Counting things in Japanese uses specific words depending on the thing you're counting
Counting people or animals should not be done with つ-likes!
| Counter | 読み方 | For | 1 | 2 | 3 | | ------- | --- | ------------------------------------------------ | -------- | --- | ---- | | つ | つ | general 'things', if there is no counter for it. | ひとつ | つたつ | みつ | | 人 | にん | people. irregular! | ひとり | ふたる | さんにん | | 個 | こ | articles or goods | りんご1個 | | | | 台 | だい | machines or mechanical objects | ロボット1台 | | | | 匹 | ひき | (small) animals, pets | うさぎ いっぴき | にひき | さんびき | | 頭 | とう | livestock, large animals | 牛一頭 | | | | 枚 | まい | flat objects, sheets | 書類一枚 | | | | 冊 | さつ | books, magazines | 本一冊 | | | | 本 | ほん | long, cylindrical objects | 1本瓶 | | | | 杯 | ぱい | glasses, cups (of drink) | ビールいっぱい | にはい | さんばい | | 度 | ど | degrees celsius (temperature) | 25度 | | | | 巻 | かん | Volumes of a book | 第１,４巻 | | | | 第 | だい | Volumes of a book | | | | | 膳 | ぜん | bowls of rice; pairs of chopsticks | | | |
Months
Expressing a period of months requires you to add an extra 「ヶ」 , which is pronounced as 「か」 between the numbers. Note that ヶ is a small ケ!
五ヶ月(間) 5 months
sometimes it's also written phonetically!
七か月(間) 7 months
In sentences
Counters most often are
- put after the noun it's related to
昨日友達が三人家に来ました。
- before the noun phrase it is related to
三人の友達は遅くまでいました。
Fractions etc.
割合 - Ratios
lit. ratio, fraction.
1対3の割合 in a ratio of 1:3
割 - percentages
2割9分 29%
部 - fractions
X部のY = 四部の一 = ４部の３ =