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what is the difference between '~つ年' and '~年' ?

Jackyquah

後輩
13 Oct 2014
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what is the difference between '~つ年' and '~年' ?
I found '二つ年' in my dictionary but it seems have the same meaning as '二年', I don't know the difference.
 
What is the exact example(the entire sentence/phrase) you found in your dictionary?
 
彼は私より 3 つ年が上です = He is three years older than me.
in this sample, why is it not written 彼は私より 3 年が上です ?
but it's not just this sample I found other sample which I have forgotten.
 
That's 3つ / 年 / が / 上, not 3つ年 / が / 上. つ is a counter for "year(s) old", thus, 3つ[みっつ] is equivalent to 3歳[さんさい] or 3年[さんねん]. 年 is read とし in that sentence since it's a noun, not a counter, therefore 彼は私より 3 年が上です is invalid.
FYI, つ is applied only to "from 1 to 9", so you can't say 十二つ年が上, for instance.
 
Yes, 十二年(が)上[じゅうにとし(が)うえ], 十二歳上[じゅうにさいうえ] or 十二上[じゅうにうえ] are also possible.
(十二年年(が)上[じゅうにねんとし(が)うえ] is acceptable, but not so common, I think. 二年年(が)上[にねんとし(が)うえ] sounds natural, so 年[ねん] might be hardly used as "years old" for large numbers.)
 
if つ is a counter in this context, shouldn't we added の between counter and noun ? (彼は私より 3 つの年が上です)
In my textbook counter can be placed after noun. example:
店に客が三人あります
or
counter can be placed before noun with particle の between them. example:
店に三人の客があります

there is no の between 二つ and 年, why ? is that exception ?
 
What textbook are you using? Doesn't it say 店に客が三人います?

年が上(だ) means "older" as a set, i.e., 3つ modifies the entire clause 年が上, not just 年. You can't use の after the counter in these cases, as in 3センチ背が高い, 3キロ体重が重い or 3坪面積が広い.
FYI, 店に3人客がいます is also correct.
 
What textbook are you using? Doesn't it say 店に客が三人います?
yeah, it use います (my mistake).
年が上(だ) means "older" as a set, i.e., 3つ modifies the entire clause 年が上, not just 年. You can't use の after the counter in these cases, as in 3センチ背が高い, 3キロ体重が重い or 3坪面積が広い.
FYI, 店に3人客がいます is also correct.
can I write '二枚パンツを買います' ?
or should I add の between 二枚 and パンツ ?
 
Both are correct since 二枚 modifies パンツ as same as 三人の客がいます.

3つ年が上だ。
3センチ背が高い。
3キロ体重が重い。
3坪面積が広い。
In the sentences above, "3" refers to the difference; the difference in age, hight, weight and area, respectively. Whereas "3" is the number of the objects(customers and pants) in 3人(の)客がいます and 3枚(の)パンツを買います. That's the difference.
 
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