115 Counters 4.1.3 Superstition and numbers
Many hotels in Japan lack a 13th storey, which is a Western import. More traditionally, because of the homophony between
死
shi (‘four’, ‘death’) and 苦 ku (‘nine’, ‘suffering’), hospitals have no wards 4 and 9, and hotels, etc. usually lack a fourth storey.116 4 Numbers and counters
Animals are counted with -ti or -hiki, with -ti being used for larger species, such as cows, horses and pigs. Note that the size does not matter, e.g.
piglets and calves are still counted with -ti (examples b and c).
b 八頭の子ブタを出産させるのに成功した。
Hat-tn no kobuta o shussan saseru no ni seikn shita.
They succeeded in making it produce eight piglets.
c 二十へクタールの放牧場で成牛、子牛合わせて四十三頭を飼育 している。
Nijo hekutkru no hnbokujn de seigyo, koushi awasete yonjosan-tn o shi-iku shite iru.
On the 20ha. dairy farm, they keep a total of 43 grown cattle and calves.
d 紛争地帯に埋められたままの地雷は一億一千万個に上る。
Funsnchitai ni umerareta mama no jirai wa ichioku issenman-ko ni noboru.
The [number of] landmines still buried in conflict areas amounts to 110 million.
Note 3 – counters of time and measurement count themselves, i.e. they don’t count other nouns.
e この一年で二倍に膨らんだ。
Kono ichinen de nibai ni fukuranda.
In the past year, it has doubled.
f 入場料は一回券で七百円。
Nyojnryn wa ikkai-ken de nanahyaku-en.
The entrance fee is ¥700 for a single ticket.
Note 4 – the counter of time, -ji, is used to indicate the time, but when
間 -kan is added, the hours are counted. Compare:
g 一時 ichiji ‘1 o’clock’
h 一時間 ichijikan ‘1 hour’
Other counters of time can be used in the sense of ‘period of time’ by themselves, and adding
間
-kan does not change that meaning, but makes it more explicit.i ✐三十分待った。 Sanjuppun matta. ‘I waited 30 minutes.’
j ✐三十分間待った。 Sanjuppun-kan matta. ‘I waited for (a period of) 30 minutes.’
Number + counter is used to count nouns in the following ways.
117 Counters 4.2.1 Number + counter no noun
Numbers + counter can precede the noun, with the particle no attached.
a その奥に二枚のドアが見えている。
Sono oku ni ni-mai no doa ga miete iru.
Beyond her [= female figure in painting], two doors are visible.
4.2.2 Number + counter + particle 4.2.2.1 One number only
a 三階には宿泊客共通の浴場がある。
San-gai ni wa shukuhaku-kyaku kyntso no yokujn ga aru.
On the third floor is a bath for joint use by lodgers.
4.2.2.2 Two numbers, separated by comma or hyphen:
approximate numbers
Two consecutive numbers, usually separated by a comma (but pronounced as one unit), or less commonly by a hyphen (example c) are one way of expressing approximate numbers (see 23.1; see also 4.1.1.1 for other ways of expressing approximate numbers).
a だが、ここ五、六年で風向きがー変した。
Daga, koko go, roku-nen de kazamuki ga ippen shita.
However, in the past five or six years the situation has changed completely.
b 旅に出ると、人々は普通の五、六倍のお金を使う。
Tabi ni deru to, hitobito wa futso no go, roku-bai no okane o tsukau.
When they go on a trip, people spend five or six times as much money as usual.
c 決意するまでには二―三週間悩み抜いた。
Ketsui suru made-ni wa nisan-shokan nayaminuita.
He worried for several weeks before he made up his mind.
