Japanese counters are an essential part of expressing quantity in the language, as they classify and count objects, people, animals, and even units of time based on specific categories such as shape, size, or usage. Unlike English, where we simply add a number before most nouns to indicate quantity, Japanese requires a counter to accurately convey what type of thing is being counted. Each counter follows its own logic, and many are considered regular, but several important ones are “irregular”—meaning the pronunciation or form changes depending on the number.
Understanding both regular and irregular counters is crucial for beginners and advanced learners alike, as it not only helps avoid common mistakes but also deepens your grasp of how native speakers organize and express information about the world around them. The tables below will introduce the most common counters, offering examples of usage and highlighting those that have special forms, so that you can count naturally in everyday Japanese.
| Counter | Romanji and Translation | Example Sentence | Romanji Sentence and Literal English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| つ (つ) | tsu “general counter” | りんごを三つ買いました。 | ringo o mittsu kaimashita “apple three bought” |
| 個 (こ) | ko “small objects” | ペンを五個持っています。 | pen o goko motteimasu “pen five have” |
| 枚 (まい) | mai “flat objects” | チケットを二枚ください。 | chiketto o nimai kudasai “ticket two please” |
| 本 (ほん) | hon “long cylindrical objects” | ペンを三本使いました。 | pen o sanbon tsukaimashita “pen three used” |
| 歳/才 (さい) | sai “years old (age)” | 私は二十歳です。 | watashi wa hatachi desu “I twenty years old am” |
| 分 (ふん/ぷん) | fun/pun “minutes” | 会議は十五分続きました。 | kaigi wa juugo fun tsuzukimashita “meeting fifteen minutes lasted” |
| 冊 (さつ) | satsu “bound volumes (books)” | 本を四冊借りました。 | hon o yonsatsu karimashita “book four borrowed” |
| 台 (だい) | dai “machines, vehicles” | 車を二台持っています。 | kuruma o nidai motteimasu “car two have” |
| 匹 (ひき) | hiki “small animals” | 猫を三匹飼っています。 | neko o sanbiki katteimasu “cat three keep (pets)” |
| 箇所 (かしょ) | kasho “places, spots” | 痛い箇所を教えてください。 | itai kasho o oshiete kudasai “painful place please tell” |
秒 (びょう) | byou “seconds” There are no special pronunciation anomalies for this counter except that you should say “yon byou” for 4 seconds and “kyuu byou” for 9 seconds, not “shi byou” or “ku byou”. | 三十八秒 (さんじゅうはちびょう | san juu hachi byou |
Irregular Counters
Irregular Japanese counters are unique because their sound patterns change according to the number, resulting in pronunciation anomalies or even entirely special words for certain amounts. These counters—such as つ, 本, 才, and 分—often require learners to memorize multiple forms rather than applying a single rule. Unlike regular counters like まい or だい, which follow predictable constructions, irregular counters hold exceptions especially around numbers like one, three, six, eight, and ten. Mastering these helps your Japanese sound more natural and prevents common mistakes, since native speakers expect the correct pronunciation for each situation.
1. General (つ counter)
The つ counter stands out as the most flexible and generic among Japanese counters. It is used to count general things, objects without a specific category, and is often preferred for everyday, casual conversation. The つ counter is available for numbers one through ten, each with its own unique pronunciation instead of a simple combination of number plus counter. For example, “one thing” is ひとつ (hitotsu), and “ten things” is とお (too), not simply いちつ or じゅうつ. This table provides all ten forms and shows how つ is used in practical sentences, so learners can easily use the right form in natural conversation.
