[For Seniors] Surprisingly Unknown!? Quiz on Various Counters for Everyday Items and Animals

pole; rod; shaft; bar (e.g., of a balance); neck (of a stringed instrument). Note: reading is 'sao'.

The correct counter for a tansu (Japanese chest of drawers) is “issao” (one sao). Originally, sao refers to a pole used for rowing a boat, but it is also used for large items and long, slender objects like furniture. In traditional Japanese, sao is used to count furniture such as tansu and nagamochi (long storage chests). While “ichidai” (one unit) is also used in modern times, the formally correct traditional expression is “issao.” It’s not a counter you hear often in daily life, so it’s worth remembering.

leg; foot; ash of a drink (legs); stand/support (of furniture); stanza/act (theater)

When counting chairs that have legs, we use the unit kyaku, as in ikkaku (one), nikyaku (two). This kyaku is a traditional counter used for furniture with legs, such as chairs and desks. On the other hand, dai is mainly used for machines, vehicles, electronic devices, or things that function as a stand or platform. Hon is used for long, slender, stick-like objects.

head

Insects such as butterflies and dragonflies are generally counted using the counter “頭” (tō). Although “頭” was originally used mainly for counting animals like mammals, this counting method is also applied to relatively large insects. Butterflies can also be counted with “匹” (hiki), but strictly speaking, “頭” is the more formal expression. “個” (ko) and “本” (hon) are not typically used for butterflies.

department; section; part; club (in school); category; counter for copies (e.g., newspapers)

It’s common to count calendars using the counter “bu.” For example, saying “Karendā o san-bu kudasai” means you want three calendars. The counter bu is used to count sets of documents or booklets, and while calendars are basically counted with bu, depending on the situation you can also use satsu or ko.

pair; couple; twin

Since gloves come as a pair (two making one set), they are counted as “issō” (one pair) and “nisō” (two pairs). Sō is a counter used for items that come in pairs. For example, shoes and geta (traditional Japanese wooden clogs) are also counted as “issō.” “Mai” is used for thin or flat objects, and “hon” is used for long, slender objects, so they are not suitable for gloves.

kan

Nigiri sushi is counted using the unit kan, as in ikkan (one piece) or nikan (two pieces). Kan was originally a unit of weight, but in sushi restaurants it is used to refer to individual pieces of sushi. In contrast, other foods use different counters: onigiri (rice balls) use ko (pieces), and sashimi uses kire (slices). Therefore, saying something like “Sankan kudasai” (“Three pieces, please”) when ordering sushi is the correct usage.

counter for bundles; handful

When several dried noodles are tied together into a bundle, the unit used to count that bundle is “wa.” For example, you might say, “Please give me three wa of sōmen.” While the term “taba” (bundle) is also used for banknotes or other bundled items, for dried noodles the unit “wa” is mainly used. It’s a counting unit we don’t usually think about in daily life, but it’s a correct Japanese measure worth remembering.