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:
バナナ２本
banana ni hon
two bananas
りんご３個
ringo san ko
three apples
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[tsu], 個[ko], 本[hon], and 枚[mai]. Lastly, we'll see how the suffix 目[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!
Japanese counters are small words that are used alongside numbers that are used to count . You’ll need them to form phrases like “one apple,” “two ideas,” or “three times.” In Japanese, they are called 助数詞[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[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[no] and that phrase is used to modify the noun you’re counting.
number + counter
の[no]
noun
かごの中に３個のみかんがあります。
Kago no naka ni san ko no mikan ga arimasu.
There are three mandarin oranges in the basket.
After the particles が[ga] or を[o]
If the noun you’re counting is the (followed by が[ga]) or the (followed by を[o]), the number + counter can follow that marking particle instead, as in:
noun
が[ga] / を[o]
number + counter
かごの中にみかんが３個あります。
Kago no naka ni mikan ga san ko arimasu.
Three mandarin oranges are in the basket.
かごの中にあったみかんを３個食べました。
Kago no naka ni atta mikan o san ko tabemashita.
I ate three of the mandarin oranges that were in the basket.
In the second sentence, the speaker ate three of the mandarin oranges in the basket, implying that there were still some left over. If you wanted to say that the speaker ate all three mandarin oranges in the basket, you’d need to use the particle の[no], as in:
かごの中にあった３個のみかんを食べました。
Kago no naka ni atta san ko no mikan o tabemashita.
I ate the three mandarin oranges that were in the basket.
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.
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[ko] always follows Chinese-origin numbers:
３個 = さん個
san ko
The Japanese-origin counter つ[tsu] is usually paired with a traditional Japanese number, as long as the number is fairly small:
３つ = みつ
mitsu
Here is a chart showing the first 10 numbers in both forms:
Chinese-origin | Traditional Japanese | |
|---|---|---|
1 | いち[ichi] | ひ[hi] |
2 | に[ni] | ふ[fu] |
3 | さん[san] | み[mi] |
4 | し[shi] | よ[yo] |
5 | ご[go] | いつ[itsu] |
6 | ろく[roku] | む[mu] |
7 | しち[shichi] | なな[nana] |
8 | はち[hachi] | や[ya] |
9 | きゅう[kyū] | ここ[koko] |
10 | じゅう[jū] | とお[tō] |
When the number and counter are combined, they sometimes merge together a little in pronunciation, forming a . They help make the pronunciation easier. For example:
Number | Counter | Combination | |
|---|---|---|---|
3 | さん san | ほん hon | さんぼん san bon |
6 | ろく roku | ほん hon | ろっぽん 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
[h] | 1, 6, (8), 10 | [pp] | いっぽん[ippon] ろっぽん[roppon] |
[h] | 3 or question word 何[nan] | [b] | さんぼん[san bon] なんぼん[nan bon] |
[k] | 1, 6, (8), 10 | [kk] | いっこ[ikko] ろっこ[rokko] |
[t] | 1, 8, 10 | [tt] | いっとう[ittō] はっとう[hattō] |
[s] | 1, 8, 10 | [ss] | いっさつ[issatsu] じゅっさつ[jussatsu] |
Remember, though, that there are some exceptions which you will just have to memorize with practice!
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[hitotsu].
Most Japanese counters have their own kanji, but some (like つ[tsu]) are only written in hiragana.
When you ask “how many” or “how much” in Japanese, you can sometimes use a generic question word like どのくらい[donokurai] or どのぐらい[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[nan ko](how many?) is only used to ask about a quantity of things that would be counted using 個[ko]. So you could use it to ask “how many (things)?” but not, for example, “how many (people)?” because the counter 個[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!
Some of the most basic and versatile counters in Japanese are つ[tsu], 個[ko], 本[hon], and 枚[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!
The counter つ[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[tsu] for flat objects, long objects, people, or animals. We use other counters for those.
