Let Me Count The Ways...

~One of the many unusual aspects of the Japanese language is the way it counts objects. There are many different ways of expressing a certain number of objects, based on what category the object falls into. Each category has its own way of saying the number of objects. Confused? So am I. Here are some examples of different counting categories:

Default: 1. hitotsu, 2. futatsu, 3. mitsu, 4. yotsu, 5.itsutsu

For example, if someone asks you, "Isu ga ikutsu arimasu ka?" (How many chairs are there?), and there are two in the room, you would say, "Futatsu arimasu" (There are two).

The default method of counting objects is used for things that don't fall into the other categories (such as furniture). It can also be used in a pinch if you don't know the "proper" counting method.

People: 1. hitori, 2. futari, 3. sannin, 4. yonnin, 5. gonin...
~For example, in Japanese, "two people" is futari. However, since "nin" means person, counting people becomes easy after the first two.

Pairs of Footwear: 1. isoku, 2. nisoku, 3. sanzoku, 4. yonsoku, 5. gosoku...
~Also easy to remember, since "soku" sounds like "sock". But the "zo" in #3 throws me off, although it is easier to say than "sansoku", which is the whole point.

Small Animals (cat, fish, etc.): 1. ipiki, 2. nihiki, 3. sanbiki, 4. yonhiki, 5. gohiki...

Large Animals (horse, elephant, etc.): 1. itou, 2. nitou, 3. santou, 4. yontou, 5. gotou...

Machines: 1. ichidai, 2. nidai, 3. sandai, 4. yondai, 5. godai...

Some additional counting-method categories include books, fruits, long things, birds, flat things, hours, days, months, years, and (my personal favorite) cups with liquid in them. The method of counting is actually different if the cup is empty!

Considering all these different ways of counting, can you imagine the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" in Japanese?! Each set of gifts has its own method of counting...well, I suppose the hachinin (8) maids-a-milking, jyunin (10) lords-a-leaping, jyuichinin (11) pipers-piping, and the jyuninin (12) drummers-drumming would all fall under the category of "people".

Tricky, isn't it? Fortunately, you can always fall back on the default counting method. It may not sound as refined, but it gets the job done. ~Oyasumi!