Conversational Japanese Quiz: Using Counters
7 questions · exam conditions
0:00
Using CountersQuestion 1 of 7

Yuki is telling her friend about a trip to the market. She says: 「りんごを かって、ねこを かいました。」 She bought 3 apples and 2 cats.

Which combination correctly fills in the blanks in Yuki's sentence, in the correct order?

みっつ / ふたり — using the general counter みっつ for apples and the people counter ふたり for cats
さんこ / にひき — using the small-object counter さんこ for apples and the small animal counter にひき for cats
みっつ / にひき — using the general counter みっつ for apples and the small animal counter にひき for cats
さんまい / にひき — using the flat-object counter さんまい for apples and the small animal counter にひき for cats
← Back to quizzes

Conversational Japanese Quiz

Conversational Japanese Quiz: Using Counters

Practice Using Counters in Conversational Japanese with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Using Counters, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Conversational Japanese.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Yuki is telling her friend about a trip to the market. She says: 「りんごを かって、ねこを かいました。」 She bought 3 apples and 2 cats.

Which combination correctly fills in the blanks in Yuki's sentence, in the correct order?

  1. みっつ / ふたり — using the general counter みっつ for apples and the people counter ふたり for cats
  2. さんこ / にひき — using the small-object counter さんこ for apples and the small animal counter にひき for cats
  3. みっつ / にひき — using the general counter みっつ for apples and the small animal counter にひき for cats (correct answer)
  4. さんまい / にひき — using the flat-object counter さんまい for apples and the small animal counter にひき for cats
Explanation: When counting things in Japanese, you must choose the right counter word based on the category of object — this question tests whether you know which counters match which types of objects. For apples, you need a counter for small, round, general objects. The word みっつ comes from the native Japanese number system and works as a general-purpose counter for miscellaneous items — including round fruits like apples. This makes it a natural fit. For cats, Japanese uses ひき (匹), the counter specifically for small animals. Two cats = にひき. Together, 「りんごをみっつかって、ねこをにひきかいました」is natural and correct — confirming that C is the right answer. Looking at the wrong choices: A uses ふたり, which is the counter for people, not animals. Cats are not people, so this is incorrect regardless of what you use for apples. B uses さんこ for apples — こ (個) is a valid small-object counter, but it's typically written with a Sino-Japanese number (さん), while みっつ (native Japanese) is more commonly used for everyday round objects like fruit. More importantly, even if さんこ were acceptable, B pairs it with にひき, which is correct for cats — so B is partially right but the apple counter is the weak link. D uses さんまい, which is the counter for flat, thin objects like paper or plates — apples are not flat, so this is simply the wrong category. A helpful study habit: group counters by shape/category — flat (まい), small animals (ひき), people (にん/り), and general (つ) — and practice matching them to objects until the associations feel automatic.

Question 2

Kenji writes in his diary: 「きょう、としょかんで ほんを  よんで、ともだちを  まちました。」 He read 5 books and waited for 1 friend.

Which answer correctly fills both blanks with the appropriate counters and numbers?

  1. ごさつ / ひとり — using さつ (冊) the counter for bound books, and ひとり the counter for one person (correct answer)
  2. いつつ / ひとり — using the native counter いつつ for five books, and ひとり the counter for one person
  3. ごほん / ひとり — using ほん the counter for long thin objects applied to books, and ひとり for one person
  4. ごさつ / いちにん — using さつ (冊) the counter for bound books, and いちにん as the counter for one person
Explanation: When counting objects in Japanese, you must match the counter suffix to the type of object being counted — this question tests whether you know the right counter for books and for people. For books, the correct counter is さつ (冊), which is specifically used for bound volumes like books and magazines. Five books therefore becomes ごさつ (五冊). For people, Japanese uses special native words for small numbers: one person is ひとり (一人) and two people is ふたり (二人), with にん (人) used for three and beyond. That makes A — ごさつ／ひとり the correct answer, as it properly applies さつ for the bound book and the irregular ひとり for one person. Looking at why the other choices fail: B uses いつつ, which is a generic native Japanese counter for five of almost anything. While not always "wrong" in casual speech, いつつ is not the specific, standard counter for books — using さつ shows precision and is what the exam expects. C uses ごほん (五本), and ほん (本) is the counter for long, thin, cylindrical objects like pens, bottles, and rivers — not for books. This is a classic trap because 本 is the kanji for "book," but as a counter it does not apply to books. D gets the first blank right with ごさつ, but fails on いちにん — while grammatically it might seem logical, one person in Japanese is always the irregular ひとり, not いちにん. Remember this tip: ほん as a counter ≠ books, and ひとり/ふたり are always irregular — memorize these two facts and you'll avoid the most common counter traps.

Question 3

Taro is describing his week. He says he studied Japanese for 3 days, then took a 2-day break, and plans to study for 4 more days. He wants to say the total number of days he will have studied.