The counter つ[tsu] is only paired with the traditional Japanese numbers or with the question word and it is always written using hiragana. つ[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[hitotsu] | 6 | 六 つ | むっつ[muttsu] | |
2 | 二 つ | ふたつ[futatsu] | 7 | 七 つ | ななつ[nanatsu] | |
3 | 三 つ | みっつ[mittsu] | 8 | 八 つ | やっつ[yattsu] | |
4 | 四 つ | よっつ[yottsu] | 9 | 九 つ | ここのつ[kokonotsu] | |
5 | 五 つ | いつつ[itsutsu] |
Question word | 幾つ | いくつ[ikutsu](how many / how old) | ||||
Because つ[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[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[ko], which we’ll discuss in the next section!
お正月におもちをいくつ食べましたか。
Oshōgatsu ni omochi o ikutsu tabemashita ka.
How many rice cakes did you eat during the New Year’s holidays?
私は５つ食べました。
Watashi wa itsutsu tabemashita.
I ate five.
僕は３５食べました。
Boku wa sanjūgo tabemashita.
I ate thirty-five.
When discussing someone’s age, you can use つ[tsu] up to age 9. For 10 and older, we switch to the regular age counter 歳[sai](years old) .
お歳はいくつ？
Otoshi wa ikutsu?
How old are you?
４つ。お姉ちゃんは１２歳。
Yottsu. Onēchan wa jūni sai.
(I’m) four years old. My elder sister is twelve years old.
You’ll often use つ[tsu] when you order food and drinks in restaurants:
すみません、天ぷら定食 (を) ２つとウーロン茶 (を) １つお願いします。
Sumimasen, tenpura teishoku (o) futatsu to ūroncha (o) hitotsu onegai shimasu.
Excuse me, two tempura specials and one oolong tea please.
個[ko] can be used to count various three dimensional objects that are not flat or long. Does this sound a bit like つ[tsu]? The main differences are:
個[ko] is mostly paired with the Chinese-origin numbers (except 4 & 7).
個[ko], unlike つ[tsu], can be used with numbers over 10.
個[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[ikko] | 6 | 六個 | ろっこ[rokko] | |
2 | 二個 | にこ[ni ko] | 7 | 七個 | ななこ[nana ko] | |
3 | 三個 | さんこ[san ko] | 8 | 八個 | はちこ[hachi ko] はっこ[hakko] | |
4 | 四個 | よんこ[yon ko] | 9 | 九個 | きゅうこ[kyū ko] | |
5 | 五個 | ごこ[go ko] | 10 | 十個 | じゅっこ[jukko] じっこ[jikko] |
Question word | 何個 | なんこ[nan ko](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 [kk]. These combined pronunciations will also be needed when you use these words in larger numbers, for example:
１１個[jūikko]
３０個[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.
We usually use 個[ko] to count smaller objects such as apples and eggs. But we do use it to count some very large things, like planets or typhoons!
太陽系には惑星が８個ある。
Taiyōkei ni wa wakusei ga hachi ko aru.
There are eight planets within the solar system.
今年は台風が９個日本に上陸した。
Kotoshi wa taifū ga kyū ko nihon ni jōriku shita.
This year nine typhoons made landfall in Japan.
本[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[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[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[hon] is a Chinese-origin counter, it is used with the Chinese-origin numbers. Notice that, because it starts with an [h] sound, you’ll sometimes use a blended pronunciation with [pp] or [b].
1 | 一本 | いっぽん[ippon] | 6 | 六本 | ろっぽん[roppon] | |
2 | 二本 | にほん[ni hon] | 7 | 七本 | ななほん[nana hon] | |
3 | 三本 | さんぼん[san bon] | 8 | 八本 | はちほん[hachi hon] はっぽん[happon] | |
4 | 四本 | よんほん[yon hon] | 9 | 九本 | きゅうほん[kyū hon] | |
5 | 五本 | ごほん[go hon] | 10 | 十本 | じゅっぽん[juppon] じっぽん[jippon] |
Question word | 何本 | なんぼん[nan bon](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!
