本

Counter for Long Objects

Level 1Sounds Like hon

Use 本 (ほん) to count anything long and thin. This includes physical items like pencils and bottles, but also linear things like movies, phone calls, and train lines.

How It Works

The counter 本（ほん） is one of the most common counters in Japanese. It is used for a wide variety of items:

  • Physical Objects: Pens, pencils, bottles, umbrellas, trees, bananas, neckties, and cigarettes.
  • Animals: Long animals like eels or snakes.
  • Linear/Abstract Concepts: Movies, TV series (the whole program), phone calls, train routes, and rivers. Note: Individual episodes of a show are counted with 話（わ）.
  • Digital Media: YouTube videos, software programs, and files.
  • Medical/Other: Medical injections, lottery prizes, and sports goals or home runs.

Phonetic Changes (Important):
This counter changes its sound depending on the number before it. You must become confident with these specific pronunciations:

  • 1: いっぽん
  • 3: さんぼん
  • 6: ろっぽん
  • 8: はっぽん
  • 10: じゅっぽん (or the formal じっぽん)
  • Question (How many?): なんぼん

Other numbers like 2 (にほん), 4 (よんほん), 5 (ごほん), 7 (ななほん), and 9 (きゅうほん) use the standard 'hon' sound.

Examples (4)

  1. ペンを三本買いました。

    I bought three pens.

    Word by Word: Pen (object marker) three-long-objects bought.

    Notice that 3 uses the voiced 'bon' sound: さんぼん.

  2. ビールを二本ください。

    Two bottles of beer, please.

    Word by Word: Beer (object marker) two-long-objects please.

    Bottles are counted with 本 because of their elongated shape.

  3. 傘を一本持っています。

    I have one umbrella.

    Word by Word: Umbrella (object marker) one-long-object have.

    1 uses the いっぽん pronunciation with a small つ.

  4. 今日は映画を二本見ました。

    I watched two movies today.

    Word by Word: Today (topic) movie (object marker) two-long-objects watched.

    Movies are counted with 本 because they were traditionally recorded on long strips of film.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'hon' to count books.

    本を二本読みました。
    本を二冊読みました。

    Even though the kanji for 'book' is 本（ほん）, you must use the counter 冊（さつ） for books. Using 'hon' for books is a very common beginner mistake.

  • Incorrect pronunciation for 1, 3, 6, 8, or 10.

    ペンをいちほん持っています。
    ペンをいっぽん持っています。

    You cannot simply add 'hon' to every number. You must use the specific sound changes like いっぽん for 1 and さんぼん for 3.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

本Level 1Counter for Long Objects

Learn This First

To understand the counter '本', you need a basic grasp of kanji and the general concept of how counters are used in Japanese to quantify objects, as they differ significantly from English counting methods.

Words in This Pattern