Grammar Notes:
■ Common Counters
Using counters gives us information about the objects we are counting.
■ 人 counter for people
■ 歳 counter for ages of people and animals; this is also written as 才; this is fairly regular except for age 20 which is はたち.
■ 個 counter for small or round objects [fruits; eggs]
■ 本 counter for long, cylindrical objects [bottles; pencils; chopsticks]
■ 枚 counter for flat, thin objects [sheets of paper; stamps; plates; shirts]
■ 匹 counter for small animals [cats; dogs; fish—usually up to the size of a dog. For larger animals, 頭 is used.]
■ 冊 counter for books
There are many, many more, but these are of the most useful.
Key Vocabulary:
- こんしゅう this week [kanji: 今週; 今 (this) + 週 (week)]
- 月よう日 Monday
- みかん citrus; satsuma mandarin
- 一こ one piece [kanji: 一個 (counter for articles)]
- 30円 thirty yen [円 is Japanese monetary unit]
- 火よう日 Tuesday
- 水よう日 Wednesday
- きゅうり cucumber [kanji: 胡瓜]
- 1本 one piece [本 is counter for long cylindrical thing]
- チョコレート chocolate
- かう buy [kanji: 買う]
- と if; upon (buying ten chocolates)
- マシュマロ marshmallow
- プレゼント presents; gift
- なら if; in case
- 何よう日 what day?; what day of the week?
- いい good; fine; nice; OK