Questions tagged [counters]

助数詞. Suffixes attached to numbers to indicate what is being counted. In linguistics, these are sometimes called 'classifiers'. The combination of a number plus a classifier forms a type of 'quantifier', and the movement of quantifiers into other parts of the sentence is called 'quantifier float'.

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5 votes
1 answer
1k views

Difference between tatami mat counters 帖 and 畳

What is the difference between tatami mat counters 帖 and 畳 (both pronounced じょう)?
-1 votes
2 answers
5k views

What is the correct counter to translate 'One Piece'?

I was wondering whether the anime is actually called that way because it is hard to convey this meaning in japanese with a single word. For those who are not aware, One Piece is the greatest treasure ...
8 votes
2 answers
399 views

Confusing use of ずつ

このバスの会社によると、東京では1週間に3日、昼と夜の2回ずつ走る予定で、予約が必要です。 According to the company that runs these buses, they plan to run the Tokyo bus three times a week, twice each in the afternoon and evening. A ...
4 votes
2 answers
153 views

Do unit words belong to a word or a specific object?

I recently though about words that have multiple forms as real objects. For example a ticket can be a paper slip, or an email receipt. Does the way of counting them change based on what it is, or ...
3 votes
1 answer
89 views

#回に#度: probability or sequence?

In a game manual, there is a description of a rare item that sometimes appears instead of a regular one. The rule determining when this rare item appears is this: 16回に1度、Xのかわりに出現。 In an earlier ...
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

How do you count train stations?

What would be the counter for train stations? For example, "two more stops" would be 後駅を二つ...? It seems a bit unnatural.
5 votes
1 answer
537 views

Are Japanese counters an adoption from the Chinese language?

The Japanese language uses counters to count different kinds of items, animals as well as people such as 一本 to count a long cylindric object or 二枚 two count flat objects (in thi case two flat objects)....
1 vote
1 answer
543 views

What do you treat as an animate and inanimate object when counting?

In Japanese animate and inanimate objects are treated differently. For people: the verb exist いる is used the generic counter (一{ひと}つ, 二{ふた}つ, 三{みっ}つ, ...) cannot be used the specific counter (一{ひと}人{...
3 votes
1 answer
12k views

How do you say "question", and which counter should be used?

I'd like to know the word for "question" itself. For example if I wanted to say: I have a question わたしは (question) があります。 I've had a hard time finding an answer to this question because ...
13 votes
1 answer
257 views

How do you express time duration when mixing time units?

When you want to express a passage of time mixing time units like days, hours, and minutes is it best to use for example 間 once at the end to show duration, or should words showing duration be used ...
-1 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to say "The other sister" and "I don't have any brothers"

Can someone explain to me how to say the other (younger) sister when talking about family? I have to younger sister and want to discuss their professions, like in One sister is a... and the other ...
5 votes
1 answer
4k views

When to use the counter word mei 名 over nin 人?

Beginner here. When would you use the counter word 名 over 人? I read online that 名 is used for formal situations, and literally every website gave counting customers as the example (as in, asking how ...
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

More complicated examples of allotting items with ずつ

ずつ can be used when talking about allotting/diving things evenly (e.g. 飴を2つずつあげる), or having equal numbers of different things (e.g. ネギマとレバーを2本ずつ下さい). But what about cases where multiple things are ...
3 votes
1 answer
8k views

Reading and translation for "1日目", "2日目", "3日目", etc

I have a list referring to days of classes that reads this way: 1日目 - Ichinichime - Day 1 2日目 - Futsukame - Day 2 3日目 - Mikkame - Day 3 4日目 - Yokkame - Day 4 5日目 - Itsukame - Day 5 And so on (until ...
11 votes
3 answers
5k views

名 vs 人 for counting people?

We were asking for seats at a restaurant in Kyoto and were unsure whether to ask for nimei or futari. Which would be more appropriate? What are the distinctions in usage between these two counters?
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Use of も with counter

The writer is complaining that men are useless at cooking. They burn pans, they make more mess than is necessary and: ...、何枚も皿をつかう、... I can't fully understand this construction. I know the ...
0 votes
1 answer
254 views

What's the meaning of "十力所"

I'm currently reading 極主夫道 and I'm not sure I understand "十力所". Do you have any ideas? Is it 10 powerful people of the office or something else? Thank you!
1 vote
1 answer
78 views

What does 2世帯5人 mean in this sentence?