Taro is describing his week. He studied Japanese for 3 days, took a 2-day break, and plans to study for 4 more days. He wants to express the total number of days he will have studied (3 + 4 = 7 days). Which expression correctly means '7 days' of duration?

  1. しちにち — using the Sino-Japanese numeral しち with the duration counter にち for 7 days
  2. なのか — using the special native Japanese form for 7 days of duration (correct answer)
  3. ななにち — using the Sino-Japanese numeral なな with the duration counter にち for 7 days
  4. しちかん — using しち with the suffix かん to indicate a span of 7 days
Explanation: When counting days as a duration in Japanese, you need to know that the language uses two separate numeral systems — Sino-Japanese (いち、に、さん...) and native Japanese (ひとつ、ふたつ...) — and that day-counting largely follows the native Japanese system with irregular, memorized forms. For duration of days, Japanese uses a special set of words rather than simply attaching a counter. The word for "7 days" is なのか (七日), which comes from the native Japanese numeral な(な) combined with the archaic day-word か. This form is irregular and must be memorized, just like ついたち (1st/1 day), ふつか (2 days), みっか (3 days), and so on through most of the first two weeks. B is correct because なのか is the standard, natural expression for a 7-day duration in Japanese. Taro studied 3 + 4 = 7 days total, and なのか accurately expresses that span. A is wrong because しちにち is not a standard way to express a duration of days. While しち is a valid Sino-Japanese numeral, you cannot freely pair it with にち to mean "7 days of duration" — the native forms dominate this counting system. C is wrong for the same structural reason as A. ななにち sounds like a plausible guess by analogy, but it is not accepted Japanese for expressing a 7-day duration. D is wrong because しちかん is not a real Japanese word. The suffix かん (間) can attach to some time expressions (like しゅうかん for weeks), but しちかん is not valid. Study tip: Memorize the irregular day-duration words (ふつか, みっか... なのか, ようか...) as a fixed list — they don't follow predictable rules and appear frequently on Japanese exams.

Question 4

A student reads this sentence in her textbook: 「わたしのクラスには がくせいが じゅうごにん います。せんせいは おひとり います。」

The sentence describes a classroom. Which statement about the counter usage in the passage is accurate?

  1. じゅうごにん is correct for 15 students, but おひとり is incorrect because the special form ひとり only applies to the speaker's own group, and ふたり should be used for teachers as a sign of respect.
  2. じゅうごにん is correct for 15 students, but おひとり is incorrect because the honorific prefix お should not attach to counter expressions for people under any circumstances.
  3. じゅうごにん is incorrect because numbers above 10 people should use the native counter series (とおあまりごつ), and おひとり is the correct honorific form for the teacher.
  4. じゅうごにん is correct for 15 students, and おひとり is an honorific form of ひとり used respectfully for the teacher — both usages are correct and appropriate. (correct answer)
Explanation: When counting people in Japanese, you use the counter にん (人) attached to Sino-Japanese numbers — except for the special native forms ひとり (one person) and ふたり (two people). Beyond two, you return to the Sino-Japanese system: さんにん、よにん、ごにん… and so on through じゅうごにん for fifteen. This passage tests whether you recognize both this counting system and how honorific language interacts with it. じゅうごにん is perfectly correct for 15 students — it follows the standard pattern exactly. As for おひとり, the prefix お is an honorific marker that can attach to certain words to show respect toward another person. Here, the speaker adds お to ひとり to speak respectfully about the teacher. This is natural, polite Japanese, especially in an educational setting where teachers are shown deference. So D is correct: both forms are accurate and contextually appropriate. Choice A contains two invented rules. There is no restriction limiting ひとり to "the speaker's own group," and ふたり has nothing to do with showing respect — it simply means "two people." Choice B is wrong because お can attach to counter expressions for people in honorific contexts; おひとり is a real, commonly used expression. Choice C introduces a completely fictional counter system. There is no native Japanese counter series like "とおあまりごつ" for numbers above ten people — this distractor is fabricated entirely. A useful tip: when you see お or ご attached to a word in Japanese, ask yourself whether it is being used to honor someone else. If the context involves speaking respectfully about a teacher, boss, or customer, honorific prefixes on common words — including counters — are often entirely appropriate.

Question 5

A student wants to say 'I waited for one hour and thirty minutes' in Japanese. She constructs the sentence: 「 と まちました。」 Which pair of time expressions correctly fills the blanks to mean 'one hour' and 'thirty minutes' respectively?

