How To Count Anything In Japanese (The Guide)

I wanted to write a guide on Japanese counters that was a little different than most guides out there. We already have a very basic Japanese counters guide up in the Guides Section, so obviously I didn’t want to just do that again. I think one of the problems with Japanese counters guides is that they don’t really contextualize things very well. Sure, 一匹 means “one small animal,” but… what is a “small animal?” What isn’t a “small animal”? What is sometimes a “small animal” but sometimes not a “small animal?”

The only way to figure that sort of things out is by experience, so I wanted to create a guide that would give you some of that experience by listing things that can be counted by various counters. In my Japanese counters guide, I list the counter, its reading, and its meaning. Then, below it, I wrote out a list of things that can be counted in that way. Read that list to understand and contextualize how the counter works. It’s not just a “small animal,” it’s a dog, a cat, a mosquito, a frog, a tortoise, etc.

Go To: How To Count Anything In Japanese

I hope you enjoy this guide and I hope it is helpful to you over the next couple of months / years of Japanese study. Don’t try to learn it all at once, but definitely use it as a reference to understand counters you’ve learned but don’t completely understand yet.

“Project Kuma”

Like I mentioned before, “Kuma” (it won’t be called Kuma, but this is like a super-secret code name) is a site that will have Japanese materials that intermediate / advanced level students of Japanese can use to use to study and bridge that gap between advanced and fluency. It will be flexible, allowing someone to use the materials to focus on things that they need the most help with. Most important of all, the materials will be more interesting than the standard Japanese language resources, hopefully making it more fun to learn.

My “minimum viable product” version of “Kuma” is nearly complete, which means I’m going to be sending out emails to Forever members on TextFugu soon. If there are enough unicorns in the air and if you collect and send to me all your tears, maybe the first invite will go out later this week. If there’s not enough magic, then the first part of next week is looking pretty good. It won’t be everything at once (because things will surely break), so if you are a Forever member on TextFugu and don’t get one right away, don’t fret too much. They’ll be rolling out to you soon. And yes, just like I said last time, TextFugu Forever members get “Kuma” Forever subscriptions on the house. So a big grizzly thumbs up to you.

After that I’ll open things up and have some kind of special Alpha pricing. Anyways, that’s the update on that.

Tofugu Summer Internship 2013

Recently we got all fancy and got ourselves an office. That means we can have real, live interns (not that they’re usually dead, I just mean in-person). This year we’ll be doing just that. We’ve mainly contacted Pacific Northwest area schools, but I know that there are a decent number of Washington and Oregon State Tofugu reader students out there who may or may not be interested in this position. If you are indeed one of those people, please pop on over to http://jobs.tofugu.com to learn more about the summer internship program that we’re offering.

Bonus Wallpapers!

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A few days ago I did a live e-lecture about Japanese counters (and how suicidal they can make you). To go along with the presentation, I put together an e-book for you to use as a Japanese counter resource. Let’s take a closer look at counters, and then I’ll provide the link to the e-book which goes into a lot more detail and specifics!

Counting in Japanese isn’t the same as in English. Sure, there is the normal way of counting numbers for the sake of counting numbers, but once you get into counting actual things you have to use special counters. For example, when you are counting small animals, you can’t just use ichi, ni, san, etcetera. You have to use ippiki, nihiki, sanbiki… It’s not like English where you say “one dog,” or “two plates,” and so on. Thus…Japanese counters.

But first, let’s look at a Japanese comedian counting. You know, to loosen you up before the tidal wave.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrLBEuoC0OQ']

Here are some things to remember when learning counters:

★ Even when the kanji stays consistent (for example １人、２人、３人), the pronunciation won’t. In the previous pattern, the first two are hitori and futari, but then after that it goes san-nin, yo-nin, go-nin, etc. It’s important to memorize these inconsistencies so you don’t sound like a dork.

★ Sometimes there are rules / patterns, sometimes there aren’t. Just make sure you notice these.

★ When going through these counters, take a close look at numbers 1, 6, and 8. Often times they’ll be shortened (though not all the time). For example, when counting minutes (using the hun/pun counter) you don’t say ichi-pun, roku-pun, or hachi-pun. You say ippun, roppun, and happun. Look out for these (though it’s not always consistent, so watch it!)

★ 4, 7, and 9 have two pronunciations. shi/yon, shichi/nana, and ku/kyuu. Depending on the counter, you could see either of these. You just have to remember which counter uses which!

How to Study Counters

Now, when you read these recommendations, and when you take a look at the e-book (and more counter resources), you might feel overwhelmed. I found over 80 different counters. Luckily, a lot of these are really rare, and not used too often. Also, there’s a counter for “things that don’t have counters or the counter is so obscure nobody knows them,” which helps a lot too. Don’t feel like you need to sit down and learn all these in one go. You’ll see them a lot as you study, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice. Just get familiar with the counters, know they exist, memorize which counters are which, and you’re well on your way to counting like a pro.

So, what are you waiting for? Check out the e-book and get yourself edumacated. It also includes links to a few more resources you can use.

☆Japanese Counters e-Book☆

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