form N5 essential casualpolitewritten

助数詞 — Counters

助数詞・じょすうし

Meaning

counter suffixes — number words attached to a numeral to count a specific kind of thing

Japanese can't count bare nouns the way English does ('three book'). A counter that matches the thing's shape or type attaches to the number itself, and its reading often fuses irregularly with the numeral.

Key sentence

りんごを三みっつ買かった。

I bought three apples.

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
general objects	〜つ (1–9, native) / 〜個こ	三みっつ、五個ごこ
people	〜人にん	一人ひとり、二人ふたり、三人さんにん
flat things	〜枚まい	切符きっぷを二枚にまい
long things	〜本ほん	ペンを三本さんぼん
times / occurrences	〜回かい	二回にかい
small animals	〜匹ひき	猫ねこを一匹いっぴき

When: The number + counter phrase usually sits just before the verb (or after the noun + が/を); pick the counter by the type or shape of what you count.

Examples

教室きょうしつに学生がくせいが五人ごにんいる。

There are five students in the classroom.

people

ビールを三本さんぼんください。

Three (bottles of) beer, please.

long things — 本 → ぼん

紙かみを一枚いちまいください。

Please give me one sheet of paper.

flat things

一日いちにちに二回にかい薬くすりを飲のむ。

I take medicine twice a day.

occurrences

犬いぬを二匹にひき飼かっている。

I keep two dogs.

small animals — 匹 → ひき/びき/ぴき

When you can't use it

The number + counter reading often changes the counter's first consonant: 一本いっぽん, 三本さんぼん, 六本ろっぽん — learn each counter's sound series rather than reading 本 as ほん every time.

Notes

The native 〜つ series (一ひとつ … 九ここのつ, then 十とお) is a fallback counter for many objects when you don't know the specific one.
Ask 'how many' with 何なん + counter: 何人なんにん, 何枚なんまい, 何回なんかい.

See 助数詞 in real sentences

Jengo shows 助数詞 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo