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Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to count fireworks?
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 you count cars, you can use the counter 台 (dai)
This counter is for any kind of vehicle, like bicycles and cars, machines and electrical tools such as computers, mobile phones, fridges, vending machines and game machines.
You can also use this counter for counting large furniture including beds and cupboards.
Ok, let's count numbers 1 to 10 with this counter.
一台
二台
三台
四台
五台
六台
七台
八台
九台
十台
This counter doesn't change for specific numbers, so it's very easy. Still, there are some tips when you count with this counter.
For the number 7, it's better to say 'nana dai', because 'shichi dai' sounds very similar to 'ichi-dai' (number 1's counter).
Now let's take a look at some sample sentences that use this counter.
自動販売機が三台あります。
“There are 3 vending machines.”
携帯電話を二台持っています。
“I have two mobile phones.”
この駐車場は、車を八台止められます。
“There are 8 car spaces in this parking lot.”
Now it's time for a Quiz. I'm going to ask you a question in English. Answer in Japanese. Are you ready?
Make sure to use the right counter.
How many cars are there?
車が十台あります。
How many computers do you have?
パソコンを一台持っています。
There's a special counter for fireworks.
Do you know what it is? The answer is...
一発 (ippatsu)
This counter is used for counting big fireworks
that are shot into the sky, and also for gunshots.
For the small Japanese sparklers that you
can hold in your hand, we don't use this counter.
So how do we use this counter?
花火が三発、上がりました。
And that means "three fireworks were shot."
Okay, everyone. That's it for this lesson.
I'll see you next time!

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