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 remember 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 Japanese numbers. When we talk about counting, we are referring to counting objects that in Japanese always merge the number with a certain ideogram that represents a certain object.

For example, I want to indicate that there are 5 people. I just talk gonin [五人] which is the junction of the number 5 + the person ideogram hit [人]. This does not only happen 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 counting object 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 flips hitori and futari along with kanji [人];
• You have to analyze and remember 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 counts. That way you can carefully examine the counts and then know the right way to use them.

Accountants 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 Bod Imasu. Seeing 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.

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

Category	Counter		Description
Human	NIN	人	It serves to count people, human beings.
Cheered up	HIKI; PIKI; BIKI	匹	It is a counter related to small animals such as fish, cat, mouse and many others.
General	TSU	つ	With tsu you can count most things and objects not corresponding to other categories.
Inanimate	KO	個	For small or compact, usually rounded, lifeless objects, we can count apples, oranges, lemons, rocks, croquettes, and the like.
Big, electric goals	SO	台	For large objects such as cars, wardrobes, cupboards, it includes counting all types of household appliances such as refrigerators, computers and telephones, etc.
Fine Objects	HON; PON; GOOD	本	Widely used to count thin and elongated objects such as pencils, pens, trees, etc. The most curious thing about this counter was to realize that it was also used to count video tapes and telephone calls.
Printed material	SATSU	冊	It is a counter used for practically all types of printed material such as books, magazines, pamphlets, handouts, etc.
Fine Objects	MAY	枚	For the Japanese, fine objects are things like shirts, sheets of paper, plates, plates, cookies, blankets.

Common people and things counters

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

Pronunciation	Kanji	Information
boo	部	Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packages of papers
hai;dad;bai	杯	Drinking cups and glasses, cuttlefish, octopus, crabs, squid and boats.
kai; gai	階	To count floors and floors.
ok	個箇个ヶ	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.
mei	名	Polite people ( 名 means "name")
men	面	Mirrors, board game boards (chess, igo, shogi), computer game stages, walls of a room, tennis courts
wow	話	Stories, episodes of TV series, anime and etc.

Time, calendar and attendance counters

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

Pronunciation	Kanji	Use
Byo	秒	seconds
fun; pun	分	minutes
gatsu; tsuki	月	Months of the year.
haku; paku	泊	Number of nights.
ji	時	Times of Day
jikan	時間	Long period of hours / Time
ok	日	Day of month
kagetsu	ヶ月;箇月	Long period of months.
baby	年	Years, years of school (degrees). Do not use for years old.
niche	日	Days of the month (There are exceptions)
leaves	歳;才	Years of age (才 is used informally as an abbreviated form)
Shuu	週	weeks
bai	倍	multiples, sometimes, several times.
ban	番	Position. In sports games.
of; tabi	度	Occurrences, number of times, degrees of temperature or angle.
jou	畳	Used to count tatami, this kanji also means tatami.
kai	回	Occurrences, number of times

