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Grammar detail: sentence patterns for counting

sentence patterns for counting
148 words
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As set out in Japanese numbers and counting, a number is usually followed by a 'counter', a suffix which depends on the object being counted. But how does a number fit into the overall sentence that contains it?
Numbers + counters function as nouns in Japanese, so they follow fairly typical rules governing use of nouns.
The most common pattern is:
thing being counted
+
topic marker は
+
number + counter
+
subject marker が
+
verb etc.
こども
子供
は
じゅうしち
十七
にん
人
が
しろ
白
い
タオルをもってきました。
Seventeen children brought white towels.
The subject marker が may be replaced with も, を, or に etc if the grammar of the remainder of the sentence requires it. For example:
かのじょ
彼女
は
じゅう
10
さつ
冊
も
ほん
本
を
か
書
いた
。
She wrote as many as ten books.
お
とう
父
さん
は
らいげつ
来月
じゅうしちにち
十七日
にかえります。
Dad comes home on the 17th of next month.
When the number + counter is immediately followed by a verb, a particle is not necessary:
だれ
誰
かが
わたし
私
の
ほん
本
を2
さつ
冊
も
持
っていってしまった
。
Two of my books have been taken.
When the number + counter is used to describe another noun that follows it, it is linked with の:
ちち
父
は500
さつ
冊
の
ほん
本
を
も
持
っている
。
Father has 500 volumes.
きのう
昨日
は
わたし
私
の
じゅうななさい
十七歳
の
たんじょうび
誕生日
だった。
Yesterday was my seventeenth birthday.
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Kanji used in this grammar

子
シ   ス   こ child   
供
キョウ   ク   そなえる to make an offering   とも servant, attendant   
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十
ジュウ   ジッ   と    とお ten   
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七
シチ   ななつ    なな    なの seven   
人
ジン   ニン   ひと person   
白
ハク   しろい white   しろ    しら-    
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彼
ヒ   かれ he   
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女
ジョ   ニョ   ニョウ   woman; female   おんな woman   め woman   
冊
サツ   サク    volume   
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本
ホン   book   もと origin   
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書
ショ   かく to write   
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父
フ   ちち father   
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来
ライ   くる to come   きたる to be forthcoming   きたす to induce   
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月
ガツ   ゲツ   つき month; moon   
日
ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
誰
だれ who   
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私
シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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持
ジ   もつ to hold, to have   
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昨
サク    yesterday   
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歳
サイ   セイ    X years old, year-end   
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誕
タン    birth   
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生
セイ   ショウ    life   なま raw   いかす to enliven   いきる to live   いける to arrange flowers   うまれる to be born   うむ to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   おう to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
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