Japanese counter word

Have you ever gone shopping with your mom or dad and seen them count how many items they're buying? Well, in Japan, people count things in a special way. They use something called a "counter word."

A counter word is a special word that comes after a number to show what you're counting. For example, if you're counting books, you'd say "ichi-hon no hon" (いちほんのほん). The word "hon" is the counter word for long, thin objects like books.

But here's the tricky part: There isn't just one counter word for everything. In fact, there are hundreds of counter words for different things! There's a different counter word for flat things like sheets of paper, round things like balls, and animals like birds or fish.

To make things even more complicated, some counter words change depending on the number you're counting. For example, if you're counting small animals like insects or birds, the counter word changes from "tou" (とう) to "wa" (わ) after four.

Using the right counter word is really important in Japan because it shows respect and good manners. If you use the wrong counter word, it can be like saying the wrong word altogether or even sounding like you're talking about something completely different!

So the next time you count something in Japan, make sure to use the right counter word. And if you're not sure what it is, just ask someone who knows!