In Japanese, you need to use a counter any time you form a phrase with a number and a noun, like "six children," "four ideas," or "two million dollars." The counter you use will depend on what kind of thing you are counting. For example:
In our introduction to Japanese counters, we discussed what Japanese counters are and how to use four of the most common ones: つ transcribed tsu, 個 transcribed ko, 本 transcribed hon, and 枚 transcribed mai. However, there are literally hundreds more counters in Japanese! While you don't need to know all of them, there are at least a couple dozen more that you'll use or encounter all the time, even in everyday conversation.
In this article, we’ll talk about some of the other counters: ones you'll use for creatures, machines, pieces of furniture, vehicles, clothes, foods, books, and more! Ready to have a look? Let's get counting!
Living things
In Japanese, the most common counters for humans and animals are 人 transcribed nin, 匹 transcribed hiki, 頭 transcribed tō, and 羽 transcribed wa. Let's look at each one!
人 [nin] for humans
Human beings are most frequently counted with 人 transcribed nin. Usually, this is combined with a Chinese-origin number, as in １１人 transcribed jūichi nin. However, there are exceptional forms when we combine it with the numbers 1, 2, and 4.
One person is １人 transcribed hitori.
Two people is ２人 transcribed futari,
Four people is ４人 transcribed yo nin.
Here's an example in a sentence:
パーティーに友達を４人呼びましたが、１人は来られませんでした。Transcription: Pātii ni tomodachi o yo nin yobimashita ga, hitori wa koraremasendeshita.Translation: I invited four friends to my party, but one of them couldn’t come.匹 [hiki] for small animals
Living creatures such as small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects, that are small enough to be picked up, are counted with 匹 transcribed hiki. For example:
Speaker A:池の中にコイがいるね。何匹いるの？Transcription: Ike no naka ni koi ga iru ne. Nan biki iru no?Translation: There are carp in the pond, aren’t they? How many do you have?Speaker B:金色のが１匹と、黒いのが３匹と、赤いのが５匹。Transcription: Kin’iro no ga ippiki to, kuroi no ga san biki to, akai no ga go hiki.Translation: One golden one, three black ones, and five red ones.Did you notice that the pronunciation of 匹 transcribed hiki changes after certain numbers? Here are the ones to watch out for:
１匹 transcribed ippiki
３匹 transcribed sanbiki
６匹 transcribed roppiki
８匹 transcribed happiki
１０匹 transcribed juppiki
何匹 transcribed nan bikimeaning how many?
頭 [tō] for bigger animals
Bigger animals such as large dogs, lions, horses, whales, dinosaurs are counted with 頭 transcribed tōliterally head. Usually, you'll use this counter if an animal is too large to pick up easily, but there are some exceptions. For example, working dogs like police dogs are counted with 頭 transcribed to regardless of their size.
To ask about a number of animals, you can always use the generic question wordどのくらい transcribed donokurai, regardless of the size of the creature. See the example below:
Speaker A:この牧場には動物がどのくらいいるんですか。Transcription: Kono bokujō ni wa dōbutsu ga donokurai irundesu ka.Translation: How many animals do you have in this ranch?Speaker B:牛が４頭と、羊が１０匹と、ボーダーコリーが２頭と、猫が１匹です。Transcription: Ushi ga yon tō to, hitsuji ga juppiki to, bōdākorii ga ni tō to, neko ga ippiki desu.Translation: We have four cows, ten sheep, two border collies, and one cat.羽 [wa] for birds
We use 羽 transcribed wa for birds of all sizes. For example:
木の枝にカラスが３羽とまっています。Transcription: Ki no eda ni karasu ga san ba / san wa tomatte imasu.Translation: Three ravens are perched on the branch of the tree.You can say either “san ba” or “san wa” in this case.田中君と山田君と鈴木君は、我が校バスケ部の三羽烏だ。Transcription: Tanaka kun to Yamada kun to Suzuki kun wa wagakō basukebu no sanba garasu da.Translation: Tanaka, Yamada, and Suzuki are the best three players in our school’s basketball team.In this case, it has to be “sanba” since it’s a part of an idiom.Notice that 羽 transcribed wa is sometimes pronounced transcribed ba:
Traditionally, ３羽 is pronounced transcribed sanba, and the question word 何羽 is pronounced transcribed nanba.
