Here we will introduce the most commonly used counters and their usage. This page wil be updated when more counters are added.
Object counters:
- ~つ (tsu) counter - the versatile, general-purpose counter for all kinds of objects
- ~個 (ko) counter - for small objects with a definite shape
- ~枚 (mai) counter - for flat, thin objects (paper, tickets, plates)
- ~本 (hon) counter - for long, thin, cylindrical objects (pens, bottles, umbrellas)
- ~冊 (satsu) counter - for books and bound volumes
- ~丁 (chou) counter - for long, narrow tools (guns, scissors, shamisen)
- ~台 (dai) counter - for machines, vehicles and electronic devices
- ~字 (ji) counter - for written characters and letters
- ~軒 (ken) counter - for houses and buildings
- ~面 (men) counter - for flat surfaces (boards, walls, mirrors, screens)
People counters:
- ~人 (nin) counter - the default counter for people
- ~名 (mei) counter - for counting people in formal situations
Animal counters:
- ~匹 (hiki) counter - for small animals (cats, dogs, fish, insects)
- ~頭 (tou) counter - for large animals (cows, horses, elephants)
- ~羽 (wa) counter - for birds (and, by tradition, rabbits)
Floor counters:
- ~階 (kai) counter - for counting building floors and levels
Drink and serving counters:
- ~杯 (hai) counter - for cupfuls and glassfuls (drinks, bowls of rice or noodles)
Frequency counters (times / occurrences):
- ~回 (kai) counter - the neutral counter for a number of times
- ~度 (do) counter - for times / occasions, with an emphatic nuance
Duration counters:
- ~週間 (shuukan) counter - for counting a span of weeks
Order and position:
- ~番 (ban) counter - for order, rank, position and turns
Age counter:
- ~歳 / ~才 (sai) counter - for telling age (note the irregular はたち for 20)
Ordinal numbers:
- ~目 (me) ordinal numbers - making “first, second, third” by adding ~目 to a counter