Japanese Counter Words Quiz
Practice Japanese counters — 本, 枚, 冊, 台, 匹, 杯 and more. Multiple-choice questions with explanations of pronunciation changes (rendaku, sokuon). Free, no signup, perfect for JLPT N5 and N4 prep.
Start a New Round
10 multiple-choice questions covering the most common Japanese counters. Each question shows an English context — pick the correct Japanese counter form.
Common Japanese Counters Cheat Sheet
本 (hon)
Long thin objects — pencils, bottles, umbrellas, trains
1: ippon · 3: sanbon · 6: roppon · 8: happon
枚 (mai)
Flat thin objects — paper, plates, photos, T-shirts, tickets
1: ichimai · 3: sanmai · 5: gomai (consistent)
冊 (satsu)
Bound items — books, magazines, notebooks
1: issatsu · 3: sansatsu · 8: hassatsu
台 (dai)
Vehicles and machines — cars, computers, washing machines
1: ichidai · 3: sandai (consistent)
匹 (hiki)
Small animals — cats, dogs, fish, insects
1: ippiki · 3: sanbiki · 6: roppiki
人 (nin)
People — irregular for 1 (hitori) and 2 (futari)
1: hitori · 2: futari · 3: sannin · 4: yonin
杯 (hai)
Cups, glasses, bowls of liquid
1: ippai · 3: sanbai · 6: roppai
つ (universal)
Generic counter for any object 1–10. Native Japanese reading.
1: hitotsu · 2: futatsu · 3: mittsu · 4: yottsu · 5: itsutsu
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Japanese counter words?
Japanese counter words (助数詞 josūshi) are special suffixes attached to numbers when counting things. Unlike English where you just say "three books" or "five cars", Japanese requires a specific counter for each type of object — 三冊 (san-satsu) for books, 五台 (go-dai) for cars. There are over 500 counters in Japanese, but learners only need about 20–30 to handle everyday situations.
Why does the pronunciation of counters change?
Counter readings change due to phonetic rules called rendaku and sokuon. For example, 本 is pronounced hon by itself but becomes pon (一本 ippon, 三本 sanbon, 六本 roppon) depending on the preceding number. The same happens with 杯 (hai/pai), 匹 (hiki/piki), and 分 (fun/pun). These changes feel arbitrary at first but follow predictable patterns once you memorize the most common combinations.
Which counters do I need for JLPT N5?
For JLPT N5 you need the universal つ counter (one to ten generic objects), 人 (people), 個 (small objects), 本 (long thin objects), 枚 (flat thin objects), 冊 (books), 台 (machines and vehicles), 匹 (small animals), 杯 (cups and bowls), 円 (yen), 時 (hours), 分 (minutes), 月 (months), 日 (days), 歳 (age), and 階 (floors). Mastering these 16 will cover ~95% of everyday counting situations.
When do I use つ vs the specific counter?
The native Japanese つ counter (一つ hitotsu, 二つ futatsu, 三つ mittsu...) works as a generic safety net for any object up to ten. If you do not know the specific counter, つ is almost always acceptable. However, native speakers prefer the specific counter when one exists — saying 三つ when ordering three coffees works, but 三杯 (sanbai) is more natural. Above ten, you must use the specific counter.
What is the difference between 回 and 度?
回 (kai) and 度 (do) both mean "times" or "occurrences" but differ in nuance. 回 emphasizes the number of repetitions of an action (三回 sankai = three times you did something). 度 emphasizes the occasion or instance, often with a sense of "this time" or carries weather/temperature meanings (今度 kondo = next time, 三度目 sandome = the third time). For everyday counting of repetitions, 回 is more common.
How is this quiz structured?
Each round shows you ten questions in the format "How do you count N [object]?" with four multiple-choice options. After each answer you see whether you got it right plus a short explanation of the counter and any pronunciation changes. At the end you get a score and a review of the questions you missed.