Whenever you count things in Japanese, you’ll need to use a counter along with the number. It’s a bit like how you might count four “pieces” of furniture or seven “works” of art in English, except that in Japanese, a counter must always be used, regardless of the type of noun — from pencils to people to planets.
The exact counter you use, though, may depend on the noun you’re counting, for example:
In Japanese, there are hundreds of counters to choose from, but you can get by using just a few of them. In this post, we’ll talk about what counters are and how to use them, then we’ll focus on four of the most common and versatile ones: つ transcribed tsu, 個 transcribed ko, 本 transcribed hon, and 枚 transcribed mai. Lastly, we'll see how the suffix 目 transcribed me can be used with a counter to indicate order.
To learn about more common Japanese counters, you can check out our post on which counters to use for what. But for now, let’s get the basics down. As an ancient sage says, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Let’s get started!
What are “counters” in Japanese?
Japanese counters are small words that are used alongside numbers that are used to count nouns. You’ll need them to form phrases like “one apple,” “two ideas,” or “three times.” In Japanese, they are called 助数詞 transcribed josūshi, literally “words that help numbers.”
The counter will always come directly after the number. In Japanese, you’ll need to use a counter every time you count any noun. They’re not optional!
number
counter
There are two main ways the combination of number + counter in Japanese can be combined with the noun you’re actually counting.
Using the particle の transcribed no
The first method is fairly parallel to English structures like “three pieces of furniture.” We simply place the number + counter before the particle の transcribed no and that phrase is used to modify the noun you’re counting.
number + counter
の transcribed no
noun
かごの中に３個のみかんがあります。Transcription: Kago no naka ni ga arimasu.Translation: There are three mandarin oranges in the basket.Think “three [units of] mandarin orange.”After the particles が transcribed ga or を transcribed o
If the noun you’re counting is the subject (followed by が transcribed ga) or the direct object (followed by を transcribed o), the number + counter can follow that marking particle instead, as in:
noun
が transcribed ga / を transcribed o
number + counter
かごの中にみかんが３個あります。Transcription: Kago no naka ni arimasu.Translation: Three mandarin oranges are in the basket.The oranges are the subject.かごの中にあったみかんを３個食べました。Transcription: Kago no naka ni atta tabemashita.Translation: I ate three of the mandarin oranges that were in the basket.The oranges are the direct object.
Sometimes only the first pattern will work, sometimes either pattern will work (though one might sound more natural), and sometimes both patterns will work but one will produce a slightly different meaning (as we saw in the tip box above).
Let’s look now at some other rules that will help you use counters correctly in a Japanese sentence.
How is the counter related to the type of number you use?
There are two types of numbers in Japanese: Chinese-origin numbers and traditional Japanese numbers. Though you’ll mostly hear the Chinese-origin numbers used when doing math, you’ll need to use the traditional Japanese numbers with certain counters.
In general, we use Chinese-origin numbers with Chinese-origin counters and Japanese-origin numbers with Japanese-origin counters. Though, as the numbers get high you’ll usually switch back to using Chinese-origin numbers. For example:
The Chinese-origin counter 個 transcribed ko always follows Chinese-origin numbers:
Chinese-origin number３個 = さん個Transcription: san koThe Japanese-origin counter つ transcribed tsu is usually paired with a traditional Japanese number, as long as the number is fairly small:
traditional Japanese number３つ = みつTranscription: mitsu
Here is a chart showing the first 10 numbers in both forms:
| Chinese-origin | Traditional Japanese | |
|---|---|---|
1 | いち transcribed ichi | ひ transcribed hi |
2 | に transcribed ni | ふ transcribed fu |
3 | さん transcribed san | み transcribed mi |
4 | し transcribed shi | よ transcribed yo |
5 | ご transcribed go | いつ transcribed itsu |
6 | ろく transcribed roku | む transcribed mu |
7 | しち transcribed shichi | なな transcribed nana |
8 | はち transcribed hachi | や transcribed ya |
9 | きゅう transcribed kyū | ここ transcribed koko |
10 | じゅう transcribed jū | とお transcribed tō |
How to pronounce the number and counter?
When the number and counter are combined, they sometimes merge together a little in pronunciation, forming a contraction. They help make the pronunciation easier. For example:
| Number | Counter | Combination | |
|---|---|---|---|
3 | さん Transcription: san | ほん Transcription: hon | さんぼん Transcription: san bon |
6 | ろく Transcription: roku | ほん Transcription: hon | ろっぽん Transcription: roppon |
These contractions are always used when these special number-counter combinations occur. You won’t hear people use the full forms.
