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Questions tagged [counters]

助数詞. Suffixes attached to numbers to indicate what is being counted. In linguistics, these are sometimes called 'classifiers'. The combination of a number plus a classifier forms a type of 'quantifier', and the movement of quantifiers into other parts of the sentence is called 'quantifier float'.

2 votes
1 answer
474 views

Is there rendaku with consecutive counters?

In this Asahi article about a bicycle-powered knitting machine, the following sentence appeared: [1足分]{いっそくふん}を[編]{あ}むのに[10分]{じゅっぷん}[程度]{ていど}こぐという It takes about 10 minutes of pedaling to knit one ...
Ned Reif's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
133 views

Counter modifying noun with という

... 何百というふくろうが四方八方に飛び交う光景が見られました。 You could see the sight of hundreds of owls flying in every direction. I'm intrigued by 何百というふくろう. Why is という used here? I get very confused when it comes to numbers ...
user3856370's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
128 views

Is it appropriate to use 一人 as a noun in the subject position?

What is more appropriate: using the normal counting rules or using the numeral+counter directly as the subject? 一人の人が来ました/人が一人来ました/人一人が来ました Or 一人が来ました/7人が来ました etc? Are they both ok? Is there a nuance? ...
Manab's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
45 views

Difference between ... 椅子が三つ and 三つの椅子? [duplicate]

Please, is there a difference between these two sentences!? Duolingo translates them both the same! 部屋に 椅子が三つ あります。 部屋に 三つの椅子が あります。 I believe they should have slightly different meanings, but I don'...
Juliana Pacheco's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
78 views

Are these counter readings correct? [closed]

Are these furigana correct? 多【おお】い日【ひ】で [1日]【いちにち】 に [10袋]【じっぷくろ】 以上【いじょう】出【で】ますので、約【やく】 [100]【ひゃく】 [kg]【キログラム】 程度【ていど】出【で】ます On a typical day, we produce more than 10 bags (of bread crusts) a day, ...
Ned Reif's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
215 views

Number+counter when NOT used as an adverb

Following up from this question, I'm curious how Japanese people naturally describe the numbers of things when NOT used like an adverb. Do they still use 「thing + number + counter」, just like when ...
Hikonyan's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
216 views

Number appearing after counter

In the deckbuilding card game Slay the Spire, I encountered this card description: 強打:8ダメージを与える。弱体2を与える。 (弱体 is a status effect that in this case, lasts for 2 turns.) Previously I had only seen ...
teeferz's user avatar
  • 179
4 votes
1 answer
258 views

How to say "There are two of each"?

Say I have 8 tea bags, and there are two of each type of tea bag; 2 early gray, 2 mint tea, ... . How can I say "there are two of each (kind)"?
A. Mashreghi's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
65 views

Understanding 人間界単位で

From the first episode of Death Note: 名前のあとに人間界単位で40秒以内に死因を書くと そのとおりになる Questions: What purpose is "人間界単位で" ("within human-world units") serving in this sentence? Grammatically,...
George's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
148 views

expressing fractions of people?

One pronounces "two people" as 二人【ふたり】, but what happens with "2.7 people"? Is the following reading of this sentence correct? このうち[2.7]{にてんなな}人【にん】に1人【ひとり】が「重【おも】い荷物【にもつ】を背負【せお】...
Ned Reif's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
95 views

Why is 2つ not marked with a を particle here?

The sentence 質問が2つあります。 translates to I have a couple of questions. But I assume the more literal translation is something like: Questions, there exist two. Question: If my literal translation ...
George's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
295 views

What does 男手一つで育てる literally mean?

紅緒を男手一つで育てた陸軍少佐。 It's from はいからさんが通る. It means "Major who raised Benio with his own (male) help", right? To me, if "help" could be countable in English, it would be "Major ...
Haragurodanshi's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
562 views

Are browser tabs タブ counted as つ or 個?

Safari counts tabs as 個 even for small numbers like 5. I wonder, is this the accurate counter word for browser tabs? Or are tabs counted with generic つ that becomes 個 for numbers greater than 10, but ...
Glutexo's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
212 views

How can we figure out how counters are read with each number?

I see from this post that there are patterns for dakuten for counters. This page is also linked there as reference. However, I'd like to know if there is a way to look these things up. The reason I'm ...
Shurim's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
149 views

How are fundoshi counted?

「昔【むかし】は裸【はだか】やったけ、なお寒【さむ】かった」と振【ふ】り返【かえ】る秀子【ひでこ】さんは[30歳]【さんじゅっさい】までふんどし[1枚]【いちまい】で潜【もぐ】っていた "I used to dive naked and it was even colder," recalls Hideko, who dove in a loincloth until she ...
Ned Reif's user avatar
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