How to Count in Japanese - Everyday Exceptions to Japanese Counters

Counting to 10 is one of the first things I learn in any language. Unfortunately in Japanese, it's easy to forget how to count. There are different words depending on if you're talking about people, small things, long things, etc. Not only are there different word for the object, but a different word for the number as well. We covered counters in our latest intermediate lesson, but it still wasn't enough!

We cover most of the basic counters in our free intermediate Japanese lesson!

Know this Counter!

The most important counter you should learn is for things. Although there are many counters for things depending on size and shape, this counter generally will always work - it's the つ (tsu) counter. In spite of so many more appropriate counters, this counter is heard the most.

This cute children's song will help you remember the つ(tsu) counters as well as some other common counters that are discussed in the lesson and below.

But there are Exceptions...

One exception you should keep in mind is when you're talking about pairs of things. Shieri recently said 一つ (hitotsu) to refer to chopsticks. The snarky 7-eleven worker corrected her immediately with a chuckle of superiority. So let's not let 7-eleven workers correct our Japanese and use this counter for chopsticks - 膳 (zen). The thing that makes this counter tricky is this counter isn't just related to pairs of chopsticks, but also bowls of rice and dishes of food.

Pairs of Shoes

Speaking of counters for pairs of things, you generally won't be able to use the つ (tsu) counters, so let's go over some right now. Pairs of shoes or socks are part of a footwear counter - 足 (soku). Pairs of cup and saucer would be 客 (kyaku). Pairs of people such as in husband and wife couples (for your 3-legged race competition) would be 組 (kumi)! One thing that makes counters difficult is that the pronunciation is not uniform. For example, 足 (soku) changes to "zoku" for the number five. See below!

Animal counters

I've honestly never had to use animal counters, but that doesn't you won't also. As per the lesson, there are counters for small and large animals. The counter for small animals is 匹 (hiki) which closely resembles the number four (四). The counter for large animals is 頭 (tou) which looks like a large animal head. I thought a dog was considered a large animal but large animals actually refers to hippos and elephants. Here they are! (notice how there is not uniformity in pronunciation...)

Here is that song again starting at the animal section for your enjoyment.

So you think you have animals mastered don't you?

Well, there is a different animal counter for rabbits and birds. Rabbits and birds use the 羽 (wa) counter. Imagine two wings on a bird or two ears of a rabbit. You might be wondering why rabbits are grouped with birds? There are two explanations for this. First, the word for hop and fly are the same - 飛ぶ (tobu). However, frogs also hop and they are not part of this category. Second, in old-times Japan, animal-hunting was probited but bird-hunting was okay. So they would count their prey for birds and rabbits together because if you call it a bird, it's a bird.

Counting People is important

The first thing you are asked when you walk into any restaurant is "how many people?" Your response should be one of the following:

Awesome song brought to you by Genki Japan

Counting Days is Confusing

This is the counter I struggled the most with just because of how different, yet similar, some of the counters are. Even natives get confused between the pronunciation for "four days" and "eight days" as you can see below:

Okay, now you should be ready to enjoy our Japanese lesson on counters to the fullest! But don't forget to practice these counters to commit them to memory. The best way to do this is with spaced repetition using flashcards. The good news, we have the flashcards for you here!

How to Count in Japanese

Awesome Infographic on Counting!