| Number | Japanese | Romanji | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ひとつ | hitotsu | 林檎をひとつ買いました。 ringo o hitotsu kaimashita “apple one bought” |
| 2 | ふたつ | futatsu | 林檎をふたつ買いました。 ringo o futatsu kaimashita “apple two bought” |
| 3 | みっつ | mittsu | 林檎をみっつ買いました。 ringo o mittsu kaimashita “apple three bought” |
| 4 | よっつ | yottsu | 林檎をよっつ買いました。 ringo o yottsu kaimashita “apple four bought” |
| 5 | いつつ | itsutsu | 林檎をいつつ買いました。 ringo o itsutsu kaimashita “apple five bought” |
| 6 | むっつ | muttsu | 林檎をむっつ買いました。 ringo o muttsu kaimashita “apple six bought” |
| 7 | ななつ | nanatsu | 林檎をななつ買いました。 ringo o nanatsu kaimashita “apple seven bought” |
| 8 | やっつ | yattsu | 林檎をやっつ買いました。 ringo o yattsu kaimashita “apple eight bought” |
| 9 | ここのつ | kokonotsu | 林檎をここのつ買いました。 ringo o kokonotsu kaimashita “apple nine bought” |
| 10 | とお | too | 林檎をとお買いました。 ringo o too kaimashita “apple ten bought” |
2. Cylindrical (本 counter)
The cylindrical counter 本 (hon) is used for long, thin objects like bottles, pens, and umbrellas. It’s famous for its irregular readings on numbers like one (一本, ippon), three (三本, sanbon), six (六本, roppon), eight (八本, happon), and ten (十本, juppon), in addition to the standard forms. These changes are due to sound blending in Japanese and follow set patterns you’ll see reflected across other counters.
| Number | Japanese | Romanji | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一本 | ippon | ペンを一本使いました。 pen o ippon tsukaimashita “pen one used” |
| 2 | 二本 | nihon | ペンを二本使いました。 pen o nihon tsukaimashita “pen two used” |
| 3 | 三本 | sanbon | ペンを三本使いました。 pen o sanbon tsukaimashita “pen three used” |
| 4 | 四本 | yonhon | ペンを四本使いました。 pen o yonhon tsukaimashita “pen four used” |
| 5 | 五本 | gohon | ペンを五本使いました。 pen o gohon tsukaimashita “pen five used” |
| 6 | 六本 | roppon | ペンを六本使いました。 pen o roppon tsukaimashita “pen six used” |
| 7 | 七本 | nanahon | ペンを七本使いました。 pen o nanahon tsukaimashita “pen seven used” |
| 8 | 八本 | happon | ペンを八本使いました。 pen o happon tsukaimashita “pen eight used” |
| 9 | 九本 | kyuuhon | ペンを九本使いました。 pen o kyuuhon tsukaimashita “pen nine used” |
| 10 | 十本 | juppon | ペンを十本使いました。 pen o juppon tsukaimashita “pen ten used” |
3. Years Old (歳 counter)
The counter for years old, 歳 (sai), applies when describing age. While most ages follow predictable patterns, numbers like one (一歳, issai), eight (八歳, hassai), and ten (十歳, jussai) are pronounced irregularly because of sound changes at the start of the word, which you’ll see listed in the table.
| Number | Japanese | Romanji | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一歳 | issai | 子供は一歳です。 kodomo wa issai desu “child one year old is” |
| 2 | 二歳 | nisai | 子供は二歳です。 kodomo wa nisai desu “child two years old is” |
| 3 | 三歳 | sansai | 子供は三歳です。 kodomo wa sansai desu “child three years old is” |
| 4 | 四歳 | yonsai | 子供は四歳です。 kodomo wa yonsai desu “child four years old is” |
| 5 | 五歳 | gosai | 子供は五歳です。 kodomo wa gosai desu “child five years old is” |
| 6 | 六歳 | rokusai | 子供は六歳です。 kodomo wa rokusai desu “child six years old is” |
| 7 | 七歳 | nanasai | 子供は七歳です。 kodomo wa nanasai desu “child seven years old is” |
| 8 | 八歳 | hassai | 子供は八歳です。 kodomo wa hassai desu “child eight years old is” |
| 9 | 九歳 | kyuusai | 子供は九歳です。 kodomo wa kyuusai desu “child nine years old is” |
| 10 | 十歳 | jussai | 子供は十歳です。 kodomo wa jussai desu “child ten years old is” |
4. Minutes (分 counter)
Counting minutes uses the counter 分 (fun/pun), which attaches to the Sino-Japanese number and alters its pronunciation due to sound blending, especially for one (一分, ippun), three (三分, sanpun), six (六分, roppun), eight (八分, happun), and ten (十分, juppun).