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。
Kono bāsudēkēki desu ne. Rōsoku ga nan bon irimasu ka.
This is a birthday cake, right? How many candles do you need?
２０本お願いします。
Nijuppon onegai shimasu.
Twenty please.
今日はひまだったので、怪獣映画を３本見た。
Kyō wa hima datta node, kaijū eiga o san bon mita.
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。
Haisha ni ittara, mushiba ga roppon mitsukatta.
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。
Kyō yakyū no shiai de, hōmuran o ippon utta.
I hit a homerun at the baseball game today.
Where is the line between 本[hon] and 個[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[ko].
When the ratio of length to width is 3:1 or higher, use 本[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[ko] and 本[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[ippon].
If the can contains something chunky, like vegetables, then they count it as either １個[ikko] or １缶[hito kan](one can).
If the can is empty it’s generally counted as １個[ikko] regardless of the original contents.
Weird? Well, let’s just say the culture of Japanese counters is profound and interesting!
枚[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[mai] is a counter of Chinese origin, so it is used alongside Chinese-origin numbers.
1 | 一枚 | いちまい[ichi mai] | 6 | 六枚 | ろくまい[roku mai] | |
2 | 二枚 | にまい[ni mai] | 7 | 七枚 | ななまい[nana mai] | |
3 | 三枚 | さんまい[san mai] | 8 | 八枚 | はちまい[hachi mai] | |
4 | 四枚 | よんまい[yon mai] | 9 | 九枚 | きゅうまい[kyū mai] | |
5 | 五枚 | ごまい[go mai] | 10 | 十枚 | じゅうまい[jū mai] |
Question word | 何枚 | なんまい[nan mai](how many) | ||||
As you see above, there are no blended pronunciations to remember for this counter! 🥳
Let’s look at some examples:
古いレコードがいっぱい！何枚あるの？
Furui rekōdo ga ippai! Nan mai aru no?
There are so many old vinyl records! How many do you have?
全部で４００枚ぐらいかな。
Zenbu de yonhyaku mai gurai kana.
About four hundred in total, I think.
There are some borderline cases between 枚[mai] and 個[ko]. For example, we can count things like coins, medals, and thin cookies with either of them:
チョコチップクッキーを３枚 / ３個食べた。
Chokochippu kukkii o san mai / san ko tabeta.
I ate three chocolate chip cookies.
We can add the suffix 目[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[hitori me](the first person)
２つ目[futatsu me](the second one)
３杯目[san bai me](the third bowl/cup)
４回目[yon kai me](the fourth time)
５巻目[go kan me](the fifth book in a series)
And here's an example in conversation.
２つ目の信号を右に曲がってください。
Futatsu me no shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai.
Please turn right at the second traffic light.
まだ漫画読んでるの？何巻目？
Mada manga yonderu no? Sore nan kan me?
Are you still reading Japanese comic books? How many in that series have you read so far?
５巻目。まだあと９６巻ある。
Go kan me. Mada ato kyūjūrokkan aru.
This is the fifth. There are still ninety-six to go.
Another way to indicate the order is to add the prefix 第[dai] before a number as in 第１[dai ichi](first) and 第２[dai ni](second). 第[dai] sounds formal and is used exclusively with the Chinese-origin numbers, mainly in official documents, announcements, or news articles.
第２２回ワールドカップはカタールで開催された。
Dai nijūni kai wārudo kappu wa katāru de kaisai sareta.
The 22nd World Cup took place in Qatar.
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!
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[tsu] → small numbers of tangible and intangible things (<9)
個[ko] → 3D, chunky objects
本[hon] → Long, thin things
枚[mai] → Flat things
Finally, we learned how to use the suffix 目[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!