Luckily, even though these merged pronunciations are not 100% predictable, there are some rules that will work in most cases. The rule will depend on the first sound in the counter, and how that combines with the number.
| Counter starts with… | Number | Connecting sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
transcribed h | 1, 6, (8), 10 | transcribed pp | いっぽん transcribed ippon ろっぽん transcribed roppon |
transcribed h | 3 or question word 何 transcribed nan | transcribed b | さんぼん transcribed san bon なんぼん transcribed nan bon |
transcribed k | 1, 6, (8), 10 | transcribed kk | いっこ transcribed ikko ろっこ transcribed rokko |
transcribed t | 1, 8, 10 | transcribed tt | いっとう transcribed ittō はっとう transcribed hattō |
transcribed s | 1, 8, 10 | transcribed ss | いっさつ transcribed issatsu じゅっさつ transcribed jussatsu |
Remember, though, that there are some exceptions which you will just have to memorize with practice!
How to write Japanese numbers with counters?
When using a counter, you can always write the number either with kanji or using an Arabic numeral (e.g. 1, 2, 3,...). This is followed by the counter.
So 1 + つ can be written two ways: 一つ or １つ. These two ways of writing the combination are pronounced the same way: ひとつ transcribed hitotsu.
Most Japanese counters have their own kanji, but some (like つ transcribed tsu) are only written in hiragana.
“How many?”: Using counters in questions
When you ask “how many” or “how much” in Japanese, you can sometimes use a generic question word like どのくらい transcribed donokurai or どのぐらい transcribed donogurai.
However, there are some other ways to form words meaning “how many” that are formed from counters. These versions of “how many” apply only when you’re asking a question about something that can be counted using that particular counter.
For example, the phrase 何個 transcribed nan komeaning how many? is only used to ask about a quantity of things that would be counted using 個 transcribed ko. So you could use it to ask “how many (things)?” but not, for example, “how many (people)?” because the counter 個 transcribed ko is not used to count people.
As you learn different counters, you’ll learn the question word parallel along with them. You’ll see some discussed below, and more discussed in our longer post on when to use each counter in Japanese.
Now that we have gone over the general facts and rules about Japanese counters, let’s move on to find out how to use the four most basic ones!
How to use versatile counters つ [tsu], 個 [ko], 枚 [mai], and 本 [hon]?
Some of the most basic and versatile counters in Japanese are つ transcribed tsu, 個 transcribed ko, 本 transcribed hon, and 枚 transcribed mai. We can use these counters for a wide variety of things, and you’ll hear them used frequently in everyday conversations. Let’s see how versatile each counter is!
つ [tsu]: a counter for a small number of things
The counter つ transcribed tsu is almost exclusively used with numbers less than ten, but it can be used to count a wide range of tangible and intangible things, including:
3D objects, including both small objects (cookies, apples, wallets,...) and larger objects ( lakes, islands, planets,...)
Holes and imprints, like footprints and fingerprints
A person’s age, up to age nine (more on this below!)
Intangible things such as ideas, possibilities, suggestions, etc.
Make sure you don’t use つ transcribed tsu for flat objects, long objects, people, or animals. We use other counters for those.
The counter つ transcribed tsu is only paired with the traditional Japanese numbers or with the question word and it is always written using hiragana. つ transcribed tsu is also only really used with numbers less than 10. When discussing larger quantities, you’ll need to use other counters.
Luckily, though, that means there aren’t that many combinations to learn. You can memorize them all!
1 | 一 つ | ひとつ transcribed hitotsu | 6 | 六 つ | むっつ transcribed muttsu | |
2 | 二 つ | ふたつ transcribed futatsu | 7 | 七 つ | ななつ transcribed nanatsu | |
3 | 三 つ | みっつ transcribed mittsu | 8 | 八 つ | やっつ transcribed yattsu | |
4 | 四 つ | よっつ transcribed yottsu | 9 | 九 つ | ここのつ transcribed kokonotsu | |
5 | 五 つ | いつつ transcribed itsutsu |
Question word | 幾つ | いくつ transcribed ikutsumeaning how many / how old | ||||
Because つ transcribed tsu is mostly used for numbers under 10, you’ll often need to replace it with a different counter when counting larger numbers of things. Here are a couple common cases where this will happen:
When you’re asked a “how many” question using いくつ transcribed ikutsu and your answer is more than 10, you can either answer using the number without a counter or switch to another counter, like 個 transcribed ko, which we’ll discuss in the next section!
counterQuestion:お正月におもちをいくつ食べましたか。Transcription: Oshōgatsu ni omochi o ikutsu tabemashita ka.Translation: How many rice cakes did you eat during the New Year’s holidays?Answer 1:私は５つ食べました。Transcription: Watashi wa itsutsu tabemashita.Translation: I ate five.Answer 2:僕は３５食べました。Transcription: Boku wa sanjūgo tabemashita.Translation: I ate thirty-five.When discussing someone’s age, you can use つ transcribed tsu up to age 9. For 10 and older, we switch to the regular age counter 歳 transcribed saimeaning years old .
counterQuestion:お歳はいくつ？Transcription: Otoshi wa ikutsu?Translation: How old are you?Answer:４つ。お姉ちゃんは１２歳。Transcription: Yottsu. Onēchan wa jūni sai.Translation: (I’m) four years old. My elder sister is twelve years old.