  1. いちじかん / さんじゅっぷん — using じかん for hours (duration) and ぷん for minutes, both standard time counters (correct answer)
  2. ひとつじかん / さんじゅうふん — using the native counter ひとつ attached to じかん for one hour, and さんじゅう with ふん for thirty minutes
  3. いちじ / さんじゅっぷん — using じ (the o'clock marker) for one hour and ぷん for thirty minutes
  4. いちかん / さんじゅっぷん — using かん alone as the counter for one hour and ぷん for thirty minutes
Explanation: When expressing duration in Japanese (how long something lasted), you need specific time counters — this question tests whether you know the correct counters for hours and minutes. For hours of duration, the counter is じかん (時間). For minutes, the counter is ぷん／ふん (分), where the pronunciation shifts depending on the number before it. To say "one hour," you combine いち + じかん → いちじかん. For "thirty minutes," さんじゅう + っぷん → さんじゅっぷん (the small っ is a natural phonetic contraction). Together: 「いちじかんとさんじゅっぷんまちました」— "I waited for one hour and thirty minutes." This makes A the correct answer. Looking at the wrong choices: B is tempting but incorrect — ひとつ is a native Japanese counter used for counting physical objects (one thing), not for attaching to time units like じかん. You cannot say ひとつじかん. C confuses じ with じかん — じ (時) means "o'clock" and marks a specific point in time (e.g., いちじ = "one o'clock"), not a duration. Using it here would completely change the meaning. D drops the essential character じ from じかん, leaving just かん, which is not a standalone counter for hours and would be meaningless in this context. A helpful memory trick: think of じかん as "time-span" (it even contains 間, meaning "interval"), while じ is just a clock position. Whenever you talk about how long something took, reach for じかん.

Question 6

A Japanese learner wants to ask: 'How many floors does this building have?' She knows the counter for floors is かい (階). Which question is correctly formed?

  1. このたてものは なにかいですか。— using なに + かい to ask 'how many floors,' with なに as the question word for 'what'
  2. このたてものは いくつかいですか。— using いくつ + かい to ask 'how many floors,' combining the general quantity word with the floor counter
  3. このたてものは どのくらいかいですか。— using どのくらい + かい to ask 'how many floors,' with どのくらい meaning 'how much/many'
  4. このたてものは なんかいですか。— using なん + かい to ask 'how many floors,' with the topic marker は and the copula です (correct answer)
Explanation: When counting things in Japanese, the word you use for "how many" depends on whether you're using a specific counter word. This question tests exactly that distinction. When a counter word is present — like かい (階) for floors — the correct question word is なん (何). It attaches directly to the counter to form なんかい (何階), meaning "how many floors." This is the standard pattern: なん + counter = "how many [things]." Answer D follows this pattern perfectly: このたてものは なんかいですか, using the topic marker は to mark the building as the subject and です as the polite copula. This is the natural, grammatically correct way to ask the question. Here's why the other options fall short. A uses なに (何) instead of なん — while both come from the same kanji, なに is used in isolation (like なにをしますか, "what will you do?") and does not attach cleanly to counters. With counters, なん is required. B uses いくつ, which is the general word for "how many" used when there is no counter. Since かい is already a counter, pairing it with いくつ is redundant and unnatural — you'd only use いくつ alone, without any counter following it. C uses どのくらい, which means "approximately how much/to what extent" and is used for vague quantities or degrees (like time or distance), not for counting discrete units like floors. A handy rule to remember: いくつ = no counter attached; なん = counter attached. Anytime you see a counter in a "how many" question, reach for なん.

Question 7

Which of the following correctly expresses 'two thin, flat objects such as tickets' AND 'two long, thin objects such as pens' in a single phrase listing both quantities?

  1. チケットがふたまいと、ペンがふたほんあります — using ふた attached to まい for tickets and ほん for pens with the native prefix
  2. チケットがにまいと、ペンがにほんあります — using に + まい for two tickets and に + ほん for two pens with Sino-Japanese numerals (correct answer)
  3. チケットがふたつと、ペンがふたつあります — using the general native counter ふたつ for both flat tickets and long pens
  4. チケットがにほんと、ペンがにまいあります — using に + ほん for tickets and に + まい for pens, swapping the two counters
Explanation: When counting objects in Japanese, you must match the counter to the shape or category of the object — there is no single universal counter for everything. Two number systems exist: Sino-Japanese (いち、に、さん…) and native Japanese (ひとつ、ふたつ…). Most specific counters attach to Sino-Japanese numbers, though a few have irregular readings. For flat, thin objects like tickets, Japanese uses まい (枚). For long, thin objects like pens, it uses ほん (本). With the number two, the Sino-Japanese form is に, giving you にまい (two tickets) and にほん (two pens). Linking them with と ("and") produces: チケットがにまいと、ペンがにほんあります — which is exactly answer B, the correct choice. Answer A is tempting because ふた is a real prefix (from native Japanese), but it doesn't attach to shape-specific counters like まい or ほん. You'd say ふたつ with the generic counter, not ふたまい or ふたほん — those forms don't exist. Answer C uses ふたつ for both objects, which is the generic counter for "two things." While grammatically possible in casual speech, it ignores the specific counters that Japanese requires when the shape is known — and the question explicitly asks for shape-appropriate counters. Answer D simply swaps まい and ほん — giving tickets the long-object counter and pens the flat-object counter. The counters must match the physical characteristics of the objects, not the other way around. Study tip: Memorize counter-shape pairings: まい = flat/thin, ほん = long/thin, はい = cups/glasses. When you see に + counter, verify the counter matches the object's form.