Memory aids for Japanese System Numbers 1-10 (ひとつ～とお）

sushiyaki · 20 Jun 2008

Hello,
Do you people have ways of remembering (mnemonic devices) the readings for 1-10 in the Japanese System?

ひとつ（一つ）
ふたつ（二つ）
みっつ（三つ）
よっつ（四つ）
いつつ (五つ）
むっつ (六つ）
ななつ (七つ）
やっつ (八つ）
ここのつ (九つ）
とお (十）

I have remembered ひとつ and ふたつ, but the others are not in my memory bank yet.
Any tips?

LukeSettle · 20 Jun 2008

I dont have any mnemonic devices for learning this, but if you made flashcards or used a Spaced Repetition System, i'm sure you'd get them down in no time.
Besides its only up to ten!

がんばって！

JimmySeal · 20 Jun 2008

sushiyaki said:
Any tips?

Memorize them.
Something that fundamental shouldn't be learned with mnemonics.

Emoni · 20 Jun 2008

@JimmySeal is right... but I admit I forget a couple of them sometimes too

Charles Barkley · 20 Jun 2008

The japanese number system is such an embarassment for me. For some reason, 3-9 just won't stick. And they are all very important to learn as well. Sigh...

Oops I meant 4-9. I am okay with 3.

Emoni · 20 Jun 2008

hahaha... same! 5-8 here

epigene · 20 Jun 2008

When I was a kid, I learned to count "hitotsu, futatsu, etc." first, probably because that's what small kids in general use when counting objects. "Ichi, nii, san" came later.

As reinforcement, there were "kazoe-uta" （数え歌）used as mnemonic device. I know the old-fashioned ones because those were the ones my grandmother taught me:
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/数え唄

I looked for easy counting songs for "hitotsu, futatsu," but this was all I could find on the Web:
Daichan Kazoeuta
Lyrics to the song:
http://www.fukuchan.ac/music/anime/inakappetaisyo.html

Hope it helps!

undrentide · 20 Jun 2008

epigene said:
When I was a kid, I learned to count "hitotsu, futatsu, etc." first, probably because that's what small kids in general use when counting objects. "Ichi, nii, san" came later.

As reinforcement, there were "kazoe-uta" （数え歌）used as mnemonic device. I know the old-fashioned ones because those were the ones my grandmother taught me:
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/数え唄

I looked for easy counting songs for "hitotsu, futatsu," but this was all I could find on the Web:
Daichan Kazoeuta
Lyrics to the song:
http://www.fukuchan.ac/music/anime/inakappetaisyo.html

Hope it helps!

Ahaha, I like Daichan Kzoeuta, it's so funny.
(And it's one of my friend's specialty for karaoke!)
For ichi, ni, san... I liked "ippon demo ninjin"
いっぽんでもニンジン

bakaKanadajin · 20 Jun 2008

You just have to memorize them as Jimmy said.
Don't forget to look up all the different ways to count various things, each kind of object has it's own system of counting.

Flat thing things
Books
Long skinny things
Animals
Boats
Suits
People
Building floors
etc.

Elizabeth · 21 Jun 2008

sushiyaki said:
Hello,
Do you people have ways of remembering (mnemonic devices) the readings for 1-10 in the Japanese System?
ひとつ（一つ）
ふたつ（二つ）
みっつ（三つ）
よっつ（四つ）
いつつ (五つ）
むっつ (六つ）
ななつ (七つ）
やっつ (八つ）
ここのつ (九つ）
とお (十）
I have remembered ひとつ and ふたつ, but the others are not in my memory bank yet.
Any tips?

Don't beat yourself up badly with these counters. I have a Japanese friend that I learned recently thinks 七（しち） is pronounced ひち (is that the child in her talking ?) and after checking it out at my consternation came up with the zinger of an excuse that well, you know, gee, なな IS so much more common anyway... Or maybe it's another one of those Kansai things in Hiroshima...

Tomii515 · 22 Jun 2008

i was wondering if i could ask a question bout numbers here,...:

when you're counting, just like "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,....." which is more commen? zero/rei, yon/shi, nana/shichi, kyuu/ku?

and then unless u have to use a specific type (like for months where u have to use yon/shichi/ku), which is used for counting thing or something liek that?

Toritoribe · 23 Jun 2008

Tomii515 said:
i was wondering if i could ask a question bout numbers here,...:
when you're counting, just like "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,....." which is more commen? zero/rei, yon/shi, nana/shichi, kyuu/ku?
and then unless u have to use a specific type (like for months where u have to use yon/shichi/ku), which is used for counting thing or something liek that?

4 is basically read as "yon/yo" with a counter.

4ヶ月(for 4 months); yon ka getsu
4個; yon ko
4日; yon nichi/yokka
4人; yo nin

"Shi" is used for a sort of "idiom".

四月/4月(April); shigatsu
四角; shikaku
四面楚歌; shimensoka
*When 四面/4面 is used for counting "fields" such like tennis court, football ground, schoolyard, it's read as "yon men".
e.g.
高校にはテニスコートが四面あった。
Koukou ni wa tenisu kooto ga yon men atta.

As for 7 and 9, it depends on the counter.

7ヶ月(for 7 months)
○nana ka getsu
△shichi ka getsu (someone may use)

7月(July)
△nanagatsu
○shichigatu

7個
○nana ko
△shichi ko

7日
○nana nichi
○shichi nichi
○nanoka

7人
○nana nin
○shichi nin

9ヶ月(for 9 months)
○kyuu ka getsu
×ku ka getsu

9月(September)
△kyuugatsu
○kugatsu

9個
○kyuu ko
×ku ko

9日
○kyuu nichi
○ku nichi
○kokonoka

9人
○kyuu nin
○ku nin

Elizabeth · 23 Jun 2008

Tomii515 said:
i was wondering if i could ask a question bout numbers here,...:
when you're counting, just like "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,....." which is more commen? zero/rei, yon/shi, nana/shichi, kyuu/ku?

Zero, Ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, kyuu, juu...

Memory aids for Japanese System Numbers 1-10 (ひとつ～とお）

sushiyaki

後輩

LukeSettle

先輩

JimmySeal

Tubthumper

Emoni

先輩

Charles Barkley

TNT Basketball Analyst

Emoni

先輩

epigene

相変わらず不束者です

undrentide

Japa'n vagyok

bakaKanadajin

先輩

Elizabeth

先輩

Tomii515

やった～！

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

Elizabeth

先輩

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