個 [ko]: a counter for 3D objects
個 transcribed ko can be used to count various three dimensional objects that are not flat or long. Does this sound a bit like つ transcribed tsu? The main differences are:
個 transcribed ko is mostly paired with the Chinese-origin numbers (except 4 & 7).
個 transcribed ko, unlike つ transcribed tsu, can be used with numbers over 10.
個 transcribed ko is mostly used to count physical objects, and cannot be used to discuss age or ideas.
Let’s look at how to use this for the numbers 1-10.
1 | 一個 | いっこ transcribed ikko | 6 | 六個 | ろっこ transcribed rokko | |
2 | 二個 | にこ transcribed ni ko | 7 | 七個 | ななこ transcribed nana ko | |
3 | 三個 | さんこ transcribed san ko | 8 | 八個 | はちこ transcribed hachi ko はっこ transcribed hakko | |
4 | 四個 | よんこ transcribed yon ko | 9 | 九個 | きゅうこ transcribed kyū ko | |
5 | 五個 | ごこ transcribed go ko | 10 | 十個 | じゅっこ transcribed jukko じっこ transcribed jikko |
Question word | 何個 | なんこ transcribed nan komeaning how many | ||||
Things to notice:
Most of the numbers are Chinese-origin except 4 and 7, where the Japanese numbers are used instead.
Some of the numbers have special combined pronunciations using transcribed kk. These combined pronunciations will also be needed when you use these words in larger numbers, for example:
１１個 transcribed jūikko
３０個 transcribed sanjukko
８個 and １０個 each have two possible readings. In each listed pair, the first reading is more traditional, but the second is more common in everyday speech.
本 [hon]: counter for long, thin objects
本 transcribed hon is a counter for long, thin objects. What counts as “thin, long objects”? Here are some examples:
Smaller things, like pencils, bananas, umbrellas, ropes, trees, bottles
Larger things, like roads, bridges, tunnels, and towers
Things that are often, but not always long, like bones (including teeth & vertebrae)
You’ll also use 本 transcribed hon to count some things that travel or are transmitted along a straight path.
Train or bus service (the number of runs)
Completed telephone calls, telegrams → using wires!
Home runs, hits, goals, passes, serves, etc. in sports
We also use 本 transcribed hon for some types of information that is transmitted:
Commercials, TV/radio programs, movies, published articles
Video games and software for computers
It’s a really versatile counter, isn’t it!
Because 本 transcribed hon is a Chinese-origin counter, it is used with the Chinese-origin numbers. Notice that, because it starts with an transcribed h sound, you’ll sometimes use a blended pronunciation with transcribed pp or transcribed b.
1 | 一本 | いっぽん transcribed ippon | 6 | 六本 | ろっぽん transcribed roppon | |
2 | 二本 | にほん transcribed ni hon | 7 | 七本 | ななほん transcribed nana hon | |
3 | 三本 | さんぼん transcribed san bon | 8 | 八本 | はちほん transcribed hachi hon はっぽん transcribed happon | |
4 | 四本 | よんほん transcribed yon hon | 9 | 九本 | きゅうほん transcribed kyū hon | |
5 | 五本 | ごほん transcribed go hon | 10 | 十本 | じゅっぽん transcribed juppon じっぽん transcribed jippon |
Question word | 何本 | なんぼん transcribed nan bonmeaning how many | ||||
Here, also, there are two possible readings for 八本 and 十本. In each pair, the first pronunciation is a bit more formal, while the second sounds more natural and is more common in speech.
Let’s look at some examples!
- Speaker A:このバースデーケーキですね。ろうそくは何本いりますか。Transcription: Kono bāsudēkēki desu ne. Rōsoku ga nan bon irimasu ka.Translation: This is a birthday cake, right? How many candles do you need?Speaker B:２０本お願いします。Transcription: Nijuppon onegai shimasu.Translation: Twenty please.
