Counting houses in Japanese

Counting pencils and pens

Genkōyōshi for students

Presents お土産 おみやげ omiyage

souvenir  お土産　おみやげ　omiyage
present  プレゼント　purezento


birthday present  
たんじょうびの プレゼント　

tanjōbi no purezento

デパートで depaato de
In the department store

Mr and Mrs Shimada go shopping for a birthday present, so a present of some beautiful Noritake porcelain seems just the present for their best friend. In the department store there is so much choice and it makes it difficult to choose. How many will they choose?

おきゃくさん　okyakusan customers

おきゃくさま　okyakusama customers (staff language)

さら　sara dishes
おさら　osara dishes (very polite language)

花　はな　hana flowers

お花　おはな　ohana flowers (very polite language)

たくさんのおさらがあります。

takusan no osara ga arimasu

There are lots of dishes.

すみませんが、このおさらはいくらですか。

sumimasen ga, kono osara wa ikura desu ka

Excuse me, but how much do these dishes cost?

きれいですね。。。何がほしいですか。

kirei desu ne… nani ga hoshii desu ka

Beautiful, isn’t it… what would we like to have?

カードもいりますね。

kaado mo irimasu ne

We also need a card, don’t we?!

すみませんが、このカードはいくらですか。

sumimasen ga, kono kaado wa ikura desu ka

Excuse me, but how much do these cards cost?

あっ、このカードにしました。

ah, kono kaado ni shimashita

Oh, we have decided to have this one.

あかいばらのカードがすきです。

akai bara no kaado ga suki desu

We would like this card with the red rose.

お花もすきです。買いたいです。

o-hana mo suki desu      kaitai desu

We like some flowers too. We want to buy some.

このあかい花がすきです。

kono akai hana ga suki desu

We like these red flowers.

If you want to count items without any particular purpose in mind, or if you are not too sure about the exact counter, you use the following system. Certain is that Japanese do not count, while asking for a certain quantity, by using いち、に、さん etc. Maybe surprising, but true!

Here is the counter list for cups, when they are filled with liquid

Transportation of the past and the near future

Let’s count cars in Japanese!

  

バス

のバス

one bus

のバス

two buses

のバス

three buses

With gratitude to Merrilynn

Japanese squirrel りす risu

にひきのりす

nihiki no risu

two squirrels

さんびきのりす

sanbiki no risu

three squirrels

もういっぴきのりす

mō ippiki no risu

and another one squirrel

もういっぴきのりす

mō ippiki no risu

and another one squirrel

もういっぴきのりす

mō ippiki no risu

and another one squirrel

もういっぴきのりす

mō ippiki no risu

and another one squirrel

いっぴきのりす

ippiki no risu

one squirrel

いっぴきのりす

ippiki no risu

one squirrel

いっぴきのりす

ippiki no risu

one squirrel

Would you like a glass or a bottle?

Counting gadgets, contraptions and appliances

Many, Much, Lots of, A lot of

Counting pairs of shoes