How to Count in Japanese – Part Six – Review Notes
There are many ways to count things in Japanese depending on the type of object being counted! Today we will learn how to count large animals in Japanese!
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Today’s Counter is: 頭
★ You can use the Japanese counter 頭 (とう – tou) to count large animals such as horses, cows, or elephants!
★ If you missed our other lesson, click here to learn how to count small animals in Japanese!
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Number 1:
★ The Japanese word for one (large animal) is 一頭 (いっとう – ittou).
★ Be careful! Although the number one in Japanese is ichi, 一頭 is not spoken as (いちとう – ichitou)!
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Number 2:
★ The Japanese word for two (large animals) is 二頭 (にとう – nitou).
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Number 3:
★ The Japanese word for three (large animals) is 三頭 (さんとう – santou).
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Number 4:
★ The Japanese word for four (large animals) is 四頭 (よんとう – yontou).
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Number 5:
★ The Japanese word for five (large animals) is 五頭 (ごとう – gotou).
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Number 6:
★ The Japanese word for six (large animals) is 六頭 (ろくとう – rokutou).
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Number 7:
★ The Japanese word for seven (large animals) is 七頭 (ななとう – nanatou).
★ You can also say 七頭 (しちとう – shichitou).
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Number 8:
★ The Japanese word for eight (large animals) is 八頭 (はっとう – hattou).
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Number 9:
★ The Japanese word for nine (large animals) is 九頭 (きゅうとう – kyuutou).
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Number 10:
★ The Japanese word for ten (large animals) is 十頭 (じゅっとう – juttou).
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Counting Past 10:
★ To count more than 10 large animals, refer to the numbers below. Same as with other types of Japanese counting, try to notice the pattern! (11 is 10 and 1, 12 is 10 and 2, etc.)
十一頭 11頭 jūittou
十二頭 12頭 jūnitou
十三頭 13頭 jūsantou
十四頭 14頭 jūyontou
十五頭 15頭 jūgotou
十六頭 16頭 jūrokutou
十七頭 17頭 jūnanatou
十八頭 18頭 jūhattou
十九頭 19頭 jūkyūtou
二十頭 20頭 nijuttou
二十一頭 21頭 nijūittou
二十二頭 22頭 nijūnitou
二十三頭 23頭 nijūsantou
二十四頭 24頭 nijūyontou
二十五頭 25頭 nijūgotou
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Example Sentence 1:
ぞうが３頭います。
Zou ga santou imasu.
There are three elephants.
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Example Sentence 2:
牛を１０頭飼っています。
Ushi o juttou katteimasu.
I have ten cows.
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Example Sentence 3:
一頭の馬が近づいて来た。
Ittou no uma ga chikazuitekita.
One horse came close (to me).
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Test Time!
Question:
ぞうは何頭いますか？
Zou wa nantou imasu ka?
How many elephants are there?
Answer:
ぞうが二頭います。
Zou ga nitou imasu.
There are two elephants.
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Question:
ライオンは何頭いますか？
Raion wa nantou imasu ka?
How many lions are there?
Answer:
ライオンが四頭います。
Raion ga yontou imasu.
There are four lions.
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Question:
馬は何頭いますか？
Uma wa nantou imasu ka?
How many horses are there?
Answer:
馬が五頭います。
Uma ga gotou imasu.
There are five horses.
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Conclusion:
Today we learned how to count large animals in Japanese! Check out some of our other counting lessons below!
How to count flat, thin objects
How to count long, cylindrical objects
How to count cars and other machines
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2 comments
Hi there, I have a question about the counting! This is more of a general question when it comes to counting. In japan do they write with our numbers, 1 2 3 like I’ve seen in your lessons or do they use symbols for them? I saw the ones up there when you were counting and they look the same as the ones they use in Chinese (I think).
Comment by Amber on 04/25/2014 at 9:19 amAlso its a great lesson I appreciate everything you guys do!
Sorry for the late response! In Japan, both Roman Numerals (1,2,3,etc.) and Kanji (Chinese Symbols) are used. It depends on the person writing, but these days it is very common to see numbers written like 1, 2, 3, etc. (◕ω◕)☆
Comment by PuniPuni on 05/07/2014 at 5:38 am