Japanese Counters List: Must-Know Counter Words With Examples

If you've been learning Japanese for even a little while, you've probably noticed that counting things gets weird fast. You can't just say "three" and point at something. Japanese uses different counters depending on what you're counting, and honestly, it feels overwhelming at first. But here's the good news: most Japanese speakers use maybe 20-30 counters regularly, and you can get pretty far with even fewer. This guide breaks down the essential Japanese counters you'll actually use, with clear examples and pronunciation help to make learning them way less painful.😎

How Japanese counters work

The Japanese language handles counting completely differently from English. Instead of saying "three dogs" or "two books," you need to use a specific counter word that matches what you're counting.

For example, to say "three dogs," you'd say . The counter is specifically for small animals. Change what you're counting to books, and you need a different counter: , where counts bound objects.

The tricky part? Japanese has somewhere between 300 to 500 different counters depending on who's counting. Some sources claim there are even more if you include archaic or super specialized ones. But before you freak out, remember that native speakers don't use most of these either. You'll cover 80% of daily situations with about 15 common counters.

The generic counter: つ (tsu)

Thank goodness this exists. When you're starting to learn Japanese or just can't remember the specific counter for something, works as your safety net. It's a native Japanese counting system that goes from 1 to 10.

Here's how it works:

This counter saves you constantly. Ordering at a restaurant? "Mittsu kudasai" (Three, please) works fine. The pronunciation is straightforward compared to other counters, which makes it perfect for beginners. Past ten, you'll need to switch to specific counters, but honestly, this tsu system handles a ton of everyday situations.

Basic counters you'll use constantly

個 (ko): Small, round-ish objects

The counter 個 is probably the most versatile specific counter you'll learn. It's used to count small, relatively compact objects that don't fit neatly into other categories. Think fruits, erasers, balls, eggs, basically anything smallish and roughly three-dimensional.

Examples:

Notice how "ichi-ko" becomes "ikko"? That's a sound change that happens with certain numbers. The pronunciation shifts to make it easier to say. You'll see this pattern with many counters.

枚 (mai): Flat objects

Anything thin and flat gets counted with 枚. Paper, photographs, shirts, plates, pizza slices, tickets, you get the idea. If it's basically two-dimensional or sheet-like, mai is your counter.

Examples:

This counter is super useful because so many everyday items are flat. Once you get comfortable with mai, you'll use it constantly.

本 (hon): Long, cylindrical objects

The counter 本 handles anything long and cylindrical. Bottles, pens, umbrellas, bananas, trees, even rivers and roads. The key is the elongated shape.

Examples:

Here's where pronunciation gets interesting. Hon changes to pon or bon depending on the number. One is ippon, two is ni-hon, three is san-bon. These sound changes follow patterns, but honestly, you'll pick them up naturally with practice.

人 (nin): Counting people

When you need to count people, 人 is your counter. But watch out, because the first two numbers are completely irregular. After that, it follows a pattern.

Examples:

The counter for Japanese people (or any people, really) starts with these irregular forms that just need memorization. You'll hear hitori and futari constantly in daily conversation, so they stick pretty quickly.

冊 (satsu): Bound objects and books

Books, magazines, notebooks, and anything bound together use 冊. This one's pretty straightforward in terms of what it counts.

Examples:

Notice "ichi-satsu" becomes "is-satsu." These pronunciation changes happen to make the words flow better, and you'll get used to them as you practice.

Counters for living things

匹 (hiki): Small animals

This counter handles most small animals like dogs, cats, fish, insects, basically anything that's not huge and not a bird. The pronunciation shifts between hiki, piki, and biki depending on the number.

Examples:

When you're talking about pets or small animals, this is the counter you need. It's one of the most common ones for living creatures.

羽 (wa): Birds and rabbits

Birds get their own counter, and weirdly, so do rabbits (apparently because of some old Buddhist thing about classifying them as birds to get around eating restrictions). The counter is 羽, pronounced "wa."

Examples:

This is a pretty specialized counter, but if you're talking about birds or happen to discuss rabbits, you'll need it.

頭 (tou): Large animals

Big animals like horses, cows, elephants, lions get counted with 頭. It literally means "head," which makes sense when you think about counting livestock.

Examples:

You won't use this daily unless you work on a farm or at a zoo, but it's good to know the different counter exists for larger animals.

Time-related counters

回 (kai): Occurrences and frequency

When you want to say how many times something happens, 回 is the counter. "Three times a week," "once a day," that kind of thing.

Examples:

This counter shows up constantly when discussing routines, habits, or frequency of events.

分 (fun/pun): Minutes

Counting minutes uses 分, which alternates between "fun" and "pun" pronunciation depending on the number. It's one of those counters where the sound changes feel random at first.

Examples:

You'll use this counter every time you talk about duration or tell time, so it becomes second nature pretty fast.

Days of the month

Counting days gets messy because Japanese uses different words for many dates rather than a consistent counter pattern. The day of the month doesn't follow the normal counting rules for most dates.

Examples:

These are basically vocabulary words you memorize rather than a counter you can construct logically. They're irregular and just need practice.

Useful counters for specific situations

台 (dai): Machines and vehicles

Cars, computers, bicycles, appliances, basically any mechanical or electronic device gets counted with 台.

Examples:

This counter comes up whenever you're talking about technology or transportation.

杯 (hai/pai/bai): Cups and glasses

Drinks in containers use 杯. Coffee, beer, water, anything in a cup or glass.

Examples:

Ordering drinks at a restaurant? This is your counter.

階 (kai): Floors of a building

When talking about building floors, 階 counts them. The pronunciation stays pretty consistent as "kai."

Examples:

You'll need this for giving directions, talking about where offices are located, or navigating department stores.

足 (soku): Pairs of footwear

Shoes, socks, anything you wear on your feet in pairs gets counted with 足.

Examples:

Shopping for shoes? You'll hear this counter at every store.

Learning Japanese counters without losing your mind

Here's the thing about counters: you don't need to memorize all 300+ of them. Focus on maybe 15-20 common counters and you'll handle most situations. The rest you can pick up gradually as you encounter them.

Anyway, if you want to practice counters with actual Japanese content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up unfamiliar counter words instantly while watching videos or reading. Sometimes the AI-generated subtitles do not show the pronunciation change, but the dictionary will display the correct hiragana for counters. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

Do you know that many Japanese counters are very similar to the Chinese ones?

Japanese and Chinese share many similarities in kanji, Chinese characters, pronunciation, and counters, of course. But the similarity can also be false friends that trick you badly! While 个/個 has the same usage in Chinese, 枚 is mostly for small objects like a brooch. By consuming more media, you will get more used to the range of use of each counter, but knowing Chinese definitely gives you a head start.

Immersion beats rote memorization!