When counting in Japanese, you will need to put certain counter words after the number, like “1-kko”, “1-ppon”, “1-mai” or “hitori”. Depending on what you count, this counter word changes.  Sydney Japanese Language school, Nihongo-Juku will introduce some of the most common counter words and how to read them!

Three common counter suffixes are;

“Hon” – Ippon, Ni-hon, San-bon  –>This counter for long (but narrow) things like bananas, umbrellas or pens.

“Mai” – Ichi-mai, Ni-mai, San-mai –>This counter for thin or flat objects like sheets of paper, plates, or CDs.

“Ko” – Ikko, Ni-ko, San-ko –> This counter for small, round objects such as balls, eggs, or apples.