Numbers and Counting

Vocabulary

  1. 一【いち】 – one
  2. 二【に】 – two
  3. 三【さん】 – three
  4. 四【し・よん】 – four
  5. 五【ご】 – five
  6. 六【ろく】 – six
  7. 七【しち・なな】 – seven
  8. 八【はち】 – eight
  9. 九【きゅう・く】 – nine
  10. 十【じゅう】 – ten
  11. りんご – apple
  12. ペン – pen
  13. 紙【かみ】 – paper
  14. 瓶【びん】 – bottle
  15. 傘【かさ】 – umbrella
  16. 猫【ねこ】 – cat
  17. 犬【いぬ】 – dog
  18. 本【ほん】 – book
  19. カップ – cup
  20. 人【にん/り】 – person
  21. 回【かい】 – time, occasion
  22. 月【つき/がつ】 – month
  23. 階【かい】 – floor/story (of a building)

Introduction

Counting in Japanese is one of the most important and yet challenging aspects of the language. The key difference from English is that Japanese requires you to use different counter words (or classifiers) depending on what you’re counting. The shape, size, and type of object all matter when choosing the right counter.

For example, you wouldn’t say “three cats” the same way you’d say “three books.” Each requires its own counter suffix. This might seem overwhelming at first, but the logic becomes clearer with practice.

Basic Numbers (0-10)

Number Kanji Reading
0 ０・零 ゼロ・レイ
1 一 いち
2 二 に
3 三 さん
4 四 し・よん
5 五 ご
6 六 ろく
7 七 しち・なな
8 八 はち
9 九 きゅう・く
10 十 じゅう

Note: Numbers 4 and 7 have two readings. し/しち and よん/なな. In modern Japanese, よん and なな are preferred, especially when counting.

Common Counters

つ (General Objects / Things)

Used for abstract items, small objects, or when you don’t know the specific counter. This uses the native Japanese counting system and works up to 9.

For counting: ひとつ, ふたつ, みっつ, よっつ, いつつ, むっつ, ななつ, やっつ, ここのつ, とう

りんごを三つください。 - Please give me three apples.
私は猫を二つ持っている。 - I have two cats. (awkward phrasing)
どれくらい欲しい? Three things, please.

Note: While つ is versatile, native speakers prefer specific counters when available.

人 (People)

Reading irregularities:

  • 一人 = ひとり (not いちにん)
  • 二人 = ふたり (not ににん)
  • Three+ = さんにん, よんにん, ごにん…
三人で行きます。 - Three people will go.
ここには五人います。 - There are five people here.
先週、十人の学生が来ました。 - Last week, ten students came.

枚 (Flat Objects)

Paper, shirts, plates, tickets, records, stamps—anything flat and thin.

紙を二枚ください。 - Please give me two sheets of paper.
シャツを三枚買いました。 - I bought three shirts.
CDを一枚持っています。 - I have one CD.
切符を四枚取ってください。 - Please get four tickets.

本 (Long, Thin Objects)

Pens, pencils, bottles, umbrellas, sticks, arrows, candles. Note: 本 changes pronunciation depending on the preceding sound (sound changes).

Reading pattern:

  • ぽん after ま、ば、ぱ rows: 三本 = さんぼん, 六本 = ろっぽん
  • ほん after other sounds: 一本 = いっぽん, 二本 = にほん, 四本 = よんほん
ペンを一本買った。 - I bought one pen.
傘を三本持っています。 - I have three umbrellas.
ビールを二本飲みました。 - I drank two beers.
矢を五本射った。 - I shot five arrows.

冊 (Books and Bound Objects)

Books, notebooks, magazines, anything bound or stapled together.

本を三冊読みました。 - I read three books.
雑誌を二冊買った。 - I bought two magazines.
ノートを五冊持っています。 - I have five notebooks.

匹 (Small Animals)

Fish, insects, small mammals. Also used for creatures with legs.

猫を二匹飼っている。 - I have two cats.
金魚を三匹買いました。 - I bought three goldfish.
虫が十匹います。 - There are ten insects.

