹（はっぴき） happiki
9: 九匹（きゅうひき） kyūhiki
10: 十匹（じゅっぴき / じっぴき） juppiki / jippiki

7. ～台 –dai: Machines and Vehicles

Use the counter ～台 –dai for machines and vehicles, for example cars, bicycles, computers, and appliances.

車が二台あります。
kuruma ga nidai arimasu.
I have two cars.
パソコンを三台買いました。
pasokon o sandai kaimashita.
I bought three computers.
台所に冷蔵庫が一台あります。
daidokoro ni reizōko ga ichidai arimasu
There is one refrigerator in the kitchen.
彼らは自転車を何台持っていますか。
karera wa jitensha o nandai motte imasu ka.
How many bikes do they have?

Regular Forms of ～台 –dai

～台 –dai is regular and doesn’t trigger any pronunciation changes.

1: 一台（いちだい） ichidai
2: 二台（にだい） nidai
3: 三台（さんだい） sandai
4: 四台（よんだい） yondai
5: 五台（ごだい） godai
6: 六台（ろくだい） rokudai
7: 七台（ななだい） nanadai
8: 八台（はちだい） hachidai
9: 九台（きゅうだい） kyūdai
10: 十台（じゅうだい） jūdai

8. ～冊 –satsu: Books and Bound Volumes

Use ～冊 –satsu to count bound volumes, for example books, notebooks, and magazines.

本を三冊読みました。
hon o sansatsu yomimashita.
I read three books.
ノートを一冊ください。
nōto o issatsu kudasai.
One notebook, please.
自然の雑誌が三冊好きです。
shizen no zasshi ga sansatsu suki desu
I like three nature magazines.
学生はノートを何冊持っていますか。
gakusei wa nōto o nansatsu motte imasu ka
How many notebooks do the students have?

Pronunciation Changes with ～冊 –satsu

一 ichi is pronounced i-, 八 is pronounced ha-, and 十 is pronounced ju– or sometimes ji. Notice that 六 is still pronounced roku, not ro– as in the case of most irregulars. The consonant s– is doubled after 1, 8, and 9.

1: 一冊（いっさつ） issatsu
2: 二冊（にさつ） nisatsu
3: 三冊（さんさつ） sansatsu
4: 四冊（よんさつ） yonsatsu
5: 五冊（ごさつ） gosatsu
6: 六冊（ろくさつ） rokusatsu
7: 七冊（ななさつ） nanasatsu
8: 八冊（はっさつ） hassatsu
9: 九冊（きゅうさつ） kyūsatsu
10: 十冊（じゅっさつ / じっさつ） jussatsu / jissatsu

9. ～回 –kai: Occurrences

Use ～回 –kai to count times, as in frequency and repetition.

日本に二回行きました。
nihon ni nikai ikimashita.
I went to Japan twice.
もう一回言ってください。
mō ikkai itte kudasai.
Please say it one more time.
その映画を三回見ました。
sono eiga o sankai mimashita
I’ve seen the film three times.
このレストランで何回食べましたか。
kono resutoran de nankai tabemashita ka.
How many times have you eaten at this restaurant?

Pronunciation Changes with ～回 –kai

一 ichi is pronounced i-, 六 is pronounced ro– 八 is pronounced ha-, and 十 is pronounced ju– or sometimes ji. The consonant k- is pronounced as double –kk– after these numbers. This is the common pattern you’ve seen with other counters.

1: 一回（いっかい） ikkai
2: 二回（にかい） nikai
3: 三回（さんかい） sankai
4: 四回（よんかい） yonkai
5: 五回（ごかい） gokai
6: 六回（ろっかい） rokkai
7: 七回（ななかい） nanakai
8: 八回（はっかい） hakkai
9: 九回（きゅうかい） kyūkai
10: 十回（じゅっかい / じっかい） jukkai / jikkai

10. ～つ –tsu: General Counter for Lower Amounts

～つ –tsu is a very versatile counter, and very useful for students of Japanese. You can use ～つ –tsu to count pretty much any “thing,” whether it’s a concrete object or an abstract idea. It’s very helpful when you don’t know the specific counter, or when there might be some sort of ambiguity. It’s only used for numbers 1 through 10, using the native Japanese numbers. And it’s limited to things – not for example people.

Remember that you don’t use 何 nan to ask how many when the counter is ～つ –tsu. Instead, use いくつ ikutsu.

りんごを二つください。
ringo o futatsu kudasai.
Two apples, please.
質問が三つあります。
shitsumon ga mittsu arimasu.
I have three questions.
椅子が四つあります。
isu ga yottsu arimasu
We have four chairs.
クッキーをいくつ食べましたか。
kukkī o ikutsu tabemashita ka
How many cookies did you eat?

Forms With ～つ –tsu

1: 一つ（ひとつ） hitotsu
2: 二つ（ふたつ） futatsu
3: 三つ（みっつ） mittsu
4: 四つ（よっつ） yottsu
5: 五つ（いつつ） itsutsu
6: 六つ（むっつ） muttsu
7: 七つ（ななつ） nanatsu
8: 八つ（やっつ） yattsu
9: 九つ（ここのつ） kokonotsu
10: 十（とお） tō

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