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Japanese · JLPT Band 1 (N5) · Chapter 12

りんごが ふたつ ありますThere are two apples

Ringo ga futatsu arimasu

The native tsu-counter for counting things: hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu … tō (10). Say a quantity with ...ga + number + arimasu, like Ringo ga futatsu arimasu (There are two apples). Ten has the special form tō. This counter is a handy way to count almost any object. Kana: reading the tsu-forms fluently.

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いくつ ありますか— How Many Are There?

  1. YukiりRiんnごgoがgaあaりriまmaすsu。いIくkuつtsuでdeすsuかka。There are apples. How many?
  2. MikeにNiでdeすsu。Two. (slip: count things with "futatsu", not the Sino number "ni")
  3. Yuki「ふFuたtaつtsu」でdeすsuよyo。りRiんnごgoはwaふfuたtaつtsuでdeすsu。It's "futatsu". The apples are futatsu.
  4. MikeあA、ふfuたtaつtsuでdeすsu!あAりriがgaとうtō、ゆYuきkiさsaんn。Oh, futatsu! Thanks, Yuki.

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よんつ? よっつ?— Yontsu? Yottsu?

  1. KenりRiんnごgoがgaいiくkuつtsuあaりriまmaすsuかka。How many apples are there?
  2. MikeよYoんnつtsuあaりriまmaすsu。There are four. (slip: four things is "yottsu", not "yon-tsu")
  3. Ken「よYoっtつtsu」でdeすsuよyo。ちChiいiさsaいi「っtsu」でdeすsu。It's "yottsu". With the small tsu.
  4. MikeよYoっtつtsu!むMuっtつtsu、やyaっtつtsuもmoあaりriまmaすsuかka。Yottsu! Are there six and eight too?

Vocabulary

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ひhiとtoつtsu

count.one (thing)

ふfuたtaつtsu

count.two (things)

みmiっtつtsu

count.three

よyoっtつtsu

count.four

いiつtsuつtsu

count.five

むmuっtつtsu

count.six

なnaなnaつtsu

count.seven

やyaっtつtsu

count.eight

こkoこkoのnoつtsu

count.nine

とおtō

count.ten

りriんnごgo

nounapple

Grammar

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Counting things with the tsu-counter

Explanation

Count things with the tsu-counter: hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu … kokonotsu, then tō (10). Only 10 drops the tsu. The pattern is <thing> ga + number + arimasu: Ringo ga futatsu arimasu (There are two apples). Isu ga mittsu arimasu (There are three chairs). Arimasu is the existence word for objects (ch9); it is not used for people.

Examples

  • りんごが ふたつ あります。There are two apples.
  • りんごが ここのつ あります。たくさん ですね。There are nine apples. That's a lot!
  • りんごは いくつ ありますか。— とお です。How many apples are there? — Ten.

Kana

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ひらがな: つの よみかた— Hiragana: Reading the tsu-forms

From hitotsu to tō:

  • ひとつ・ふたつ・みっつhitotsu · futatsu · mittsu1 · 2 · 3 things
  • よっつ・いつつ・むっつyottsu · itsutsu · muttsu4 · 5 · 6 — small っ in 4 and 6
  • ななつ・やっつ・ここのつnanatsu · yattsu · kokonotsu7 · 8 · 9 — small っ in 8
  • とおtō10 — no つ, just a long "ō"

Count aloud:

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