人

Counter for People

Level 1Sounds Like nin

人（にん） is the primary counter for people in Japanese. While most numbers follow the pattern [Number] + にん, the numbers 1, 2, and 4 have irregular readings that you must memorize.

How It Works

Counting people is one of the most essential skills in Japanese. The counter 人（にん） is attached directly after the number. However, the first two numbers use native Japanese readings instead of the usual Chinese-derived readings.

1. The Irregular Readings (Crucial):

  • 1 person: 一人（ひとり） - Not いちにん
  • 2 people: 二人（ふたり） - Not ににん
  • 4 people: 四人（よにん） - The 'n' is dropped. Never say よんにん or しにん (which sounds like the word for 'dead person').

2. Numbers Ending in 4:
The irregular reading for 4（よにん） also applies to larger numbers ending in 4. For example:

  • 14 people: 十四人（じゅうよにん）
  • 24 people: 二十四人（にじゅうよにん）

3. Variations for 7 and 9:
While these follow the standard にん ending, they have preferred readings:

  • 7 people: 七人（しちにん） is common, but ななにん is also used to avoid confusion.
  • 9 people: 九人（くにん） is the standard reading, though きゅうにん is sometimes heard.

4. Regular Readings and 20 People:
From 3 onwards (except numbers ending in 4), use the number + にん. Note that 20 people is 二十人（にじゅうにん）; do not confuse this with the irregular reading for 20 years old (はたち).

  • 3 people: 三人（さんにん）
  • 5 people: 五人（ごにん）
  • 11 people: 十一人（じゅういちにん）

5. Asking "How Many?":
To ask how many people there are, use the question word 何人（なんにん）.

6. Sentence Placement:
In Japanese, the most natural way to use counters is the pattern: [Noun] + [Particle] + [Number+Counter].
Example: 学生（がくせい）が三人（さんにん）います (There are three students).

7. Politeness:
While 人 is neutral and polite enough for most cases, you will often hear 名（めい） used by staff in shops or restaurants to refer to customers. As a learner, using 人 is always safe and correct.

Examples (5)

  1. 家族は五人です。

    There are five people in my family.

    Word by Word: Family (topic) five-people is.

    This uses the regular 'number + にん' pattern for the number five.

  2. 一人でデパートへ行きました。

    I went to the department store alone.

    Word by Word: One-person by department-store to went.

    一人（ひとり） followed by the particle で means 'by oneself' or 'alone'.

  3. 教室に学生が何人いますか。

    How many students are in the classroom?

    Word by Word: Classroom in students (subject) how-many-people exist?

    何人（なんにん） is the question word used to ask 'how many people'.

  4. 二人の子供が公園で遊んでいます。

    Two children are playing in the park.

    Word by Word: Two-people 's children (subject) park at playing are.

    This shows the alternative pattern: [Number+Counter] + の + [Noun]. Both are correct, but Noun + Particle + Counter is more common in speech.

  5. パーティーに友達が十四人来ました。

    Fourteen friends came to the party.

    Word by Word: Party to friends (subject) fourteen-people came.

    Notice that numbers ending in 4, like 14 (じゅうよにん), also follow the irregular よにん reading.

Common Mistakes

  • Using いちにん or ににん for one or two people.

    学生がいちにんいます。
    学生がひとりいます。

    The numbers 1 and 2 are always irregular (ひとり and ふたり) when counting people. いちにん is only used in very specific technical compounds.

  • Pronouncing 4 people as よんにん or しにん.

    四人（よんにん）の学生。
    四人（よにん）の学生。

    For 4 people, you must drop the 'n' and say よにん. しにん is avoided because it sounds like the word for 'dead person'.

How It Connects

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

人Level 1Counter for People

Learn This First

To learn the counter for people, you need a basic understanding of kanji to recognize the character used, and you should be familiar with the general concept of Japanese counters (like the 'tsu' counter) since counting people involves irregular readings for one and two people.

Words in This Pattern