A Complete Guide to Japanese Counter Words (人・匹・本 etc.)

Japanese uses counter words (助じょ数すう詞し, josūshi) when counting things. Unlike English where you simply say "three cats" or "five books," Japanese requires a specific counter word that changes based on the object's characteristics.

The basic pattern is: [Number] + [Counter] + の + [Noun].

This guide provides a complete reference with pronunciation tables for over 50 essential Japanese counter words.

Table of Contents

• Sound Change Patterns (sokuon: small っ)
• People Counters
• Animal Counters
• Object Counters
• Time Counters
• Place Counters
• Food & Drink Counters
• Frequency Counters
• Specialized Counters
• Generic Counter つ
• Japanese Counter Chart (People, Animals, Objects, Time)

Sound Change Patterns (sokuon: small っ)

When numbers 1 / 6 / 8 / 10 meet counters starting with p/b/k/s/t sounds, the consonant doubles (small っ). You don’t say “itsu/roku/…”, you just geminate the next consonant.

Pattern:

• 1 (ichi) → i + counter with doubled consonant → ippon / ippiki / ippun
• 6 (roku) → ro + doubled consonant → roppon / roppiki / roppun
• 8 (hachi) → ha + doubled consonant → happon / happiki / happun
• 10 (jū) → ju + doubled consonant → juppon / juppiki / juppun

Quick examples

• 本 (long things): ippon, sanbon, roppon, happon, juppon
• 匹 (small animals): ippiki, sanbiki, roppiki, happiki, juppiki
• 分 (minutes): ippun, sanpun, yonfun, roppun, happun, juppun

People Counters

人にん (nin) — People (General)

名めい (mei) — People (Formal/Polite)

Used in customer service, reservations, and other formal contexts.

Animal Counters

匹ひき (hiki/piki/biki) — Small Animals

Used for dogs, cats, fish, insects, and small reptiles.

頭とう (tō) — Large Animals

Used for horses, cows, elephants, bears, and other large mammals.

羽わ (wa) — Birds and Rabbits

Used for all birds, and also rabbits.

Object Counters

本ほん (hon/pon/bon) — Long, Cylindrical Objects

Used for pens, bottles, trees, umbrellas, bananas, videos, and even train lines.

枚まい (mai) — Flat, Thin Objects

Used for paper, tickets, plates, photos, shirts, and CDs.

個こ (ko) — Small, Roundish Objects (and general purpose)

Used for apples, boxes, erasers, and eggs. Also used as a default when you're unsure which counter to use.

冊さつ (satsu) — Bound Volumes

Used for books, magazines, notebooks, and manga volumes.

台だい (dai) — Machines and Vehicles

Used for cars, computers, TVs, bicycles, pianos, and appliances.

Time Counters

時じ (ji) — Hours / O'clock

分ふん (fun/pun) — Minutes

Other Time Counters

Place Counters

階かい (kai/gai) — Floors of a Building

軒けん (ken/gen) — Houses and Buildings

Food & Drink Counters

杯はい (hai/pai/bai) — Cups, Bowls, and Glasses

Used for coffee, tea, beer, ramen, and rice bowls.

Other Food Counters

Frequency Counters

回かい (kai) — Times / Occurrences

度ど (do) — Times / Degrees

More formal than 回. Also used for temperature and angles.

Specialized Counters

Generic Counter つ (tsu)

This is a native Japanese counting system used when you don't know the specific counter. It only works for numbers 1 through 10.

Japanese Counter Chart (People, Animals, Objects, Time)

This chart highlights the most common irregular pronunciations. Irregular readings are marked in bold.