Translation guide
The act of expressing quantity, amount, or degree in Japanese. This guide covers how to ask and state 'how much' or 'how many', use quantifiers, and express approximate amounts.
The learner wants to ask about an amount or number.
A versatile phrase meaning 'how much' or 'how long'. Can be used for amounts, time, distance, etc.
東京までどのくらいかかりますか。
How long does it take to get to Tokyo?
このりんごはどのくらいですか。
How much are these apples?
Means 'how many' for countable items. Also used for asking age (how old).
りんごをいくつ買いましたか。
How many apples did you buy?
お子さんはいくつですか。
How old is your child?
Means 'how many people'. Uses the counter 人 (にん) for people.
パーティーに何人きますか。
How many people are coming to the party?
Means 'how many flat objects' (sheets, tickets, etc.). Uses the counter 枚 (まい).
切手を何枚買いましたか。
How many stamps did you buy?
The learner wants to express a specific number or amount.
Japanese uses numeral + counter words (助数詞) for counting. The counter depends on the shape or type of object.
りんごを三つください。
Please give me three apples.
本を二冊買いました。
I bought two books.
Simply state the quantity followed by です to say 'it is X amount'.
全部で五百円です。
It's 500 yen in total.
The learner wants to say 'about', 'around', or 'approximately'.
Placed before a number to mean 'approximately'. Common in both spoken and written Japanese.
約百人が参加しました。
About 100 people participated.
Attached after a quantity to mean 'about'. Very common in casual speech.
Similar to くらい, but slightly more formal. Often used in written language.
一時間ほど勉強しました。
I studied for about an hour.
The learner wants to describe a large or small quantity without exact numbers.
Means 'a lot' or 'many'. Can be used as an adverb or noun.
宿題がたくさんあります。
I have a lot of homework.
Means 'a little' or 'a few'. Used for small amounts.
An adjective meaning 'many' or 'much'. Note: it cannot directly modify a noun with な; use 多くの instead.
An adjective meaning 'few' or 'little'. Like 多い, it cannot use な to modify nouns directly.
The learner wants to know where to place quantity words in a Japanese sentence.
In Japanese, quantifiers often appear right before the verb, unlike English where they precede the noun.
りんごを三つ食べました。
I ate three apples.
Words like たくさん and 少し can function as adverbs and are placed before the verb.
水をたくさん飲みました。
I drank a lot of water.
The English word 'quantification' is a technical term. In everyday Japanese, you express the concept through specific question words, counters, and adverbs. Avoid using a direct translation like 定量化 (ていりょうか) unless in a scientific context.
Japanese uses a wide variety of counter words (助数詞). Learning the most common ones (つ, 人, 枚, 本, etc.) is crucial for natural quantification.
Please wait about ten minutes.
Please add a little sugar.
There are a lot of people, aren't there?
時間が少ないです。
There is little time.