Studying for the JLPT N5 and confused by how to read the different counters? Is 6個 read as ろくこ or ろっこ? I’ve summarized all the counters you are likely to see on the JLPT N5 below.

This is the complete guide–or the most complete one on the internet (Please use the contact form to let me know if anything is missing)–to the counters you are likely to encounter on the JLPT N5.

Bonus Content

Bonus content usually comes at the end, so it might seem weird to have it come first. But this is, in my mind, the most useful content in this entire article.

Bonus: 1-10 Possible Readings

Here is a summary of all the readings for 1-10 you will see in the counters listed below. I wish I had been showed me this summary table when I was studying Japanese. There’s something about having all of this information in a single table that makes it much easier to learn.

A good review is to look at each alternate reading and name at least one counter that uses it. Ex.: One alternate reading for 1 is ひと. This is used in the counter for people: 1人 (ひとり).

*: 1日 (ついたち)

Bonus: 14

Many Japanese textbooks pay special attention to 14 because it often has an irregular reading. I don’t because it is mostly unnecessary memorization.

In general, the reading for 14 (or 24, etc.) can be derived by using the same reading as 4.

Ex. The 4 in 14円 (じゅうよえん) is pronounced the same as 4円 (よえん).
Ex. The 4 in 24日 (にじゅうよっか) is pronounced the same as 4日 (よっか).

JLPT N5 Counters

The tables below present the readings for 1-10 for each counter. I have highlighted in red places where the counter differs from the basic reading as defined in the bonus content above.

Some counters have multiple possible readings. Ex. 8階 is read as both はちかい and はっかい. I have given what I feel is the reading most used in daily life (in Tokyo). JLPT multiple choice questions are unlikely to ask you to choose between two readings such as はちかい and はっかい because they are both correct. The listening section will probably use what the test creators feel is the most popular standard reading (i.e. most common in daily life).

Time

*: Not often seen. It is more natural to use 1日中 (いちにちじゅう).

～日 vs. ～日間

First off ～日 can refer to the days of the month. So the date June 7th would be 6月7日.

Then, ～日 indicates the number of days, but ～日間 indicates a period of days. This difference can be confusing without an example. How many days are in a week? The obvious answer is 7 days. Let’s think about that in Japanese. 「1週間は7日です。」 means that there are 7 days in a week. On the other hand, 「1週間は7日間です。」 means that a week is 7 days long. The first sentence indicates the number of days and the second indicates the period of time in days.

Objects

People, Animals

Numbers And Times