Table 4.1 Common number and counter combinations CounterNumber ichinisanshigorokushichihachikyo/kujo hito-futa-mit-yo(t)-itsu-mut-nanayat-kokono-to doruyondoru ($) enyo-en (¥) funippunsanpunyonpunroppunnanafunhappunkyofunjuppun (minutes)hachifunjippun pondoyonpondonanapondokyopondojuppondo (lb. or £)jippondo honipponsanbonyonhonropponnanahonhapponkyohonjuppon (bottles, etc.)jippon kagetsuikkagetsuyonkagetsurokkagetsujukkagetsu (months)jikkagetsu kaisangairokkainanakaihachikaijukkai (storeys)sankaijikkai koikkoyonkorokkonanakohakkokyokojukko (default counter)jikko maiyonmaikyomai (flat objects)kumai nichiichinichi futsukamikkayokkaitsukamuikananokaynkakokonokatnka (days)tsuitachi*nanuka ninyonin (humans) nenyonen (years) pksentoippksentoyonpksentojuppksento (%)jippksento
pljiippljiyonpljiroppljinanapljihappljikyopejijupplji (pages)hachipljijippeji rihitorifutari—————— (humans)jikko saiissainanasaihassaijussai (years of age)jissai satsuissatsuyonsatsunanasatsuhassatsukyosatsujussatsu (bound objects)jissatsu shoisshoyonshonanashohasshokyoshojussho (weeks)jisshu tnittnyontnnanatnhattnkyotnjuttn (large animals)jittn tsuhitotsufutatsumittsuyottsuitsutsumuttsunanatsuyattsukokonotsu― (default counter: NJ numbers only) tsukihitotsukifutatsukimitsuki——————— (months) wasanbayonwajuppa (birds)jippa wariyonwarikyowari (10% unit) Notes* Only used in the meaning of the first of the month. The table lists some common counters and the way they combine with numbers. Only those combinations which involve sound change, irregular formation or only one of two regular ways of formation are listed (the remainder is predictable, consisting of the numeral (ichi, ni, etc.) given at the top plus the form of the counter given in the vertical left column). Note, however, that the pronunciation, especially of the syllabic n, varies according to its phonetic environment; for instance, before b and m, it is pronounced as m. Combinations with nan- how many are the same as those with san three. With counters expressing time (fun, nen, etc.), the suffix -kan can be added (optionally in the case of byn, fun, nen, nichi and sho) to indicate duration of time. For instance, goji on its own means 5 o’clock, whereas gojikan means five hours. Note, however, that whereas the months of the year (January–December) are counted ichi- gatsu, nigatsu, etc., one month is ikkagetsu, to which -kan can be added. The days of the month from the 11th onwards are as follows, in so far as they are irregular: 14thjoyokka20thhatsuka 19thjokunichi24thnijoyokka
120 4 Numbers and counters
4.2.3 Noun (+ particle) [number + counter] verb
Note that [number + counter] can also be placed between [noun (+ particle)]
and verb.
a ✐ビールを三本〱ださい。(cf., ビールを〱ださい) Bmru o san-bon kudasai.
Three bottles of beer, please.
b 一番安い天井桟敷席を一枚買った。
Ichiban yasui tenjnsajiki-seki o ichi-mai katta.
I bought one ticket for an upper circle seat, which is the cheapest.
4.2.4 Noun [number ‘one’ + counter] (+ particle)
[Number + counter] can be sandwiched between noun and particle. Note that only the number ‘one’ is used in this sense, which in negative sentences has the implication of ‘just one’, ‘a single . . .’.
a 離婚原因は夫の気ままで不安定な生活ぶり。「旅行に出かけると いっては数カ月、家を空ける。その間電話一本ない。そんなこ とが何度もあった」。
Rikon gen’in wa otto no kimama de fuantei na seikatsu-buri.
‘Ryokn ni dekakeru to itte wa sokagetsu, ie o akeru. Sono kan denwa ip-pon nai. Sonna koto ga nando mo atta’.
The reason for the divorce was the husband’s irregular lifestyle.
‘He would say he’d go on a trip, and stay away from home for months. During that time, there wouldn’t be a single phone call.
That sort of thing happened many times.’
b 葉っぱ一枚を見ても仕方がない。
Happa ichi-mai o mite mo shikata ga nai.
There is no point looking at a single leaf [= satellite pictures need to show more than that].
c レンズ一枚の価格は二万二千円。
Renzu ichi-mai no kakaku wa niman nisen-en.
The price for one lens is ¥22,000.
121 Ordinal numbers 4.2.5 Number + counter with ellipted noun
Where the context makes it clear which noun they refer to, number + counter can be used without the noun they count.
a 精密なイラストは •••息をのむほど美しい。一枚を仕上げるのに 一カ月〱らいかかるそうだ。
Seimitsu na irasuto wa . . . iki o nomu hodo utsukushii.
Ichi-mai o shiageru no ni ikkagetsu kurai kakaru sn da.
The accurate illustrations . . . are breathtakingly beautiful. Apparently it takes about one month to finish one.