Numbers and classifiers

❃ Numbers and classifiers

これを一つください。 [ Kore o hitotsu kudasai. ]: Please give me one of this (general object).
二つお願いします。 [ Futatsu onegaishimasu. ]: Two, please (general objects).
大人二人、子供一人です。 [ Otona futari, kodomo hitori desu. ]: Two adults, one child.
ビールを三杯ください。 [ Biiru o sanbai kudasai. ]: Three glasses of beer, please.
切符を二枚買いたいです。 [ Kippu o nimai kaitai desu. ]: I want to buy two tickets (flat objects).
猫が三匹います。 [ Neko ga sanbiki imasu. ]: There are three cats (small animals).
本を四冊買いました。 [ Hon o yonsatsu kaimashita. ]: I bought four books.
車が五台あります。 [ Kuruma ga godai arimasu. ]: There are five cars (machines/vehicles).
りんごを六個ください。 [ Ringo o rokko kudasai. ]: Please give me six apples (small round objects).
七日間にほんを旅行します。 [ Nanokakan Nihon o ryokou shimasu. ]: I am traveling in Japan for seven days.
八階で降ります。 [ Hakkai de orimasu. ]: I will get off at the eighth floor.
九時に予約しています。 [ Kuji ni yoyaku shite imasu. ]: I have a reservation at nine o'clock.
十回くらい行きました。 [ Jukkai kurai ikimashita. ]: I went there about ten times.
百円玉がありますか。 [ Hyakuendama ga arimasu ka. ]: Do you have a 100-yen coin?
千円札で払います。 [ Sen'ensatsu de haraimasu. ]: I will pay with a 1,000-yen bill.
一万円札はお釣りが出ますか。 [ Ichiman'ensatsu wa otsuri ga demasu ka. ]: Can you give change for a 10,000-yen bill?
少しだけください。 [ Sukoshi dake kudasai. ]: Just a little bit, please.
たくさんあります。 [ Takusan arimasu. ]: There is a lot.
半分に切ってください。 [ Hanbun ni kitte kudasai. ]: Please cut it in half.
全部でいくらですか。 [ Zenbu de ikura desu ka. ]: How much is it in total?

Cultural notes

Counting in Japanese introduces foreigners to one of the most fascinating and complex aspects of the language: the system of counters, known as "Josuushi" (助数詞). Unlike in English, where you can simply say "two dogs" or "three tickets," in Japanese, numbers cannot be directly attached to nouns. You must use a specific counter word that visually or functionally categorizes the object you are talking about. It is a system that reveals how the Japanese conceptually organize the physical world. For example, flat, thin objects like paper, tickets, or shirts use the counter "Mai" (枚), so "two tickets" becomes "Kippu o nimai" (切符を二枚). Long, cylindrical objects like pens, bottles, or trains use "Hon" (本). For people, you use "Nin" (人), but counting animals requires differentiation: small animals like cats and dogs use "Hiki" (匹), while large animals like elephants or horses use "Tou" (頭). To make things even more challenging, the pronunciation of the numbers often changes depending on the counter attached to them due to historical phonetic shifts. For a traveler, this can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, the Japanese language retained an ancient, native counting system that acts as a universal safety net for objects: Hitotsu (一つ - one), Futatsu (二つ - two), Mittsu (三つ - three), all the way up to ten. If you don't know the specific counter for an item in a store or a dish in a restaurant, you can simply point and say "Kore o hitotsu kudasai" (これを一つください - Please give me one of this). This universal counter is the ultimate survival tool, allowing you to bypass the complex categorizations while still sounding perfectly natural and polite.

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