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数

charusu

先輩
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Good evening!

Just a quick question about the use of 数. Can 数 be used as a prefix for all nouns to mean "several/some" of that noun? Given that the noun being modified is of a discrete nature as opposed to a portion of an object (like "several people" as opposed to "some [of a larger] cake"). Like: 数犬 or 数木 or 数杯の水?

Thanks!
 
You can use "数 + counter for countable things", not "数 + noun". Thus, 数匹の犬, 数本の木, 数杯の水 is OK but 数犬, 数木, 数水 is wrong. (人[にん] in 数人[すうにん] is a counter.)
 
That makes sense, thanks a lot!
 
So what about 多杯の水, is that correct or should it be 多くの杯の水?

 
多杯の水 doesn't make sense.
多くの works as "most of them" in 多くの杯の水.
I would say 何杯もの水.
 
Thanks for the response! I don't understand the usage of 何 here though. Wouldn't 多くの人 mean 'many people'? Why doesn't that same logic work here? The counter?

Thanks again!
 
"何 + counter + も" means "many".
e.g.
木が何本もある。
There are many trees.

And yes, there is no counter in 多くの人[ひと]. It's not 多く人[にん]の人[ひと] or 多くの人[にん]の人[ひと]. (FYI, 杯 in 多くの杯の水 is interpreted as a noun, and not a counter.)
 
Now it makes sense! Are theye other words, or classes of words, for which the "X + counter + も" logic applies?

Thanks!
 
幾[いく] can be an equivalent to 何[なん]. It sounds classical/literary, though.
e.g.
彼は水を幾杯も飲み干した。

Incidentally, "何 + counter + か" is almost the same to "数 + counter".
e.g.
数本の木≒何本かの木
 
As long as we're on this kanji, here are a couple of useful vocabulary items:

有数 (ゆうすう)
無数 (むすう)
 
Thanks guys! You always help so much!

Would this be an appropriate usage, Mike?

家の後ろは木の無数がある。
 
It should be 家の後ろには無数の木がある or 家の後ろには木が無数にある.
 
Make sure you know the right definitions of them. I initially assumed they meant the opposite of what they actually do.
 
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