← Home
Counters
Japanese uses specific counting words (助数詞) that attach to numbers depending on what is being counted.
人にんpeople
Examples of:
学生student社員employee友達friend
Irregular readings2 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一人 | ひとり |
| 2 | 二人 | ふたり |
クラスに三十人の学生がいます。There are 30 students in the class.
一人で映画を見に行った。I went to see a movie alone.
二人で食事をしました。The two of us had a meal together.
一人 (ひとり) and 二人 (ふたり) are completely irregular. From 三人 onwards, にん is used regularly.
〜つつgeneral objects when no specific counter applies (1–10 only)
Irregular readings10 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一つ | ひとつ |
| 2 | 二つ | ふたつ |
| 3 | 三つ | みっつ |
| 4 | 四つ | よっつ |
| 5 | 五つ | いつつ |
| 6 | 六つ | むっつ |
| 7 | 七つ | ななつ |
| 8 | 八つ | やっつ |
| 9 | 九つ | ここのつ |
| 10 | 十 | とお |
りんごを三つください。Please give me three apples.
問題が二つあります。There are two problems.
一つ聞いてもいいですか。May I ask one thing?
The つ system only goes up to 10 - there is no 十一つ. For 11 and above, use the appropriate specific counter or 個 as a general fallback. All readings in this system are irregular, as they come from the native Japanese number system rather than the Sino-Japanese one.
個こsmall compact objects
Examples of:
りんごapple卵egg石stone飴candy消しゴムeraser
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一個 | いっこ |
| 6 | 六個 | ろっこ |
| 8 | 八個 | はっこ |
| 10 | 十個 | じゅっこ |
卵を六個買ってきた。I bought six eggs.
りんごを一個ください。Please give me one apple.
この袋には飴が十個入っています。There are ten candies in this bag.
枚まいflat thin objects
Examples of:
紙paper切手stamp皿plateシャツshirt毛布blanket
No irregular readings
紙を三枚ください。Please give me three sheets of paper.
シャツを二枚買った。I bought two shirts.
切手が一枚しか残っていない。There is only one stamp left.
本ほんlong thin objects
Examples of:
鉛筆pencil箸chopstickビールbeer bottle木tree川river電話phone call
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一本 | いっぽん |
| 6 | 六本 | ろっぽん |
| 8 | 八本 | はっぽん |
| 10 | 十本 | じゅっぽん |
ビールを一本買ってきた。I bought one bottle of beer.
鉛筆が三本あります。There are three pencils.
電話を一本かけてもいいですか。May I make one phone call?
Also used for phone calls, rivers, and roads - anything long and linear in shape or nature.
冊さつbound books and notebooks
Examples of:
本book雑誌magazineノートnotebook辞書dictionary
Irregular readings3 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一冊 | いっさつ |
| 8 | 八冊 | はっさつ |
| 10 | 十冊 | じゅっさつ |
今月は本を三冊読んだ。I read three books this month.
辞書を一冊買いたい。I want to buy one dictionary.
ノートが二冊必要です。I need two notebooks.
匹ひきsmall to medium animals (excluding birds and large animals)
Examples of:
猫cat犬dog魚fish虫insectうさぎrabbit
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一匹 | いっぴき |
| 6 | 六匹 | ろっぴき |
| 8 | 八匹 | はっぴき |
| 10 | 十匹 | じゅっぴき |
猫を二匹飼っています。I have two cats.
池に魚が何匹いますか。How many fish are in the pond?
犬が一匹いなくなってしまった。One dog has gone missing.
Used for small to medium animals. Do not use for birds (use 羽) or large animals like cows and horses (use 頭).
頭とうlarge animals
Examples of:
牛cow馬horse象elephantクジラwhale
Irregular readings1 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一頭 | いっとう |
この農場には牛が五十頭います。There are 50 cows on this farm.
象が一頭動物園に来ました。One elephant came to the zoo.
馬を三頭育てています。We are raising three horses.
Used for large animals. Smaller animals use 匹, birds use 羽.
羽わbirds and rabbits
Examples of:
鳥bird鶏chickenうさぎrabbitハトpigeon
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一羽 | いちわ |
| 6 | 六羽 | ろくわ |
| 8 | 八羽 | はちわ |
| 10 | 十羽 | じゅっわ |
公園に鳥が三羽います。There are three birds in the park.
鶏を五羽飼っています。We keep five chickens.
一羽だけ色が違う鳥がいる。There is one bird with a different colour.
Rabbits are counted with 羽 rather than 匹 in formal and traditional contexts, though 匹 is also used in casual speech.
