Editing Japanese counter word (section)

==Common counters by category==
This is a selective list of some of the more commonly used counting words.

{| class="wikitable"
! Pronunciation
! Japanese
! Use
|-
! colspan="3" | People and Things
|-
| {{lang|ja|ぶ}} {{translit|ja|bu}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|部}}
| Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packets of papers
|-
| {{lang|ja|だい}} {{translit|ja|dai}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|台}}
| Cars, bicycles, machines, mechanical devices, [[home appliance|household appliance]]s
|-
| {{lang|ja|はい}} {{translit|ja|hai}}, {{lang|ja|ぱい}} {{translit|ja|pai}}, {{lang|ja|ばい}} {{translit|ja|bai}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|杯}}
| Cups and glasses of drink, spoonsful; [[cuttlefish]], [[octopus]]es, [[crab]]s, [[squid]], [[abalone]], boats (slang)
|-
| {{lang|ja|ひき}} {{translit|ja|hiki}}, {{lang|ja|ぴき}} {{translit|ja|piki}}, {{lang|ja|びき}} {{translit|ja|biki}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|匹}}
| Small animals, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, [[oni (folklore)|oni]] (demons/ogres)
|-
| {{lang|ja|ほん}} {{translit|ja|hon}}, {{lang|ja|ぽん}} {{translit|ja|pon}}, {{lang|ja|ぼん}} {{translit|ja|bon}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|本}}
| '''frequently used word'''  Long, thin objects: rivers, roads, train tracks, ties, pencils, bottles, guitars; also, metaphorically, telephone calls, train or bus routes, movies (see also: {{translit|ja|tsūwa}}), points or bounds in sports events. Although {{lang|ja|本}} also means "book", the counter for books is {{translit|ja|satsu}}.
|-
| {{lang|ja|かい}} {{translit|ja|kai}}, {{lang|ja|がい}} {{translit|ja|gai}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|階}}
| Number of floors, stories
|-
| {{lang|ja|こ}} {{translit|ja|ko}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|個}}, {{wikt-lang|ja|箇}}, {{wikt-lang|ja|个}}, or {{wikt-lang|ja|ヶ}}
| '''frequently used word''' Implies that the item is small and/or round.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.punipunijapan.com/japanese-counter-ko/|title = Counting Small Objects in Japanese with 個 &#124; PuniPuniJapan| date=15 August 2013 }}</ref> {{lang|ja|個}} is also used for military units.
|-
| {{lang|ja|まい}} {{translit|ja|mai}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|枚}}
| '''frequently used word''' Thin, flat objects: sheets of paper, photographs, plates, articles of clothing (see also: {{translit|ja|chaku}})
|-
| {{lang|ja|めい}} {{translit|ja|mei}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|名}}
| [[People]] (polite) ({{lang|ja|名}} means "name")
|-
| {{lang|ja|めん}} {{translit|ja|men}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|面}}
| Broad, flat objects: mirrors, boards for board games (chess, igo, shogi), stages of [[computer game]]s, walls of a room, tennis courts
|-
| {{lang|ja|にん}} {{translit|ja|nin}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|人}}
| People (but see table of exceptions below)
|-
| {{lang|ja|り}} {{translit|ja|ri}}
| {{lang|ja|り}} or {{wikt-lang|ja|人}}
| People, used in the words {{lang|ja|一人 (ひとり)}} and {{lang|ja|二人 (ふたり)}}
|-
| {{lang|ja|さつ}} {{translit|ja|satsu}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|冊}}
| Books
|-
| {{lang|ja|つ}} {{translit|ja|tsu}}
| {{lang|ja|[[wikt:つ#Etymology_4|つ]]}}
| '''frequently used word''' General-purpose counter, used as part of the indigenous Japanese numbers {{lang|ja|一つ}} ("one thing"), {{lang|ja|二つ}} ("two things"), {{lang|ja|三つ}} ("three things"), etc.
|-
| {{lang|ja|わ}} {{translit|ja|wa}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|話}}
| Stories, episodes of TV series, etc.
|-
! colspan="3" | Time, Calendar, etc.
|-
| {{lang|ja|びょう}} {{translit|ja|byō}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|秒}}
| Seconds
|-
| {{lang|ja|ふん}} {{translit|ja|fun}}, {{lang|ja|ぷん}} {{translit|ja|pun}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|分}}
| Minutes
|-
| {{lang|ja|がつ}} {{translit|ja|gatsu}}, also {{lang|ja|つき}} {{translit|ja|tsuki}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|月}}
| Months of the year. Month-long periods when read {{translit|ja|tsuki}} (see also: {{translit|ja|kagetsu}})
|-
| {{lang|ja|はく}} {{translit|ja|haku}}, {{lang|ja|ぱく}} {{translit|ja|paku}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|泊}}
| Nights of a stay
|-
| {{lang|ja|じ}} {{translit|ja|ji}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|時}}
| Hours of the day
|-
| {{lang|ja|じかん}} {{translit|ja|jikan}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|時間}}
| Hour-long periods
|-
| {{lang|ja|か}} {{translit|ja|ka}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|日}}
| Day of the month
|-
| {{lang|ja|かげつ}} {{translit|ja|kagetsu}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|ヶ月}}, {{lang|ja|箇月}}
| Month-long periods (see also: {{translit|ja|gatsu}}).  {{lang|ja|箇}} is normally abbreviated using a small [[katakana]] {{lang|ja|[[ヶ]]}} in modern Japanese. Alternatively {{lang|ja|個}}, hiragana {{lang|ja|か}}, small katakana {{lang|ja|ヵ}} and full-size katakana {{lang|ja|カ}} & {{lang|ja|ケ}} can also be seen, although only {{lang|ja|か}} is similarly frequent.
|-
| {{lang|ja|ねん}} {{translit|ja|nen}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|年}}
| Years, school years (grades); not years of age
|-
| {{lang|ja|にち}} {{translit|ja|nichi}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|日}}
| Days of the month (but see table of exceptions below)
|-
| {{lang|ja|さい}} {{translit|ja|sai}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|歳}} (or {{wikt-lang|ja|才}})
| Years of age ({{lang|ja|才}} is used informally as a [[ryakuji]])
|-
| {{lang|ja|しゅう}} {{translit|ja|shū}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|週}}
| Weeks
|-
! colspan="3" | Extent, Frequency, etc.
|-
| {{lang|ja|ばい}} {{translit|ja|bai}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|倍}}
| Multiples, -fold as in "twofold"
|-
| {{lang|ja|ばん}} {{translit|ja|ban}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|番}}
| Position, turn, sports matches
|-
| {{lang|ja|ど}} {{translit|ja|do}}, also {{lang|ja|たび}} {{translit|ja|tabi}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|度}}
| '''frequently used word''' Occurrences, number of times, degrees of temperature or angle (see also: {{translit|ja|kai}}).
|-
| {{lang|ja|じょう}} {{translit|ja|jō}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|畳}}
| [[Tatami]] mats. The kanji {{lang|ja|畳}} is also read {{translit|ja|tatami}} and is the same one used for the mats. The room size of a [[washitsu]] in Japan is given as a number of mats, for example 4½ {{translit|ja|jō}}
|-
| {{lang|ja|かい}} {{translit|ja|kai}}
| {{wikt-lang|ja|回}}
|'''frequently used word''' Occurrences, number of times (see also: {{translit|ja|do}})
|-
|}