COUNTING

COUNTING

Whenever one studies a new language, one of the first things to learn is how to count. For instance, way back you learned:

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Before our first trip to Japan in 2001 we thought it would be good to know a few Japanese words, so we took some classes that the YMCA classes in Grove City was offering and one of the things we learned was:

Ichi, ni, san, yon, go, roku, nana, hachi, kyu, ju

“What could be easier”? At least that’s what we thought. And that is true--AS LONG AS YOU AREN’T REALLY COUNTING ANYTHING!

The Japanese language, like some other languages (Chinese for instance), uses “counter” words. Counter words describe what is being counted more than the English words with which we count. When I first heard someone count cars I heard ichidai, nidai, sandai. Since I knew that “ichi, ni, san” was “one, two, three,” I assumed that dai meant car. Of course I was wrong as the same counting words are also used to count computer monitors. In English when we count 5 pencils we are saying 5 of them. In Japanese, 5 pencils would be 5 of those long round cylindrical thingies. (This would also include certain plants, ties, bottles, guitars and bullet trains—the very fast trains in Japan).

So here we go. (I’ll limit everything to one, two, three, but those of you who bore easily might want to go back to playing solitaire unless the boss is close by.)

houses - ikken, niken, sanken
buildings - itto, nitou, santou
things - ikko, niko, sanko
tiny things - hitotsubu, futotubu, mitsubu
long things - ippon, nihon, sanbon
that thing - ichimai, nimai, sanmai
chop sticks - ichizen, nizen, sanzen*
kimono cloth - ittan, nitan, santan (or ippiki, nihiki)
bundles - hitotaba, futaba, mitaba
blossoms - hitohira, futahira, mihara
letters - hitomoji,futomoji, mimoji
letter lines - ichigyo,nigyo,sangyo
medicine drops - itteki, niteki, santeki
people - hitori,futori, sannin
small animals - ippiki, nihiki, sanbiki
birds, rabbits - ichiwa, niwa, sanwa**
big animals - ittoo, nitou, santou
fish - ichibi, nibi, sanbi
cups, glasses, spoonfuls, cuttlefish, octopuses, crabs - ippai, nihai, sanbai
airplanes - ikki, niki, sanki
boat - issou, nisou, sansou
ships - isseki, niseki, sanseki
books - issatsu, nisatsu, sansatsu
songs - ikkyoku, nikyoku, sankyoku
motel stay (nights) - ippaku, nihaku, sanhaku
boxes - hitohako, futahako, sanhako
bullets - ippatu, nihatu,sanpatu
tatami mats - ichijo, nijo, sanjo
dishes - hitosara, futasara, misara
bags - hitofukuro, futafukuro, mifukuro
round pears (or any round thing) - ikko, niko, sanko but...
sliced pears - hitokire, futakire, mikire
Japanese swords - hitofuri, futafuri, mifuri
cannons - ichimon, nimon, sammo
cockroaches - I asked how they count cockroaches but was told, "We don't usually count them."

*Those of you who are astute are saying, “Wait a minute... Aren’t chopsticks long things?” I asked the same question and was told it’s because they come in pairs.

**It might be an old wive’s tale, but I heard that many years ago the Japanese were not supposed to eat rabbits but many people liked the taste, so they counted them like birds and proceeded to enjoy the furry little creatures

I’m sure that there are other catagories, but I think you get the idea and understand why we will never learn the language; however, since I doubt I’ll ever have to count cannons, maybe the list is doable after all…