Lesson 5Grammar Notes

Counters

Counters

There are two important things you should know about counting items in Japanese.

One, we use different number words as counters for different kinds of items; the counter used for counting shirts are different from the counter used for counting bottles.

Two, counters often come after, rather than before, the items counted in a sentence.

シャツ ３ まい くださいsan

。をshatsu o mai kudasai

item number counter

(I’ll have) three pieces of shirts, please.

ビール 5 ほん くださいgo

。をbi i ru o hon kudasai

(I’ll have) five bottles of beer, please.

In this lesson, we learn counters “mai” and “hon” on the text book,

go-hon

Besides, I’ve introduced “kai” for floors of a building and “satsu” for books and magazines in the chart as right.

There is also unique way of counting without a counter as the traditional Japanese way for small things such as “hitotsu” as “one piece”, “futatsu” as “two pieces”, and so on up to ten.

Unique CountersLet me introduce an unspoken unique system of the Japanese traditional counting way :

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 とおhitotsu futatsu mittsu yottsu itsutsu muttsu nanatsu yattsu kokonotsu too

As you see the color-highlighted letters, we learn how to count numbers in the

traditional Japanese way as “ひ” ”ふ” ”み” ”よ” ”いつ” ”む” ”なな” ”や” ”ここ” and ”とお” as

the shorten version for memorizing in childhoods. Now you see 5 different colors

with 2 numbers paired as below :

ひ

ふ

hi

fu

み

む

mi

mu

よ

や

yo

ya

いつ

とお

(i)tsu

too

なな

ここ

nana

koko

1

2

3

6

4

8

5

10

7

9

1 3 4 5 72 6 8 109

hi fu mi yo itsu mu nana ya koko too

Let’s see each pair in the Hiragana chart below :

1 x 2 = 2 3 x 2 = 6 4 x 2 = 8 5 x 2 = 10

HIRAGANA

「a」 Gyou

「ka」 Gyou

「sa」 Gyou

「ta」 Gyou

「na」 Gyou

「ha」 Gyou

「ma」 Gyou

「ya」 Gyou

「ra」 Gyou

「wa」 Gyou

「n」

「 a 」 Dan

「 i 」 Dan

「 u 」 Dan

「 e 」 Dan

「 o 」 Dan

あ い う え おか き く け こさ し す せ そた ち つ て とな に ぬ ね のは ひ ふ へ ほま み む め もや （い） ゆ （え） よら り る れ ろわ （い） （う） （え） をん

“i” in “itsutsu” can be the supplemental syllable sound for the rest.

*

ひとつ(1) x 2 = ふたつ(2)みっつ(3) x 2 = むっつ(6)よっつ(4) x 2 = やっつ(8)

*いつつ(5) x 2 = とお(10)

*

ひ ふhi fu

み むmi mu

よ やyo ya

いつ とお(i)tsu too

Now you can see the rule in each pair, the “doubled” relationship. Paired numbers are not only in the same “Gyou (line)”, but also they are in a multiple relationship as well.

ひ ふ み よ いつ む なな や ここ とおhe who me yo its moo nahnah yah coco toe

な な つ こ こ の つn a n a t s u k o k o n o t s u

7 9

Although numbers that can not be doubled, “なな(7)” and “ここ(9)”, they are doubled in repeating same syllables as :

nana koko

Let’s see the shorten way again and read them in applied English sounds as below :

Other Counters

さつ／satsu

Let’s see various counters for things below :(*counter-less means the Japanese original way of counting as “hitotsu” “futatsu”.

まい／mai

まい／mai

ほん／hon ほん／hon だい／dai

だい／daiこ／ko

はい／haiひき／hiki

こ／ko

**にん／nin*Counter-less

*Counter-less

“dai” is for mechanical goodssuch as cars and machines like PC and TV.

**There are exceptionsfor one personand two people.

～ひき(hiki/smallanimals

トースト／１まい かみ／100まい

①

①

りんご／１こ コップ／100こ

toosuto ／ ichi mai kami ／ hyaku mai

ringo ／ ikko koppu ／ hyakko

②

②

ワイン／１ぽん えんぴつ／1000ぼんwain ／ ippon enpitsu ／ sen bon

③

③

コーヒー／１ぱい いぬ／1000びきkohii ／ ippai inu ／ sen biki

④④

⑤

⑤

ほん／１さつhon ／ issatsu

⑥

⑥

パソコン／１だいpasokon ／ ichi dai

くるま／１00だいkuruma ／ hyaku dai

⑦

⑦

りんご／ひとつ コップ／とおringo ／ hitotsu koppu ／ too

⑧⑧

⑨

⑨

おとこのひと／ひとりotoko no hito ／ hitori

おんなのこ／４にんonna no ko ／ yo nin

yo nin