Components

Grammar detail: counters for objects and other things

counters for objects and other things
465 words
My current mastery of this grammar point:
LOG IN to view grammar mastery data
For counting actual objects as opposed to just expressing a number, Japanese uses a unique system of 'counters', terms which are placed after the number and which partially describe the object being counted.
For example,
まい
is the counter for flat objects such as sheets of paper, so to say 'five sheets of paper' in Japanese, you would say
かみごまい
紙五枚
which literally means 'paper 5 flat objects'.
While this seems unusual at first, and is often touted as a difficult feature of Japanese, we are actually doing exactly the same thing in English (five sheets of paper), but English is much less regular than Japanese.
Dates and times use counters in the same way - see dates and time for details.
Counters on Kanshudo
Japanese has several hundred counters. Below we provide a summary of the forty or so most common ones. You can use the following search to find all counters in Japanese: search for all counters. For each counter, you can use the following syntax to find all words in the system that use the counter, which will help you understand how to modify the reading as you use the counter: counter:切れ.
The most common counters
counter             usagesearch                            
じん
people
かかん
日間
period of days
にち
day (of the month)
ほん
cylindrical or long objects such as bottles or chopsticks
note: this is a little confusing, since ほん means 'book', but it is not used to count books
ふん
minutes - see telling the time in Japanese
ぎょう
rows (in a document etc)
めい
people (polite alternative to 人, used by businesses and restaurants etc.)
words
せい
generations; monarchs (Elizabeth I etc)
つう
letters, telegrams etc
きれ
切れ
pieces of sashimi (literally 'cuts')
note: this counter is slightly irregular - use the search link for details
そく
pairs of shoes etc.
ちゃく
suits of clothing
だい
cars and other vehicles, machines
copies (eg of a publication)
かい
number of times something happens
とう
large animals, cattle
ばん
platforms (in a railway station etc)
さい
years old / age
note: '20 years old' is irregular: 二十歳 is not read にじゅっさい as you would expect, but instead はたち
わり
tenths; lots of 10%
びん
便
(plane) flights
さい
years old
note: this is commonly used, but not technically correct: 歳 is the correct counter
かん
volumes (eg books); reels (eg film)
かい
floors (in a building)
small round objects
birds
children
まい
flat objects such as paper or books
はく
nights (eg of a stay in a hotel)
さつ
banknotes
けん
buildings
じょう
tatami mats
note: this is the typical way to measure the area of a room
さつ
books
つぶ
pills, tablets etc
ひき
small animals
きゃく
chairs, tables, legs (of chairs and tables etc)
こう
items (in a checklist); paragraphs
かしょ
箇所

かしょ
ヶ所
places
かこくご
カ国語
languages
かげつ
か月
months
月 alone can also be used in certain situations

In Japanese, counters are known as .
Please LOG IN for free flashcards

Words used in this grammar

2
noun
1. piece; slice; strip; scrap
2. cloth  (also written as 布, 裂)
(click the word to view an additional 2 meanings, examples and links)

Kanji used in this grammar

マイ   sheet
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
シ   かみ paper   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゴ   いつ-    いつ five   
セツ   サイ   き to cut   きれる to break, to snap   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジン   ニン   ひと person   
ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ホン   book   もと origin   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ブン   ブ   フン   わける to divide, to distinguish   わかる to understand   わかれる to be divided   わかつ to share, distribute   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
メイ   ミョウ   な name   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゴ   かた to talk, relate   かたらう to talk together, chat   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
セ   セイ   よ the world   
ツ   ツウ   とお to pass through   とお to let pass   かよ to commute   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ソク   あし foot; leg   た to add   た    たりる to be sufficient   
チャク   ジャク   つ to arrive   つける to attach   き to wear   きせる to make wear   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ダイ   タイ    pedestal   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ブ   part
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カイ   エ   まわ to revolve   まわ to make turn   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
トウ   ト   ズ   あたま    かしら head   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
バン    turn   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
サイ   セイ    X years old, year-end   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ニ   ふた    ふた two   
ジュウ   ジッ   と    とお ten   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カツ   わ to separate, to divide   われる to split apart, to crack   わり proportion, 10%   さ to cut up   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
便
convenience; tidings   ビン tidings   ベン convenience   たよ tidings, news   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
サイ    genius   
カン   roll up   ま to roll (up)   まき roll, reel, volume   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カイ    floor   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コ    individual   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ウ   はね feather   わ counter for birds   
ジ   ニ    newborn babe   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ハク   とまる to stay, to lodge overnight   とめる to give lodgings   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
サツ   ふだ label, tag   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ケン    building   のき eaves   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジョウ   たた to fold up   たたみ tatami   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
サツ   サク    volume   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
リュウ   つぶ a grain   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヒツ   ひき counter for animals   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
キャク   キャ   あし leg   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コウ    paragraph, item   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カ    item; counter for months, places, provisions   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ショ   ところ place   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コク   くに country   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ガツ   ゲツ   つき month; moon   
ジョ   すけ help   たすける to help, save   たすかる to be helped   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
スウ   ス   かず number   かぞえる to count   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
シ    part of speech, words, poetry   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
Problem with this grammar? Question or comment? Please CONTACT US.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language. To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard. You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly. For an overview, take the tour.
×