Today, it's also usually acceptable to pronounce them transcribed san wa and transcribed nan wa.
In some idioms, though, only the transcribed ba pronunciation is allowed:
三羽烏Transcription: ✅ sanba garasu
❌ sanwa garasuTranslation: the best three among a groupLiterally: three crows千羽鶴Transcription: ✅ senbazuru
❌ senwazuruTranslation: one-thousand origami cranes
Machines and appliances
In Japanese, machines and appliances are mostly counted using 台 transcribed dai or 基 transcribed ki. Vehicles use different counters though, we'll talk about those below!
台 [dai] for small machines
Small to medium machines and appliances, ones that can be carried or moved, are generally counted with 台 transcribed dai. This includes things like smartphones, personal computers, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washers, treadmills, and portable generators.
ホテルのジムにはランニングマシンが１０台置いてあった。Transcription: Hoteru no jimu ni wa ran’ningu mashin ga jū dai oite atta.Translation: There were ten treadmills in the hotel gym.基 [ki] for large machines
Large machines, of the sort that are set to a foundation or structure are counted with 基 transcribed ki. This would include elevators, ski lifts, generators in power plants, or supercomputers.
このビルにはエレベーターが３基あるが、１基は故障中だ。Transcription: Kono biru ni wa erebētā ga san ki aru ga, ikki wa koshōchū da.Translation: This building has three elevators, but one of them is out of order.
Furniture
When counting pieces of pieces of furniture in Japanese, we usually use the counters 台 transcribed dai, 脚 transcribed kyaku, or点 transcribed ten. For example:
But when should you use each?
| Counter | Use |
|---|---|
台 transcribed dai | Large items of furniture like beds, desks, tables, couches, etc. |
脚 transcribed kyaku | Chairs (sometimes other items with 4 legs too, like tables or couches) |
点 transcribed ten | Furnishings in general, like stocking an office or selling items in a store |
Vehicles
In Japanese, you'll most often use the counters 台 transcribed dai, 両 transcribed ryō, 機 transcribed ki, 艘 transcribed sō, or 隻 transcribed seki to count vehicles. Here's the difference:
| Counter | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
台 transcribed dai | Land vehicles that don't require tracks, such as cars, trucks, buses, bicycles, and snow plows | 向かいの家の前に乗用車が５台とトラックが１台とまっている。 Transcription: Mukai no ie no mae ni jōyōsha ga go dai to torakku ga ichi dai tomatte iru. Translation: Five cars and one truck are parked in front of the house across the street. |
両 transcribed ryō | Cars of a vehicle that runs on tracks, like train cars or monorail cars | 新幹線「のぞみ」は１６両編成です。 Transcription: Shinkansen “Nozomi” wa jūroku ryō hensei desu. Translation: The bullet train “Nozomi” has a sixteen-car formation. |
機 transcribed ki | Vehicles that fly, like airplanes, helicopters, hang gliders, rockets | ビルの屋上にヘリコプターが１機着陸した。 Transcription: Biru no okujō ni herikoputā ga ikki chakuriku shita. Translation: A helicopter landed on the rooftop of the building. |
艘 transcribed sō | Small boats, like canoes or rowboats | 探検隊はカヤック７艘で川を下った。 Transcription: Tankentai wa kayakku nana sō de kawao kudatta. Translation: The expedition team traveled down the river using seven kayaks. |
隻 transcribed seki | Larger ships such as tankers and cruise ships |
Clothes and shoes
In Japanese, you'll mostly use the counters 着 transcribed chaku, 枚 transcribed mai, 本 transcribed hon, or 足 transcribed soku to count items of clothing or shoes.
Here are the rules for when to use each:
| Counter | Use for |
|---|---|
着 transcribed chaku | Large items or outfits that cover the whole body, like suits, coats, dresses, or kimonos, and heavier jackets such as blazers |
本 transcribed hon | Narrow and long items, like neckties, trousers, and scarves |
足 transcribed soku | Items you wear on your feet, like shoes or socks |
Food and drink
In Japanese, you can use a variety of different counters including 本 transcribed hon, 枚 transcribed mai, 個 transcribed ko, 杯 transcribed hai, 品 transcribed hin, to count items of food or drink.
