Welcome to the wonderful(ly confusing) world of the Japanese numbering system! 🙂
(Wait till you hear what “9 coconuts” is!)
Yeah, but this one can be used for ages too. This isn’t the best example sentence to give honestly, they should have got one referring to seven objects to ease you into using the word.
You’ll find casually people use the つ numerals and いくつ (how much) when referring to age. For a learner, though, this should only be introduced at intermediate level.
This is honestly not a great example for the word 七つ. This kind of counter is for “general use” when counting small objects or things for which you don’t know or don’t remember the counter for, but I have never heard it used for age. さい is definitely the more proper counter for age.
The English and Japanese are a poor translation and are dependent on a relationship that is not explained. Whatever app that is needs help or just get a refund.
Nana sai should be 七歳 or 七才.
Yeah it can be used like this but it’s quite an old way of speaking and mostly used by kids up to age of 9 years old. And to clarify I am specifically speaking about ‘~つです’ part. おいくつ is just polite.
「おいくつですか」How old are you?
「~つです」~ years old e.g 七つです
How old are you?を、小さい子供相手の時は「何歳ですか？」ではなく「僕、いくつー？」「お嬢ちゃんいくつー？」と聞いたりすることもあるくらいなので、9歳までは「〜つです」の答え方もあり得ますね。
Obviously the おいくつですか is just standard… I didn’t think I needed to clarify that but always one person who can’t read between the lines
This is just Japanese people using Japanese in the same way an English speaking person uses English. You don’t have to follow the textbook.
In Miyazaki’s tv show of Heidi in the Alps, Heidi reveals her age as yatsu (8) to Rottenmeier san, who thought she was 12.
Alright so つ is the general counter, which technically could be used for anything. If you’re a foreigner and your Japanese isn’t that good yet, you can get by with using only つ for counting. i.e.: being strictly correct, to count sheets of paper you would use 枚（まい） , to count pencils or trees (I’ve also seen “videos” use this counter) you’d use 本（ほん）, to count small roundish objects you use 個（こ）, etc. But if you can’t remember which is the correct counter to use, you can use つ, because it just counts “things” and technically everything is a “thing”.
In most cases in which there’s a specific correct counter, if you use つ you’ll sound weird, there’s no denying that. However they gave you an example in which is not super weird, and you might come across this use eventually: using つ for your age, instead of 歳/才（さい）which is the correct one.
I think it would’ve been a better example to use a sentence in which only つ can be used, like in the anime “The Seven Deadly Sins”: 七つの大罪 （ななつのたいざい）. Sins or Deadly Sins don’t have a specific counter of course, so the only option is to use つ, the default.
I hope that clears it up a little, let me know if you still have any doubts (or if I’m wrong, I’m still learning after all).
Is that one of the core decks? I really don’t like the example sentences they provide. Confuses me more than it helps me.
May I ask what website /app this is?
Up until age 9 you can use this way of referring to age or you can use sai for all ages. Japanese has a lot of different ways of referring to the same/similar concept of object just like any other naturally developed several thousand year old language.
12 comments
Welcome to the wonderful(ly confusing) world of the Japanese numbering system! 🙂
(Wait till you hear what “9 coconuts” is!)
Yeah, but this one can be used for ages too. This isn’t the best example sentence to give honestly, they should have got one referring to seven objects to ease you into using the word.
You’ll find casually people use the つ numerals and いくつ (how much) when referring to age. For a learner, though, this should only be introduced at intermediate level.
This is honestly not a great example for the word 七つ. This kind of counter is for “general use” when counting small objects or things for which you don’t know or don’t remember the counter for, but I have never heard it used for age. さい is definitely the more proper counter for age.
The English and Japanese are a poor translation and are dependent on a relationship that is not explained. Whatever app that is needs help or just get a refund.
Nana sai should be 七歳 or 七才.
Yeah it can be used like this but it’s quite an old way of speaking and mostly used by kids up to age of 9 years old. And to clarify I am specifically speaking about ‘~つです’ part. おいくつ is just polite.
「おいくつですか」How old are you?
「~つです」~ years old e.g 七つです
How old are you?を、小さい子供相手の時は「何歳ですか？」ではなく「僕、いくつー？」「お嬢ちゃんいくつー？」と聞いたりすることもあるくらいなので、9歳までは「〜つです」の答え方もあり得ますね。
Obviously the おいくつですか is just standard… I didn’t think I needed to clarify that but always one person who can’t read between the lines
This is just Japanese people using Japanese in the same way an English speaking person uses English. You don’t have to follow the textbook.
In Miyazaki’s tv show of Heidi in the Alps, Heidi reveals her age as yatsu (8) to Rottenmeier san, who thought she was 12.
Alright so つ is the general counter, which technically could be used for anything. If you’re a foreigner and your Japanese isn’t that good yet, you can get by with using only つ for counting. i.e.: being strictly correct, to count sheets of paper you would use 枚（まい） , to count pencils or trees (I’ve also seen “videos” use this counter) you’d use 本（ほん）, to count small roundish objects you use 個（こ）, etc. But if you can’t remember which is the correct counter to use, you can use つ, because it just counts “things” and technically everything is a “thing”.
In most cases in which there’s a specific correct counter, if you use つ you’ll sound weird, there’s no denying that. However they gave you an example in which is not super weird, and you might come across this use eventually: using つ for your age, instead of 歳/才（さい）which is the correct one.
I think it would’ve been a better example to use a sentence in which only つ can be used, like in the anime “The Seven Deadly Sins”: 七つの大罪 （ななつのたいざい）. Sins or Deadly Sins don’t have a specific counter of course, so the only option is to use つ, the default.
I hope that clears it up a little, let me know if you still have any doubts (or if I’m wrong, I’m still learning after all).
Is that one of the core decks? I really don’t like the example sentences they provide. Confuses me more than it helps me.
May I ask what website /app this is?
Up until age 9 you can use this way of referring to age or you can use sai for all ages. Japanese has a lot of different ways of referring to the same/similar concept of object just like any other naturally developed several thousand year old language.