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Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to count detached houses?
I'll tell you the answer at the end of this lesson!
Hi everybody! I'm Alisha.
こんにちは、 Yamamori です。
Welcome to Japanese Counters for Beginners, where you'll learn how to count all sorts of different objects in Japanese!
Yamamori-sensei, what counter will we learn in this lesson?
First, let's take a look at what sorts of objects can be counted with the counter.
When we refer to the number of times, we can use the counter...
This counter is for counting the number of times rather than objects.
For example, have you watched the same movie more than once? Or, maybe you go to the gym twice a week. That's when you can use this counter! You can use this counter to refer to the number of times something is repeated.
Okay, let's count numbers 1 to 10 with this counter.
一回
二回
三回
四回
五回
六回
七回
八回
九回
十回
Did you notice that there were some numbers that sounded different to how they usually sound?
When you say the numbers 1, 6 and 10, you should be careful.
For number one, it's i-kkai, not 'ichi-kai.'
For number six, it's 'ro-kkai', not 'roku-kai.'
For number 10, it's 'ju-kkai', not 'juu-kai.'
Now, do you remember the counter for floors? It sounds similar, but here's the difference.
The first floor is 'i-kkai' and “one time” or “once” is 'i-kkai' (lowering the pitch at the final 'i').
To say 'three times', you should say ‘san-kai’, not 'san-gai'.
The word 'san-gai' only means 'third floor' (regardless of your intonation).
Okay. Now let's take a look at some sample sentences that use this counter.
私は、この映画を六回見ました。
“I've watched this movie 6 times.”
日本に、四回行ったことがあります。
“I've been to Japan 4 times.”
暗証番号を三回間違えると、ロックがかかります。
“If you enter the wrong PIN number 3 times, your account will be locked.”
Now it's time for a quiz. I'm going to ask you a question in English. Answer it in Japanese. Are you ready? Make sure you use the right counter.
How many times have you read this book?
私は、この本を七回読みました。
How many times have You been to this restaurant?
このレストランに五回行ったことがあります。
When you count detached houses, you need to use a special counter. Do you know what
this counter is? The answer is...
一軒
This counter is used for counting shops, restaurants and houses. If you go to a restaurant where tables are fully booked, you might say...
この近くに、もう一軒おいしいお店があります。
And it means "there's one more restaurant near here where the food is delicious."
Okay, everyone. That's it for this lesson.
I'll see you next time!

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