- 今日はひまだったので、怪獣映画を３本見た。Transcription: Kyō wa hima datta node, kaijū eiga o san bon mita.Translation: Since I had nothing to do today, I watched three monster movies.
- 歯医者に行ったら、虫歯が６本見つかった。Transcription: Haisha ni ittara, mushiba ga roppon mitsukatta.Translation: When I visited the dentist, they found six decayed teeth.
- 今日野球の試合で、ホームランを１本打った。Transcription: Kyō yakyū no shiai de, hōmuran o ippon utta.Translation: I hit a homerun at the baseball game today.
本 [hon] vs. 個 [ko]: Where is the boundary?
Where is the line between 本 transcribed hon and 個 transcribed ko? How “long and thin” does something have to be to be considered “long and thin”?
There is no perfect definition, but here’s a rule of thumb:
When the ratio of length to width is 2:1 or lower, use 個 transcribed ko.
When the ratio of length to width is 3:1 or higher, use 本 transcribed hon.
But for items in that space between, you may need to keep your eyes and ears open for what native speakers use, because other factors might be impacting which counter you should use.
For example, a narrow aluminum can is a size and shape that’s on the border between 個 transcribed ko and 本 transcribed hon. In this case, the contents will usually impact what counter most people will use:
If the can contains coffee or soda, people usually count it as １本 transcribed ippon.
If the can contains something chunky, like vegetables, then they count it as either １個 transcribed ikko or １缶 transcribed hito kanmeaning one can.
If the can is empty it’s generally counted as １個 transcribed ikko regardless of the original contents.
Weird? Well, let’s just say the culture of Japanese counters is profound and interesting!
枚 [mai]: a counter for flat objects
枚 transcribed mai is the counter for flat objects. This may include:
Hard flat things: plates, DVDs, coins
Paper products: sheets of paper, cards, postal stamps, photographs
Cloth products: shirts, underwear, towels, blankets, area rugs
Flat wood constructions: planks, billboards, doors
But other things may use this counter as well!
枚 transcribed mai is a counter of Chinese origin, so it is used alongside Chinese-origin numbers.
1 | 一枚 | いちまい transcribed ichi mai | 6 | 六枚 | ろくまい transcribed roku mai | |
2 | 二枚 | にまい transcribed ni mai | 7 | 七枚 | ななまい transcribed nana mai | |
3 | 三枚 | さんまい transcribed san mai | 8 | 八枚 | はちまい transcribed hachi mai | |
4 | 四枚 | よんまい transcribed yon mai | 9 | 九枚 | きゅうまい transcribed kyū mai | |
5 | 五枚 | ごまい transcribed go mai | 10 | 十枚 | じゅうまい transcribed jū mai |
Question word | 何枚 | なんまい transcribed nan maimeaning how many | ||||
As you see above, there are no blended pronunciations to remember for this counter! 🥳
Let’s look at some examples:
There are some borderline cases between 枚 transcribed mai and 個 transcribed ko. For example, we can count things like coins, medals, and thin cookies with either of them:
How to use counters with the suffix 目 [me] to indicate the order
We can add the suffix 目 transcribed me to a number + counter to indicate the order as in first, second, and third. The whole phrase works as a noun phrase. Let’s see some examples!
１人目 transcribed hitori memeaning the first person
２つ目 transcribed futatsu memeaning the second one
３杯目 transcribed san bai memeaning the third bowl/cup
４回目 transcribed yon kai memeaning the fourth time
５巻目 transcribed go kan memeaning the fifth book in a series
And here's an example in conversation.
Other counters
Though the counters we discussed above are some of the most useful counters, there are literally hundreds of other counters in Japanese. You don’t need to learn them all, but it’s a good idea to learn to use at least a few dozen of them!
You can read about some more Japanese in our post on counters for different types of things. Or, you can review our Japanese counter master sheet!
To sum up
In this article, we focused on the basics of Japanese counters. Here are the most important things to remember:
When you count nouns in Japanese (e.g. 3 kids, 2 apples, 7 pages), you’ll need to use a counter after the number.
The counter you choose will determine whether you should use Chinese-origin numbers or Japanese-origin numbers.
Many of the words we use to ask “how many” include the counter that corresponds to the type of thing we’re asking about.
We met four of the most versatile Japanese counters:
つ transcribed tsu → small numbers of tangible and intangible things (<9)
個 transcribed ko → 3D, chunky objects
本 transcribed hon → Long, thin things
枚 transcribed mai → Flat things
Finally, we learned how to use the suffix 目 transcribed me to indicate the order of counted nouns.
Now it’s time to practice! Check out our Japanese counter activities to get started. Or, if you’d rather keep learning more, move on to our second article on some other common Japanese counters!
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