Shape counters for self-contained items
In general, self-contained food items like fruits, vegetables, or slices of pizza are counted based on their shape. For example:
Counter Use for 本 transcribed hon
Narrow, long items, like bananas or carrots
枚 transcribed mai
Fat items such as pancakes, tortillas, and slices of ham
個 transcribed ko
Items that are neither long nor flat, like apples, potatoes, rice balls
For example:
冷蔵庫にはニンジンが１本と、ジャガイモが２個と、ハムが３枚しか入っていない。Transcription: Reizōko ni wa ninjin ga ippon to, jagaimo ga ni ko to, hamu ga san mai shika haitte inai.Translation: There are only a carrot, two potatoes, and three (slices of) ham in my refrigerator.杯 [hai] for deep containers
Foods and drinks served in deeper containers like cups or bowls are most often counted using 杯 transcribed hai.
ジャックは豚骨ラーメンを１２杯食べて、そのあと水をコップで３杯飲んだ。Transcription: Jakku wa tonkotsu rāmen o jūni hai tabete, sono ato mizu o koppu de san bai nonda.Translation: Jack ate twelve (bowls of) ramen in pork-bone broth and then drank three (glasses of) water.品 [hin] for menu items
Items on a menu or courses, are counted with 品 transcribed hin as in:
Speaker A:おまかせコースだと料理が何品出ますか。Transcription: Omakase kōsu da to ryōri ga nan pin demasu ka.Translation: How many dishes does the Chef’s Choice course include?Speaker B:８品です。そのうちの１品はデザートです。Transcription: Hachi hin desu. Sono uchi no ippin wa dezāto desu.Translation: It includes eight dishes. One of them is a dessert.Common noun counters for the container or shape
Food items are also often counted using common noun counters, describing the container that contains the food, like 皿 transcribed sarameaning dish. Here are a few examples:
皿 transcribed sarameaning dish
口 transcribed kuchimeaning mouthful
缶 transcribed kanmeaning can
瓶 transcribed binmeaning bottle
箱 transcribed hakomeaning box
袋 transcribed fukuromeaning bag
パック transcribed pakkumeaning package
粒 transcribed tsubumeaning grain; drop
Remember, though, that when the counter is a common noun, you'll need to use two different sets of numbers! For the lowest numbers, you'll use the Japanese-origin number, as in１皿 transcribed hito sara, ２皿 transcribed futa sara. After the first couple numbers, though, we switch to the Chinese-origin numbers as in ３皿 transcribed san sara. How far we use the Japanese-origin numbers depends on the counter, but usually it’s up to three or four.
Books and publications
When counting books or other publications, you'll most often use the counters 冊 transcribed satsu, 巻 transcribed kan, 頁 transcribed pēji, or 部 transcribed bu. Here's when to use each:
| Counter | Use for |
|---|---|
冊 transcribed satsu | Physical books, magazines, dictionaries (including electronic versions) as well as notebooks |
巻 transcribed kanliterally scroll | Volumes in a series |
ページ transcribed pēji or 頁 transcribed pēji | Pages of a book or magazine |
部 transcribed bu | Booklets, brochures, newspapers, copies of published works |
Here's an example illustrating the difference between how we use冊 transcribed satsu and 部 transcribed bu to count books:
Buildings and floors
In Japanese, we usually count buildings using 軒 transcribed kenliterally eaves, and floors in those buildings using 階 transcribed kai.
軒 [ken] for buildings
Houses and small buildings are counted with 軒 transcribed kenliterally eaves. We can also use 軒 transcribed ken to count retail stores (including supermarkets and department stores), restaurants, hotels, and inns.
Speaker A:この通りにレストランが何軒ありますか。Transcription: Kono tōri ni resutoran ga nan gen arimasu ka.Translation: How many restaurants are there on this street?Speaker B:たぶん２０軒ぐらいでしょう。Transcription: Tabun nijukken gurai deshō.Translation: There are twenty or so, I think.Please note that the question word 何軒 meaning how many? is pronounced transcribed nan gen.
階 [kai] for floors
Floors in buildings are counted with 階 transcribed kai. It can be used for the number of floors (as in “three-story building”) or the designated floor (as in “the second floor”).