着ちゃくgarments and articles of clothing
Examples of:
スーツsuit着物kimonoコートcoatワンピースdress
Irregular readings3 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一着 | いっちゃく |
| 8 | 八着 | はっちゃく |
| 10 | 十着 | じゅっちゃく |
スーツを一着新調した。I got one new suit made.
着物が三着あります。There are three kimonos.
旅行に二着だけ持っていった。I only brought two outfits on the trip.
Used for whole garments or outfits. Individual items like socks or shirts are more commonly counted with 枚 in casual speech.
足そくpairs of footwear and socks
Examples of:
靴shoes靴下socksブーツbootsサンダルsandals
Irregular readings3 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一足 | いっそく |
| 8 | 八足 | はっそく |
| 10 | 十足 | じゅっそく |
靴を一足買いました。I bought one pair of shoes.
靴下が三足しか残っていない。I only have three pairs of socks left.
このブーツは二足で安くなります。These boots are discounted when you buy two pairs.
Counts pairs, not individual items. One pair of shoes = 一足, not 二足.
台だいmachines, vehicles, and large appliances
Examples of:
車car自転車bicycleパソコンcomputer冷蔵庫refrigeratorテレビtelevision
No irregular readings
車を一台買いました。I bought one car.
オフィスにパソコンが五台あります。There are five computers in the office.
自転車が三台止まっています。Three bicycles are parked.
杯はいcups, glasses, and bowls of liquid or food
Examples of:
コーヒーcoffeeお茶tea水waterラーメンramenお酒alcohol
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一杯 | いっぱい |
| 6 | 六杯 | ろっぱい |
| 8 | 八杯 | はっぱい |
| 10 | 十杯 | じゅっぱい |
コーヒーを一杯いただけますか。Could I have one cup of coffee?
水を三杯飲んだ。I drank three glasses of water.
ラーメンを二杯も食べてしまった。I ended up eating two bowls of ramen.
一杯 (いっぱい) also means 'full' or 'a lot' as a standalone word, so context matters.
歳／才さいage
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一歳 | いっさい |
| 8 | 八歳 | はっさい |
| 10 | 十歳 | じゅっさい / とお |
| 20 | 二十歳 | はたち |
私は二十五歳です。I am 25 years old.
息子は今年八歳になります。My son will turn 8 this year.
何歳ですか。How old are you?
才 is a simplified informal version of 歳, often used when writing by hand or in casual contexts. 十歳 can also be read as とお in very traditional contexts. 二十歳 (はたち) is a well-known special reading tied to the age of adulthood in Japan.
回かいnumber of times / occurrences
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一回 | いっかい |
| 6 | 六回 | ろっかい |
| 8 | 八回 | はっかい |
| 10 | 十回 | じゅっかい |
薬を一日三回飲んでください。Please take the medicine three times a day.
今週二回ジムに行った。I went to the gym twice this week.
何回も練習しました。I practiced many times.
Not to be confused with 階 (floor level), which shares the same reading かい.
階かいfloor levels of a building
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一階 | いっかい |
| 6 | 六階 | ろっかい |
| 8 | 八階 | はっかい |
| 10 | 十階 | じゅっかい |
私のオフィスは五階にあります。My office is on the 5th floor.
エレベーターで三階に行きます。I will go to the 3rd floor by elevator.
一階のカフェで待っています。I am waiting at the café on the first floor.
Not to be confused with 回 (number of times), which shares the same reading かい. Note that 三階 is often read さんがい rather than さんかい in natural speech.
件けんcases, matters, and incidents
Examples of:
事件incidentメールemail問題issue申請application
No irregular readings
未読メールが三件あります。There are three unread emails.
今日は五件の打ち合わせがあります。I have five meetings today.
先月、この地域で事件が二件ありました。Last month, there were two incidents in this area.
Common in workplace and formal contexts. Often seen in business emails and reports.
ヶ所／箇所かしょlocations and places
Examples of:
観光地tourist spot支店branch office傷wound / scratch
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一ヶ所 | いっかしょ |
| 6 | 六ヶ所 | ろっかしょ |
| 8 | 八ヶ所 | はっかしょ |
| 10 | 十ヶ所 | じゅっかしょ |
国内に支店が三ヶ所あります。There are three branch offices in the country.
旅行で五ヶ所の観光地を回った。I visited five tourist spots on the trip.
報告書に誤字が二ヶ所ありました。There were two typos in the report.
秒びょうseconds
No irregular readings
信号が三十秒で変わります。The traffic light changes in thirty seconds.
一秒も無駄にしたくない。I don't want to waste even one second.
彼は百メートルを十秒で走った。He ran 100 metres in ten seconds.
No irregular readings. The counter is consistent across all numbers.
