How to count seconds in Japanese?

[mdchachi]

Based on a thread in another forum and some googling, it seems that there is no standard approximation to counting off seconds in Japanese beyond pacing your count?

In English we might say rhythmically
one mississippi two mississippi three mississippi... N mississippi
or
one one thousand two one thousand three one thousand... N one thousand
in order to count off a duration of N seconds.

Is there really nothing like this in Japanese?

 

[kirbythebean]

maybe u could, like, say a word that has the same amount of syllables, in japanese...? ya know, cause seconds are still seconds. they cant last longer than they're meant to last-

 

[thomas]

Basically, you have to add three syllables between each counted second. In German, for that purpose, you start counting from 21: ein|und|zwan|zig - zwei|und|zwan|zig, etc. According to my wife, this is also suggested on Japanese websites simply by adding, for instance, ひゃく or いちまん.

 

[Toritoribe]

I believe the most common one is just to elongate the first vowel.

いーち
にーい
さーん
しーい
ごーお
ろーく
しーち
はーち
きゅーう/くーう
じゅーう

 

[mdchachi]

I believe the most common one is just to elongate the first vowel.

Thanks, that's what I had heard too. But it's not as precise and scientific as adding "Mississippi."