A really fascinating element of Japanese is all of the special counters used for counting things. Whether you’re counting birds, small animals, books or bread loafs there’s a special counter for each. I’ve never seen anything like that before and was surprised. English has nothing like this that I’m aware of. Here are some counters I’ve learned so far:
Bread load counter – 斤 (きん)
- Example – パン三斤があります
Bird counter – 羽 (わ)
- Example – 鶏五羽が見えます
People counter – 人 (にん)
- Example – 二人が走りません
Small animal counter – 匹 (ひき, ぴき, びき)
- Example – 魚一匹が食べました
There are many more than this, but I have to say my favorite for sure is the bread loaf counter. I was amazed upon first learning that. Just one of the many fascinating things about the language! I know there’s much more in store for me as I continue.
またね！