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 memorizing the numbers, they must remember many counting indicators and know the right moment to use them.

In this article, we will talk about the indicators or counters used as suffixes or prefixes to numbers to indicate a specific item in the Japanese language.

How Japanese numerical counting works

This article will not teach numbers in Japanese. When we talk about counting, we are referring to the counting of objects that in Japanese always combines the number with a specific ideogram that represents a certain 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; for 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 of counting will have its Chinese pronunciation ON. Besides 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 remember which object or thing uses such a form or indication of counting;

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

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

Counters in Japanese

First, we will provide a table with the 8 main counters, followed by another table with most of the counters. If you have doubts, know that it is 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 are a beginner in Japanese, we recommend not going beyond the 8 main counting forms, 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 moment. But see the end of the article that shows very important things.

• 人 (nin) – Used to count people, human beings
• 匹 (hiki; piki; biki) – Counter related to small animals, such as fish, cats, mice, 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, such as 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 thin 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 thin objects, such as shirts, sheets of paper, plates, blankets, among others

Common counters for people and things

• 部 (bu) – Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packages of papers
• 杯 (hai; pai; bai) – Glasses and cups of drink, chocos, 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, game board pieces (chess, igo, shogi), stages of computer games, walls of a room, tennis courts
• 話 (wa) – Stories, episodes of TV series, anime, etc.

Time, calendar, and frequency counters

• 秒 (byo) – Seconds
• 分 (fun; pun) – Minutes
• 月 (gatsu; tsuki) – Months of the year
• 泊 (haku; paku) – Number of nights
• 時 (ji) – Hours of the day
• 時間 (jikan) – Long period of hours / Time
• 日 (ka) – Day of the month
• ヶ月; 箇月 (kagetsu) – Long period of months
• 年 (nen) – Years, school years (grades). Do not use for age
• 日 (nichi) – Days of the month (with exceptions)
• 歳; 才 (sai) – Years of age (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 tatamis
• 回 (kai) – Occurrences, number of times

Other Unknown Counters

Remember that such terms are unknown and rarely used, and there is probably a more correct way to count such things.

• 場 (ba) – Scene of a game
• 倍 (bai) – To count multiple things, various things
• 晩 (ban) – Counting 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) – Musical beats
• 着 (chaku) – Sets of clothing
• 挺 (chō) – Weapons, knives, tools, instruments, violins
• 丁 (chō) – Tools, scissors, saws, pants, guns, tofu cakes, portions in a restaurant
• 町 (chō) – Blocks of the city
• 代 (dai) – Generations, historical periods, kingdoms
• 段 (dan) – Levels, degrees, steps (stairs)
• 段落 (danraku) – Paragraphs
• 筆 (fude) – Sequences of letters or drawings without lifting the pen from the paper
• 服 (fuku; puku) – Powdered green tea, packages of powdered medicine, puffs (cigarettes)
• 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) – Sets of furniture, clothing sets
• 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) – Votes
• 字 (ji) – Letters, kanji, kana
• 児 (ji) – Children (“father of two children”)
• 錠 (jō) – Pills, capsules
• 条 (jō) – Articles of 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) – Strokes of kanji
• 貫 (kan) – Pieces of nigiri-zushi
• 艦 (kan) – Warships
• 系統 (keitou) – Bus lines
• 件 (ken) – Abstract issues and cases
• 軒 (ken; gen) – Residences
• 機 (ki) – Aerial vehicles, machines
• 基 (ki) – Graves, CPUs, 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, panels
• 献 (kon) – Shots of drink
• 区 (ku) – Sections, city districts
• 句 (ku) – Haiku, Senryu
• 口 (kuchi) – Bank accounts, 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) – Pieces of music
• 局 (kyoku) – Radio stations, TV channels
• 巻 (maki; kan) – Rolls, volumes of books
• 幕 (maku) – Theatrical plays
• 門 (mon) – Cannons
• 問 (mon) – Questions
• 人前 (ninmae) – Food portions
• 折 (ori) – Boxes of folded paper
• ページ; 頁 (peji) – Pages
• 例 (rei) – Cases, examples
• 礼 (rei) – Bows in a shrine
• 輪 (rin) – Wheels, flowers
• 両 (ryō) – Railway cars
• 棹 (sao) – Dressers, flags
• 社 (sha) – Companies
• 式 (shiki) – Sets of documents or furniture
• 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) – Bunches of flowers and vegetables
• 体 (tai) – Images, statues, dolls
• 俵 (tawara) – Bags of rice
• 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) – Unit of area (3.3 m²)
• 粒 (tsubu) – Grains, almonds
• 通話 (tsūwa) – Phone calls
• 羽 (wa; ba; pa) – Birds, rabbits
• 把 (wa) – Bunches
• 話 (wa) – Stories, TV episodes
• 夜 (ya) – Nights
• 膳 (zen) – Pairs of chopsticks / rice bowls

Euphonious Changes and Exceptions

Euphonious changes occur when certain numbers end with counters that start with certain phonemes. For example:

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

The details are listed in the table below:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table sideways with your finger >>

Numeral	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 counting; see a table below showing which numbers are different when pronounced 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

This was just the basics; there are many other details that we left aside or did not explain properly. I hope you understood a bit of this article.