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.

Ready to practice? Test your counter knowledge with our free Japanese Counter Practice Tool — study mode + interactive quiz with 251 questions.

Counters sit on top of the number system, so if 4, 7 and 9 still trip you up, read Japanese numbers 1 to 100 and beyond first. The sound changes below are much easier once the readings underneath them are solid.

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.

Practice Japanese Counters

Now that you know the rules, put them to the test! Our Japanese Counter Practice Tool has 251 quiz questions across 7 categories (people, animals, objects, time, food, money, location). Study the readings first, then quiz yourself with instant feedback and explanations for every answer.