Careful explanation of how to count "人（hito）" and units in Japanese for foreigners!
When learning Japanese, foreigners often find it difficult to count people, objects, and animals. Compared to other languages such as English, Japanese has its own unique counting rules. In particular, special units are used when counting people, and getting this wrong can lead to unexpected misunderstandings. From daily life to business situations, knowing the correct way to count is essential for smooth communication.
In this article, we will introduce the Japanese counting system, its pronunciation, and situations in which it is used, along with example sentences, in an easy-to-understand manner for foreign residents of Japan. From the basics to the more complex aspects of counting, this article will help you deepen your understanding of the Japanese counting system.
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Adding "人 (nin/hito)" to a number changes the reading.
In our daily life and work, there are situations in which we count the number of people. When counting people in Japanese, we use the particle "hito (nin)". This particle may be easy to remember because it is the very kanji used to indicate a person.
When expressed in writing, it is simply a matter of adding "person" after the number, but when pronounced orally, it may seem a bit complicated, since different numbers are read in different ways.
For example, one person is read specially as "hitori" (one person) and two people as "futari" (two people), but from three people it becomes "sannin" (three people) and from four people "yonin" (four people), which requires some attention up to this point.
However, after four, the reading becomes much simpler: five is "gonin," six is "rokunin," and seven is "shichinin" or "nananin," basically just adding "person (nin)" after the number. The first seven are "shichinin" or "nananin".
List of counting, units and readings of "人（hito）" in Japanese
We have compiled a table of how to count people for clarity.
[How to count people]
| figure | kanji | how to read | Japanese Pronunciation |
| 1人（one person） | 一人 | ひとり | hitori |
| 2人（two people） | 二人 | ふたり | futari |
| 3人（three people） | 三人 | さんにん | sannin |
| 4人（four people） | 四人 | よにん | yonin |
| 5人（five people） | 五人 | ごにん | gonin |
| 6人（six people） | 六人 | ろくにん | rokunin |
| 7人（seven people） | 七人 | しちにん/ ななにん | shichinin/ nananin |
| 8人（eight people） | 八人 | はちにん | hachinin |
| 9人（nine people） | 九人 | くにん/ きゅうにん | kunin/ kyuunin |
| 10人（ten people） | 十人 | じゅうにん | juunin |
| 100人（hundred people） | 百人 | ひゃくにん | hyakunin |
| 1000人（one thousand people） | 千人 | せんにん | sennin |
| How many people? | 何人？ | なんにん？ | nannin |
One point of advice on how to read and pronounce the word "person."
- The word "four" is pronounced as if it were one word, "yonin", not "yon nin".
- There are two ways to read "nine": kunin and kyunin, both of which are correct. Please choose the one you prefer and use it.
- Seven" also has two readings, "shichi nin" and "nana nin," but when pronounced "shichi", it can be misheard as "one (ichi). It is recommended to use "nananin" especially when communicating over the phone.
These points are useful not only for people, but also for giving phone numbers and addresses. Remembering them will help you communicate more smoothly in a variety of situations.
In some situations, "N people" is counted as "N名（mei）.
Have you ever been asked "How many people are there? (nanmeisama desuka?)" at restaurants and other places. In Japan, there are two units of counting people: "人（nin）" and "名（mei）," and they are used in different ways depending on the situation.
The "name" is pronounced very simply: "1名 (ichimei)," "2名 (nimei)," "3名 (sanmei)," and "4名 (yonmei)" followed by a number. No special reading is required.
So, when do we use "人" and "名" differently?
The main usage scenarios are as follows
- formal occasion
- If an individual can be identified
1. formal occasions
"名" gives a more formal impression than "人."
For example, when restaurant staff ask how many people are in a party, they use '何名様ですか？ (Nan-mei sama desu ka?)' instead of '何人ですか？ (Nan-nin desu ka?)' for this reason."
2. when an individual can be identified
The unit "名" is also used to refer to an individual person. This comes from the fact that "名" is a Chinese character meaning an individual's name. Thus, "名" is used to count up a specific individual or a clearly identifiable group of persons!
The kanji "名" is also used to refer to an individual person. For this reason, it is sometimes used to count specific individuals or clearly identifiable groups of people.
For example, expressions such as "卒業生20名 (sotsugyosei 20-mei, 20 graduates)" or "総従業員数100名 (sojugyoinsu 100-mei, total number of employees 100)".
1, 2 Exception
There are situations where "名" is not used, even in formal settings or when an individual can be identified.
The "Nth person" for order.
For indicating order, such as 2人目（futari-me）and 10人目（juu-nin-me）, the format "Nth person" is used with "人". This is a common expression for showing the order of people.
Note that it does not say "2名目（nimei-me）."
Servings for "N people".
When referring to the amount of food, "人" is used in the form of 1人前 (ichi-nin-mae) or 2人前 (ni-nin-mae). This is a common way of referring to the portion size of a meal in places like restaurants.
Note also that the expression "1名前（ichi-mei-mae）" is not used.
Example of how to count "人" and "名"
Now let's look at the actual use of "人" and "名".
Example sentences using the word "人"
[Example sentence 1] 何人家族ですか？
（How many people are in your family?, Nan-nin kazoku desu ka?）
[How to answer] 5人家族です。
（We are a family of five, Go-nin kazoku desu.）
[Example sentence 2] 今日ここに来る人数を教えてください。
（Please tell me the number of people coming here today, Kyou koko ni kuru ninzuu wo oshiete kudasai.）
[How to answer] 3人です。
（There are three, San-nin desu.）
[Example sentence 3] 1人で3人前の寿司を食べました。
（I ate sushi for three people by myself, Hitori de san-nin-mae no sushi wo tabemashita.）
[Example sentence 4] 2人目の子供が生まれた。
（The second child was born, Futari-me no kodomo ga umaremashita.）
Example sentences using the word "人"
[Example sentence 1] 何名ですか？
（How many people?, Nan-mei desu ka?）
[How to answer] 3人です。
（Three people, San-mei desu.）
[Example sentence 2] 今年の卒業生は30名です。
（This year's graduates are 30 people, Kotoshi no sotsugyousei wa san-juu-mei desu.）
[Example sentence 3] 弊社から3名が参加します。
（Three people from our company will participate, Heisha kara san-mei ga sanka shimasu.）
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summary
In this article, we have explained in detail how to count "人" in Japanese, along with how to use "person" and "name" differently in different situations and circumstances.
In particular, the counting of "人" may seem complicated at first because the reading of the word changes depending on the number of persons, but you will naturally become accustomed to it through actual use.
By actively using these expressions in your daily life, you will step up to become more fluent in Japanese.