盛岡市によりますと、午後7時半現在、2世帯5人が近くの児童センターで一夜を明かす予定だということです。 Is it 2 families that have no link composed of a total of 5 persons or a normal family(3 or 4 members) + the grandparent(s) (1 or 2 member(s)) ?
11 votes
3 answers
3k views

What is the counter for languages

I've looked this up in a few different dictionaries and the only word I got was 「か国語」written in a few different ways. but all of them contain 「国語」which I have come to understand means national ...
1 vote
1 answer
66 views

Are counters for houses used in addresses?

I have a question about how to translate sentences like "the person from the eight", in the sense of "the person who lives in the house number 8". Is a counter preferred/needed in this situation? If ...
4 votes
1 answer
747 views

Why the same counter word is used for cups and octopuses?

Me and my fellow coworker have been discussing the article on Japanese counter words and this particular case has caught our attention: [Pronunciation]はい hai, ぱい pai, ばい bai; [Spelling]杯, [Use] ...
1 vote
3 answers
174 views

Counting objects modified by relative clauses

I found this sentence: 2人が亡くなっているのが見つかりました。 Two people were found dead. and thought the structure was a bit strange. If I had to say this I would have tried: 亡くなっている人が2人見つかりました。 Sentences ...
6 votes
2 answers
315 views

Counters + inherently plural items

Suppose I want to ask for two pairs of chopsticks for myself and someone I'm with. Does お箸【はし】を二【ふた】つください mean I'm asking for two chopsticks or two sets of chopsticks? (Also, am I using the right ...
3 votes
2 answers
223 views

is お死枚 a pun on 四枚?

So I was watching Hunter x Hunter episode 142, and at one point one of the characters is about to shoot a bunch of coins at the other, and he asks 君に渡すのは 何枚でしょう, which is correctly translated as "how ...
8 votes
2 answers
254 views

Doesn't ~ニン(人)as a suffix imply that it is a counter of people

I was looking to some examples of the use of 人 and I found this one in Jisho.org http://jisho.org/search/人 200人{にん}の人{ひと}が昨年コレラで死んだ。 Two hundred people died of cholera last year. With furigana ...
1 vote
1 answer
355 views

数え方(ドラマのエピソードの場合) [duplicate]

英語の場合はepisode 1, episode 2...という数え方がありますが、日本語の場合はどういった数え方で数えるでしょうか?
5 votes
1 answer
590 views

How to count the word 言葉?

So if I'm trying to say "I found more than 50 unfamiliar words" how would I count words? My attempt: 意味の分からない言葉を50回も初めて見た。 As you can see, I counted how many times I saw an unfamiliar word, rather ...
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

Numbering pages (ex. PAGE ONE)

Although it might seem a tad pointless, I am trying to number pages in a document without using Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2 etc.). I would like the reading to similar to "PAGE ONE" or "FIRST PAGE." I'm ...
3 votes
1 answer
760 views

Can a particle attach to a counter?

I saw this answer to a recent question which contained the sentence: 私は猫二匹がいます Is it okay to put the particle が after the counter. It seems strange to me. I would have expected: 私(に)は猫が二匹います ...
9 votes
2 answers
420 views

Counter followed by 隣

Referring to items at a mask selling stall: じいさんはうさぎの二個隣にあるドラえもんを指さした。 The man pointed at the ドラえもん figure ??? next to the rabbit I'm confused about what 二個隣 means. Does it mean that the ドラえもん ...
3 votes
2 answers
755 views

How does one know when to use ~ふん or ~ぷん when telling time in Japanese?

I'm wondering if there are any linguistic reasons or rules that can be applied to find out which to use, or do I just need to memorize them individually?
5 votes
1 answer
519 views

一部屋一部屋 Meaning and reading

I'm having some trouble with the following sentence: 一部屋一部屋が大きいのだろう、部屋のドアの間隔が広かった。 What's the meaning of the double "一部屋"? I think it's supposed to be each/every room, but I'm not sure. Also, is ...
5 votes
2 answers
917 views

How to ask for X yen worth of something?

