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Japanese Counters

Ninth graders meet one of Japanese’s most distinctive features — counters (かぞえかた). You don’t just say “three”; you use a special word depending on WHAT you’re counting: 〜人 for people, 〜本 for long things, 〜枚 for flat things, 〜匹 for animals.

Grade 9Counters55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Understand counters.
  • ✓Match counters to object types.
  • ✓Explore kazoekata.
  • ✓Count correctly.
Essential Question

In Japanese, HOW you count depends on WHAT you count! What are the main counters, and when do you use each?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Japanese Counters Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students learn the main Japanese counters.

🔢 Explore Japanese counters — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — It Depends What!

6 min

In Japanese, HOW you count depends on WHAT — what are the counters?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask how to count 3 people vs 3 pens.
  • Note they differ!
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Wonder.
  • Note it.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Counters

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Counters Explorer.
  • Present each counter.
  • Note the object type.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Count 2 people (futari).
  • Count 3 pens (sanbon).
  • Count 2 cats.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count.
  • Count.
  • Count.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Count classroom objects.
  • Use the right counter.
  • Ask a partner “nan-nin?”

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count.
  • Use it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a counter.
  • Say what it counts.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Low).

ACTFL
Cultures 2.2

Explore the counting system.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare counting systems.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to math & categories.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: use counters.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Counter cards with romaji.
  • Group objects by counter.
  • Model counting.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with 〜つ & 〜人.
  • Use real objects.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add 〜台 (machines).
  • Count a mixed pile.
  • Learn the sound changes.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🔢Counter cards
  • 💻The Japanese Counters Explorer
  • 🧸Objects to count
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

かぞえかた (kazoekata)way of counting〜つ (~tsu)general counter〜人 (~nin)counts people〜本 (~hon)counts long things〜枚 (~mai)counts flat things〜匹 (~hiki)counts small animalsひとり (hitori)one personカウンター (kauntā)counter
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Why does Japanese counting change?
You use a different counter word depending on WHAT you’re counting.
QUESTION 2
Which counter is used for people?
〜人 (~nin) — like futari (2 people).
QUESTION 3
Which counter is used for long, thin things like pens?
〜本 (~hon).

Reflect: counters.

Have students count two people and two pens in Japanese, using the right counters. A printable Japanese counters sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Japanese CountersFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Japanese CountersQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Japanese CountersPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 〜つ (~tsu), 〜人 (~nin), 〜匹 (~hiki), 〜本 (~hon), 〜枚 (~mai), かぞえかた (kazoekata), ひとり (hitori), カウンター (kauntā)
  1. counts people
  2. counts long things
  3. counts flat things
  4. way of counting
  5. counter
  6. counts small animals
  7. one person
  8. general counter

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Why does Japanese counting change?
  2. Which counter is used for people?
  3. Which counter is used for long, thin things like pens?
Answer key — Part A: 1) 〜人 (~nin) · 2) 〜本 (~hon) · 3) 〜枚 (~mai) · 4) かぞえかた (kazoekata) · 5) カウンター (kauntā) · 6) 〜匹 (~hiki) · 7) ひとり (hitori) · 8) 〜つ (~tsu)
Part B: 1) You use a different counter word depending on WHAT you’re counting. 2) 〜人 (~nin) — like futari (2 people). 3) 〜本 (~hon).