Each language has different ways of counting objects. Japanese uses counters. They are similar to English expressions such as "a cup of ~," "a sheet of ~" and so on. There are a variety of counters, often based on the shape of the object. The counters are attached directly to a number (e.g. ni-hai, san-mai). When combining a number with a counter, the pronunciation of the number or the counter might change. Click the link for each counter to learn about the phonetic change.
Another thing I want to mention is when grouping objects, Japanese divide them into groups of five and ten unlike six and twelve in the West. For example, sets of Japanese dishes or bowls are sold in units of five. Traditionally, there was no word for dozen, though it has been used because of Western influence.
Objects
| hon
| Long, cylindrical objects: trees, pens, etc. |
| mai
| Flat, thin objects: paper, stamps, dishes, etc. |
| ko
| Broad category of small and compact objects |
| hai
| Liquid in cups, glasses, bowls, etc. |
| satsu
| Bound objects: books, magazines, etc. |
| dai
| Vehicles, machines etc. |
| kai
| The floor of a building |
| ken
| Houses, buildings |
| soku
| Pairs of footwear: sock, shoes, etc. |
| tsuu
| Letters |
Things which are not clearly categorized or shapeless are counted by using native Japanese numbers.
Duration
| jikan
| Hour, as in "ni-jikan (two hours)" |
| fun
| Minute, as in "go-fun (five minutes)" |
| byou
| Second, as in "sanjuu-byoo (thirty seconds)" |
| shuukan
| Week, as in "san-shuukan (three weeks)" |
| kagetsu
| Month, as in "ni-kagetsu (two months)" |
| nenkan
| Year, as in "juu-nenkan (ten years)" |
Animals
| hiki
| Insects, fish, small animals: cats, dogs, etc. |
| tou
| Large animals: horses, bears, etc. |
| wa
| Birds |
Frequency
| kai
| Times, as in "ni-kai (twice)" |
| do
| Times, as in "ichi-do (once)" |
Order
| ban
| Ordinal numbers, as in "ichi-ban (first place, number one)" |
| tou
| Class, grade, as in "san-too (third place)" |
People
| nin
| "Hitori (one person)" and "futari (two people)"
|
| mei
| More formal than "nin." |
Others
| sai
| Age, as in "go-sai (five years old)" |
When using a counter, pay attention to the word order. It is different from English order. A typical order is "noun + particle + quantity --- verbs." Here are examples.
| Hon o ni-satsu kaimashita.
| I bought two books. |
| Koohii o ni-hai kudasai.
| Please give me two cups of coffee. |