Note: For larger animals like horses or cows, use 頭 (あたま/とう) instead.

杯 (Cups, Glasses, Bowls)

Drinks served in cups or bowls.

コーヒーを二杯飲みました。 - I drank two cups of coffee.
ビールを一杯ください。 - Please give me one beer (glass).
スープを三杯食べた。 - I ate three bowls of soup.

回 (Times, Occasions)

How many times something happened or will happen.

映画館に月に一回行きます。 - I go to the movie theater once a month.
一週間に三回運動します。 - I exercise three times a week.
試験に五回落ちました。 - I failed the exam five times.

台 (Machines, Vehicles)

Cars, computers, televisions, machinery—anything mechanical with a body/frame.

車を二台持っています。 - I have two cars.
コンピュータを三台買った。 - I bought three computers.
テレビが一台あります。 - There is one television.

個 (General/Round Objects)

Balls, eggs, apples, oranges, and other round or general objects. A safe fallback counter.

りんごを四個ください。 - Please give me four apples.
卵を六個買いました。 - I bought six eggs.
みかんを十個食べた。 - I ate ten mandarins.

月 (Months)

When expressing duration in months or as calendar months.

三ヶ月勉強しています。 - I've been studying for three months.
六ヶ月でペラペラになります。 - You'll become fluent in six months.
来月は五月です。 - Next month is May.

Note: The counter form uses ヶ月 (かげつ), not just 月.

階 (Floors of a Building)

Which floor something is on.

私のオフィスは五階です。 - My office is on the fifth floor.
三階に図書館があります。 - There is a library on the third floor.

Note: For the first floor in American English sense, in Japan it’s 1階 (いっかい). The ground floor in British English is 1階, not 0階.

時 (Hours)

Telling time or duration in hours.

朝の八時に起きます。 - I wake up at 8 in the morning.
三時間待ちました。 - I waited for three hours.
映画は二時間です。 - The movie is two hours long.

Special Counters Overview Table

Counter Used For Example
つ General objects (up to 9) りんご三つ (three apples)
人 People 四人 (four people)
枚 Flat objects 紙二枚 (two sheets of paper)
本 Long, thin objects ペン一本 (one pen)
冊 Books 本三冊 (three books)
匹 Small animals 猫二匹 (two cats)
杯 Cups, bowls of drinks コーヒー二杯 (two cups of coffee)
回 Times, occasions 週三回 (three times a week)
台 Machines, vehicles 車二台 (two cars)
個 Round/general objects りんご四個 (four apples)
月 Months 三ヶ月 (three months)
階 Building floors 五階 (fifth floor)
時 Hours, time 八時 (8 o’clock)

Tips for Learning Counters

  1. Don’t memorize everything at once - Start with the most common: 人, 個, 枚, 本, and 回. You can gradually add more.

  2. Context helps - If you’re unsure which counter to use, 個 or つ are usually safe fallback options, though native speakers prefer the specific counter.

  3. Listen for patterns - The more you listen to native speakers, the more natural it becomes. Each counter has a specific “feel.”

  4. Practice with real items - Count objects around you in Japanese. “I have two cups, three books, four pens…”

  5. Pronunciation changes matter - Pay attention to how 本 and other counters change sound. This is called rendaku (sound changes) and is a feature of Japanese grammar.

  6. Numbers 4, 7, 9 have alternatives - For these numbers, both readings are acceptable, but よん, なな, and きゅう are becoming more standard.

Quick Reference: First 10 Numbers with Common Counters 

一つ (ひとつ) - one thing
二つ (ふたつ) - two things  
三つ (みっつ) - three things
四つ (よっつ) - four things
五つ (いつつ) - five things
六つ (むっつ) - six things
七つ (ななつ) - seven things
八つ (やっつ) - eight things
九つ (ここのつ) - nine things
十 (とう) - ten things

一人 (ひとり) - one person
二人 (ふたり) - two people
三人 (さんにん) - three people
...
十人 (じゅうにん) - ten people

一冊 (いっさつ) - one book
二冊 (にさつ) - two books
三冊 (さんさつ) - three books
...