I think more or less everything is in the title, say I'd like to buy 1000 yen of carrots, would: 人参の1000円分お願いします Be correct ?
2 votes
2 answers
137 views

Could 十角形、九角形、七角形 be read as デカゴン、ノナゴン、ヘパタゴン?

As per dic.yahoo.co.jp the following four geometric figures seem to be read as (ateji / gairaigo) 十角形、九角形、七角形、十二角形 (decagon, nonagon, heptagon, dodecagon). As per the same dictionary, all the other ...
4 votes
1 answer
11k views

mittsu vs san - what's the difference and what are these two forms called?

I am trying to learn the numbers and I see there are two different translations for the number 3 (and other numbers). When should I use one and when should I use the other? Is there a name for the ...
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

ichi-gatsu vs hitotsuki

Can some help me by explaining what the difference between these two is?
1 vote
2 answers
163 views

幾人も or 一杯? Kanji or hiragana?

I am writing the following sentence: サン・パウロに日本人がいっぱいいるから。。。よかったですね! And I'd like to know if 幾人も could be a more respectful/more natural replacement for 一杯, and whether I should be using kanji.
2 votes
2 answers
643 views

What's the difference between 度 and 回? [duplicate]

Both are counters for occurrences. Would they be interchangeable in the following sentence? パリ行きの電車は一日に二回出発します。
2 votes
2 answers
316 views

How to count with rare counters

How do you pronounce "1–10 + some counter"? I have seen lists of common counters, but they may not contain less common counters, such as ~話 or ~膳. How do I know how to count with rare counters?
1 vote
1 answer
267 views

How would you say "please give me 10 of this"?

for example, これを一つください is please give me 10 of this. then how should I say if it were 10, 11, 12, and more...?
0 votes
2 answers
894 views

counters for weight?

After looking online, I found a counter supposedly for grams: 匁(monme). Is this right? Also, would I just use it with the noun + particle + counter + verb form? Like 食べ物の一千匁をもって来る.
2 votes
1 answer
219 views

Can I use だけ and しか with amounts?

When I was learning how to use だけ and しか, I was told that だけ and しか both means "only". But the latter requires the verb to be in the negative form. For example: あの人だけが好きだ。 I only like that ...
13 votes
1 answer
4k views

「二番」 vs. 「二番目」 confusion

I am confused by 「二番」vs.「二番目」、「三番」vs.「三番目」etc. While 「一番速い人。」 seems grammatically correct and sounds ok to me, 「二番速い人。」 sounds so unnatural to me I am thinking the grammar might be wrong. But, if 「...
2 votes
2 answers
348 views

Why is 1st floor written as ikkai いっかい?

Should it not be い かい as I thought the counter for floors was -kai ?
3 votes
3 answers
341 views

Counters 本 and 話 within the context of anime production (need sakuga fans' insight)

We know 話 can be used as a counter for, including but not limited to, anime franchise episodes. But if I understand it right, 話 refers to an episode as a completed, ready-for-consumption work. That ...
4 votes
1 answer
154 views

てもいい + a counter?

I still can't get my head around how I am supposed to place the counters. According to my textbook (which of course may have oversimplified some things), there are two possibilities: counter + の + ...
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are Japanese counter words still being created?

That is, are counters (助数詞) an open class of words? If yes: Is there an example of a counter that was added recently (say, post-Taishō) and is now in current use by a community of speakers (i.e. not ...
2 votes
1 answer
641 views

What counter should be used for baked pastries? 焼菓子は何で数えますか?

Baked pastries 焼菓子【やきがし】 encompass a wide array of items. What are some ways to count some of them? As one might in a request.
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

What does 何+(counter)+も+volitional mean? e.g. 何機も買おう

I found this sentence as an answer to the question: "What are some of the symbols of Japan's wealth?" 次期主力戦闘機を何機も買おうとしていること I'm not sure whether it means they're buying a lot of next-generation ...
2 votes
1 answer
239 views

What does this mean in context? [幾本も幾本も]

From 銀河鉄道の夜(宮沢賢治) 二人がその白い道を 、 肩をならべて行きますと 、 二人の影は 、 ちょうど四方に窓のある部屋 の中の 、 二本の柱の影のように 、 また二つの車輪の輻のように幾本も幾本も四方へ出るのでした. What does 幾本も幾本も mean exactly and how is it used? How is it pronounced? Is it ...