マンゴーデパートは１０階建てです。子供服売り場は３階です。Transcription: Mangō depāto wa jukkai-date desu. Kodomofuku uriba wa san gai desu.Translation: Mango Department Store is a ten-story building. The children’s clothing section is on the third floor.Please note that the pronunciation for ３階 meaning 3 floors / floor 3 is transcribed sangaiand the question word 何階 transcribed how many floors / what floor is transcribed nangai
Repetitions
Repetitions of actions or events are counted by 回 transcribed kai or 度 transcribed do.
回 transcribed kai can be used for any number of repetitions:
昨日から２０回ぐらい電話しているけど、だれも出ない。Transcription: Kinō kara nijukkai gurai denwa shite iru kedo, dare mo denai.Translation: I’ve been calling them about twenty times since yesterday, but nobody answers.度 transcribed do is generally only for small numbers of repetitions, usually only up to about three:
２度あることは３度ある。Transcription: Ni do aru koto wa san do aru.Translation: What happens twice will happen a third time.A Japanese saying.
Age
When giving the age of someone or something, you'll usually use 歳 transcribed sai, but you can also use つ transcribed tsu for ages up to about 9 years old. However, there are some exceptional pronunciations. Have a look:
Other useful counters
Here are some additional items and their counters you may find useful!
Colors are counted with 色 transcribed shoku.
２４色の色鉛筆Transcription: nijūyon shoku no iroenpitsuTranslation: 24-count colored pencilsSongs / tunes are counted with 曲 transcribed kyoku.
１２曲入りCDTranscription: jūni kyoku iri CDTranslation: CD with 12 songsPoints, whether for the scores for sports or kanji quizzes, are counted with 点 transcribed ten.
１００点Transcription: hyaku tenTranslation: one hundred pointsExam or homework questions are counted either with 問 transcribed mon or 題 transcribed dai. We can also use 問 transcribed mon to count questions in surveys.
数学の宿題がまだ３問残っている。Transcription: Sūgaku no shukudai ga mada san mon nokotteiru.Translation: I still have three more questions left for my math homework.Places and spots, whether geographical or on the surface of objects like tablecloths or exam sheets, are counted with 箇所 transcribed kasho.
寄りたい所が２箇所あるんだけど、つきあってくれる？Transcription: Yoritai tokoro ga ni kasho aru nda kedo, tsukiatte kureru?Translation: I have two places I’d like to stop by. Can you come with me?The order of questions or the rank in competitions is marked with 番 transcribed ban. We can also use 位 transcribed i for ranking in competitions.
２番の問題Transcription: ni ban no mondaiTranslation: question 2マラソンで１番 / １位になった。Transcription: Marason de ichi ban / ichi i ni natta.Translation: I placed first in the marathon race.We can use either one. 位 transcribed i sounds more formal.
To sum up
In this article, we looked at some further Japanese counters. We saw some of the counters you'll use to count different kinds of things, including:
| Counters for... | Counters |
|---|---|
People and animals | 人 transcribed nin, 匹 transcribed hiki, 頭 transcribed tō, 羽 transcribed wa |
Machines and appliances | 台 transcribed dai, 基 transcribed ki |
Furniture | 台 transcribed dai, 脚 transcribed kyaku, 点 transcribed ten |
Vehicles | 台 transcribed dai, 両 meaning ryō, 機 meaning ki, 艘 transcribed sō, 隻 transcribed seki |
Clothes and shoes | 着 transcribed chaku, 枚 transcribed mai, 本 transcribed hon, or 足 transcribed soku |
Food and drink | 本 transcribed hon, 枚 transcribed mai, 個 transcribed ko, 杯 transcribed hai, 品 transcribed hin, and many more! |
Books and writing | 冊 transcribed satsu, 巻 transcribed kan, 頁 transcribed pēji, 部 transcribed bu |
Buildings and floors | 軒 transcribed ken, 階 transcribed kai |
Repetitions | 回 transcribed kai, 度 transcribed do |
Age | 歳 transcribed sai, つ transcribed tsu |
As always, we have some fun Japanese counter activities you can try to practice using various counters. Also, make sure to check out the master list of Japanese counters we have created for you! For time and date counters, check out our post on how to say the time and date in Japanese. Happy learning!
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