| Number | Japanese | Romanji | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一分 | ippun | 会議は一分始まりました。 kaigi wa ippun hajimarimashita “meeting one minute started” |
| 2 | 二分 | nifun | 会議は二分続きました。 kaigi wa nifun tsuzukimashita “meeting two minutes lasted” |
| 3 | 三分 | sanpun | 会議は三分続きました。 kaigi wa sanpun tsuzukimashita “meeting three minutes lasted” |
| 4 | 四分 | yonpun | 会議は四分延長しました。 kaigi wa yonpun enchou shimashita “meeting four minutes extended” |
| 5 | 五分 | gofun | 会議は五分休憩しました。 kaigi wa gofun kyuukei shimashita “meeting five minutes break took” |
| 6 | 六分 | roppun | 会議は六分遅れました。 kaigi wa roppun okuremashita “meeting six minutes delayed” |
| 7 | 七分 | nanapun | 会議は七分続きました。 kaigi wa nanapun tsuzukimashita “meeting seven minutes lasted” |
| 8 | 八分 | happun | 会議は八分遅れました。 kaigi wa happun okuremashita “meeting eight minutes delayed” |
| 9 | 九分 | kyuufun | 会議は九分続きました。 kaigi wa kyuufun tsuzukimashita “meeting nine minutes lasted” |
| 10 | 十分 | juppun | 会議は十分続きました。 kaigi wa juppun tsuzukimashita “meeting ten minutes lasted” |
5. Small Animals (匹 counter)
For small animals, Japanese uses 匹 (hiki), with irregular forms such as 一匹 (ippiki), 三匹 (sanbiki), 六匹 (roppiki), 八匹 (happiki), and 十匹 (juppiki). These changes help distinguish the numbers more clearly and are an important detail for sounding fluent.
| Number | Japanese | Romanji | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一匹 | ippiki | 猫を一匹飼っています。 neko o ippiki katteimasu “cat one pet keep” |
| 2 | 二匹 | nihiki | 猫を二匹飼っています。 neko o nihiki katteimasu “cat two pet keep” |
| 3 | 三匹 | sanbiki | 猫を三匹飼っています。 neko o sanbiki katteimasu “cat three pet keep” |
| 4 | 四匹 | yonhiki | 猫を四匹飼っています。 neko o yonhiki katteimasu “cat four pet keep” |
| 5 | 五匹 | gohiki | 猫を五匹飼っています。 neko o gohiki katteimasu “cat five pet keep” |
| 6 | 六匹 | roppiki | 猫を六匹飼っています。 neko o roppiki katteimasu “cat six pet keep” |
| 7 | 七匹 | nanahiki | 猫を七匹飼っています。 neko o nanahiki katteimasu “cat seven pet keep” |
| 8 | 八匹 | happiki | 猫を八匹飼っています。 neko o happiki katteimasu “cat eight pet keep” |
| 9 | 九匹 | kyuuhiki | 猫を九匹飼っています。 neko o kyuuhiki katteimasu “cat nine pet keep” |
| 10 | 十匹 | juppiki | 猫を十匹飼っています。 neko o juppiki katteimasu “cat ten pet keep” |
Final paragraph
Citations:
[1] How to use Japanese Counters https://nihonshock.com/2012/04/how-to-use-japanese-counters/
[2] A beginner’s guide to basic Japanese counters https://gogonihon.com/en/blog/basic-japanese-counters/
[3] How to Count and Read Numbers in Japanese https://cotoacademy.com/japanese_numbers/
[4] Japanese Counter 〜つ: Counting Everything and Anything https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-counter-tsu/
[5] Let’s learn Japanese counters, counting words https://youtonihongo.com/counters1/
[6] Japanese Numbers, A Quick & Easy Lesson https://ltl-japanese.com/grammar-bank/numbers/
[7] Ultimate Guide to Counting in Japanese https://japanswitch.com/ultimate-guide-to-counting-in-japanese/
[8] Numbers and Counters https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/numbers-and-counters/
[9] Numbers and Counting – Learn Japanese https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/numbers
[10] Japanese Numbers: A Top Guide on How to Count in … https://www.berlitz.com/blog/japanese-numbers.