Other Unknown Accountants

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

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

Pronunciation	Japanese	Use
ba	場	Scene from a game
bai	倍	To count multiple things, multiple things
ban	晩	count nights
ban	番	Position, platform for a train line, and sports games.
bi	尾	Small fish and shrimp (used in the fish trade.)
boo	部	Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packages of papers.
bun	文	sentences
byōshi	拍子	Musicals and beats
chaku	着	Clothing suits.
choo	挺	Weapons, knives, tools, instruments, violins
choo	丁	Tools, scissors, saws, pants, guns, tofu buns, servings in a restaurant.
choo	町	City blocks/blocks
so	代	Generations, historical periods, kingdoms
dan	段	levels, degrees, steps (stairs).
danraku	段落	paragraphs
fuck	筆	Sequences of letters or drawings that you write or draw without removing pen from paper.
fuku; puku	服	powdered green tea, packets or doses of powdered medicine, puffs (eg a cigarette) the like.
fuku; puku	幅	hanging scrolls (Kakejiku)
fury	振	swords
gakkyū	学 級	Classes (in pre-university education)
go	語	Words
gon; koto	言	Words
gu	具	Furniture sets. Suits and some rare clothes.
gyo	行	lines of text
haku	泊	Nights
hey	敗	Losses (sport attacks)
hako	箱	boxes
hari	張	Umbrellas, umbrellas, tents
hashira	柱	gods and tombstones
hatsu; patsu	発	Shots, bullets, aerial fireworks; orgasms, sexual acts
hin; pin	品	Parts of a meal, courses.
hitsu; pitsu	筆	Pieces of land, lots and land.
ho; dust	歩	Number of steps (foot)
hyo; pyo	票	Wishes
ji	字	Letters, kanji, kana
ji	児	Children. Like: “father of two”
jō	錠	Pills / Capsules
jō	条	Articles of law, fine objects, rays or currents of light, smoke or lightning.
ok	架	frames
ok	課	lessons
kabu	株	forest nurseries
kai	回	Occurrences, number of times (see also: do)
kai; gai	階	number of floors
kakoku	ヶ国	countries
kakokugo	ヶ国語	languages (national)
kaku	画	strokes in kanji
kan	貫	pieces of nigiri-zushi
kan	艦	Warships
keitou	系統	Bus lines
ken	件	Abstract questions and cases
ken; gene	軒	housing
ki	機	aircraft, machines
ki	基	Graves, Wreaths, CPUs, Reactors, Elevators, Dams
kin	斤	Breads
kire	切 れ	Slices (bread, cake, sashimi, etc.)
ok	戸	Houses (戸 means “door”)
kō	校	Schools
kō	稿	Drafts of a manuscript
kō	行	banks
koma	齣	Frames, panels.
kon	献	shots (drinking)
ku	区	Sections, city districts
ku	句	Haiku, Senryu
kuchi	口	(Bank) Accounts, Donations (口 means “opening” or “entry”)
kumi	組	Groups, a couple of people (twins, a husband and wife, dancers, etc.)
kurasu	クラス	school classes
kyaku	脚	Tables, chairs, long-stemmed cups
kyaku	客	Cup and saucer pairs
kyoku	曲	music pieces
kyoku	局	Board game games (chess, igo, shogi, mahjong); radio stations, television channels
maki; kan	巻	Scrolls, book volumes
maku	幕	plays
mon	門	cannons
mon	問	Questions
ninmae	人前	food portions
ori	折	Folded paper boxes
peji	ページ;頁	Pages
king	例	cases, examples
king	礼	Arches in a shrine
rin	輪	wheel, flowers
ryō	両	rail cars
are	棹	amenities, flags
sha	社	Used for companies i.e. 会社
shiki	式	Sets of things, such as documents or furniture
sho	勝	Wins (In Sports)
shu	首	Tanka / Waka – Japanese Poems
shū	週	weeks
shuruou; shu	種類種	type, species
soku	足	Pairs of shoes and pairs of socks
taba	束	Groups of flowers and vegetables
tai	体	Images, statues, remains of the person, dolls
tawara	俵	rice bags
teki	滴	drops of liquid
have	点	Points, pieces of a set
I'm	頭	Large animals, cattle, elephants, whales, dolphins, butterflies (頭 means “head”)
toki	時	Periods of time, or one-sixth of the day or night.
tori	通 り	combinations
Tsu	通	Letters
tsubo	坪	Commonly used area unit. Example: 3.3 square meters.
tsubu	粒	almonds, grains
tsuwa	通話	The phone calls
wa; ba; shovel	羽	Birds, rabbits 羽means “feather” or “wing”.
wow	把	packages
wow	話	Stories, TV series episodes, etc.
yes	夜	Nights
Zen	膳	Pairs of chopsticks/rice bowls

Euphonic Changes and Exceptions

Euphonic 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;

Details are listed in the following table:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side 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 juu	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 june	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 sin				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.

Numeral	日 niche	人 baby	月 gatsu	時 ji	時間 jikan	階 kai	百 hyaku	千 without	歳 leaves
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	toka
14	jūyokka	jūyonin			jūyojikan
20	hatsuka								hatachi
24	nijuyokka	nijuyonin			nijuyojikan
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.