分ふん／ぷんminutes
Irregular readings6 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一分 | いっぷん |
| 3 | 三分 | さんぷん |
| 4 | 四分 | よんぷん |
| 6 | 六分 | ろっぷん |
| 8 | 八分 | はっぷん |
| 10 | 十分 | じゅっぷん |
駅まで歩いて十分かかります。It takes ten minutes to walk to the station.
三分だけ待ってください。Please wait just three minutes.
授業は一時間三十分あります。The class is one hour and thirty minutes long.
The reading changes to ぷん after 1、3、4、6、8、10. 十分 (じゅっぷん) also means 'enough / sufficiently' as a separate word.
時間じかんduration in hours
No irregular readings
会議は二時間かかりました。The meeting took two hours.
毎日一時間勉強しています。I study for one hour every day.
このドラマは一話四十五分で、全部で十時間あります。Each episode of this drama is 45 minutes, totalling ten hours.
Do not confuse with 時 (じ), which is used for clock times (e.g. 三時 = 3 o'clock). 時間 is for durations only.
日にち／かdays (dates and durations)
Irregular readings13 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一日 | ついたち (date) / いちにち (duration) |
| 2 | 二日 | ふつか |
| 3 | 三日 | みっか |
| 4 | 四日 | よっか |
| 5 | 五日 | いつか |
| 6 | 六日 | むいか |
| 7 | 七日 | なのか |
| 8 | 八日 | ようか |
| 9 | 九日 | ここのか |
| 10 | 十日 | とおか |
| 14 | 十四日 | じゅうよっか |
| 20 | 二十日 | はつか |
| 24 | 二十四日 | にじゅうよっか |
誕生日は三月三日です。My birthday is March 3rd.
旅行は五日間でした。The trip was five days long.
一日に三回薬を飲んでください。Please take the medicine three times a day.
一日 is the only entry with a split reading - ついたち when referring to the 1st of the month, いちにち when referring to a full day's duration. All other days use the same reading for both date and duration. Beyond 10, most follow じゅう + the irregular reading (e.g. 十四日 = じゅうよっか), with 二十日 (はつか) being a notable exception.
週間しゅうかんduration in weeks
No irregular readings
夏休みは三週間あります。Summer vacation is three weeks long.
一週間で終わらせるつもりです。I plan to finish it within one week.
二週間旅行に行ってきました。I went travelling for two weeks.
一週間 (いっしゅうかん) is slightly irregular - the pronunciation of 一 shifts to いっ due to the following し.
ヶ月かげつduration in months
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一ヶ月 | いっかげつ |
| 6 | 六ヶ月 | ろっかげつ |
| 8 | 八ヶ月 | はっかげつ |
| 10 | 十ヶ月 | じゅっかげつ |
このプロジェクトは三ヶ月かかります。This project will take three months.
日本に六ヶ月住んでいました。I lived in Japan for six months.
一ヶ月で十冊本を読んだ。I read ten books in one month.
Used for durations only. For calendar months (January, February etc.) use 月 (がつ) instead.
年間ねんかんduration in years
No irregular readings
三年間日本語を勉強しています。I have been studying Japanese for three years.
十年間この会社で働いています。I have been working at this company for ten years.
一年間の留学を終えて帰国しました。I returned home after completing one year of studying abroad.
泊はくnumber of nights stayed
Irregular readings4 irregular
| # | Written | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一泊 | いっぱく |
| 6 | 六泊 | ろっぱく |
| 8 | 八泊 | はっぱく |
| 10 | 十泊 | じゅっぱく |
三泊四日の旅行を計画しています。I am planning a three-night, four-day trip.
ホテルに一泊しました。I stayed at the hotel for one night.
今回の出張は二泊三日です。This business trip is two nights and three days.
Commonly paired with 〜日 to express trip length, e.g. 三泊四日 (three nights, four days).
課かlessons or chapters in a textbook
Examples of:
教科書textbookテキストstudy material
No irregular readings
今日は三課を勉強しました。Today I studied lesson 3.
教科書は全部で二十課あります。The textbook has 20 lessons in total.
一課から始めましょう。Let's start from lesson 1.
ページぺーじpages
No irregular readings
教科書の三十ページを開いてください。Please open your textbook to page 30.
レポートは五ページ以内でまとめてください。Please summarize the report within five pages.
一日十ページずつ読んでいます。I read ten pages a day.
第〜だいordinal numbering (chapters, rounds, episodes)
No irregular readings
第一章を読んでください。Please read chapter one.
第三回の会議が来週あります。The third meeting is next week.
第二位でゴールしました。I finished in second place.
第 is a prefix, not a standalone counter. It attaches before the number and counter to express order or ranking, similar to 'the Nth' in English. Unlike other counters, it has no irregular readings.