For example to say four dogs => yon + hiki(suffix for animate) + no + inu (dog) => よん ひき の いぬ
These are the most important counters:
human  => nin => にん
animate (life that can move but not humans) => hiki => ひき
inanimate (everything but the two categories above) => ko => こ
Japanese numbers are used for counting things which do not have counters of their own. From 1 to 10: hitotsu futatsu/futatsu mittsu yottsu itsutsu muttsu nanatsu yattsu kokonotsu too. After 10 use normal numbers: juuichi juuni ...
If you want you can use also other counters for particular animates and inanimates, id est birds are animate but it is better to use wa instead of hiki.
animate: large animals (animals larger than human beings)=> tou; birds => wa
inanimate: long things (things that have length - pens, pencils, ropes, trees, movies, programs, etc.) => hon; thin things (pieces of paper, leaves, plates, tickets, etc.) => mai; books (comics, books, magazines, etc.) => satsu - cups of liquid => hai; lifelike (dead bodies, mannequins, human-shaped robots, etc.) => tai;  machines (cars, televisions, etc.) => dai;
Ex.: two cups of green tea => nihainoocha => にはいのおちゃ
Here are the most important counters with the number before (after the modification rule)...
People 1 to 10,100,1000: hitori futari   sannin gonin rokunin nananin hachinin kyuunin juunin hyakunin sennin
Animates 1 to 10,100,1000: ippiki nihiki sanbiki yonhiki gohiki roppiki nanahiki happiki kyuuhiki juppiki hyappiki senbiki
Inanimates 1 to 10,100,1000: ikko niko sanko yonko goko rokko nanakohakko kyuuko jukko hyakko senko
Here are other counters
Large animals 1 to 10, 100,1000: ittou nitou santou yontou gotou rokutou nanatou hachitou kyuutou juttou hyakutou sentou
Birds ichiwa niwa sanwa yonwa gowa rokuwananawahachiwa kyuuwajuuwa hyakuwa senwa
Long things ippon nihon sanbon yonbon gohon roppon nanahon happon kyuuhon juppon hyappon senbon
Thin things 1 to 10,100,1000: ichimai nimai sanmai yonmai gomai rokumai nanamai hachimai kyuumai juumai hyakumai senmai
Books 1 to 10,100,1000: issatsu nisatsu sansatsu yonsatsu gosatsu rokusatsu nanasatsu hassatsu kyuusatsu jussatsu hyakusatsu sensatsu
Cups of liquid 1 to 10,100,1000: ippai nihai sanbai yonhai gohai roppai nanahai happai kyuuhai juppai hyappai senbai

TIME
Hours 0:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 => reiji ichiji niji sanji yoji goji rokuji shichiji hachiji kuji juhji juhichiji juhniji => れいじ いちじ にじ さんじ よじ ごじ ろくじ しちじ はちじ くじ じゅうじ じゅういちじ じゅうにじ
Minutes :01 :02 :03 :04 :05 :06 :07 :08 :09 => ippun nihun sanpun yonpun gohun roppun nanahun hachihun kyuuhun => いっぷん にふん さんぷん よんぷん ごふん ろっぷん ななふん はちふん きゅうふん
Minutes :10 :20 :30 :40 :50 => juppun nijuppun sanjuppun (or simply han) yonjuppun gojuppun (use ppun) => じゅっぷん にじゅっぷん さんじゅっぷん(or simply はん) よんじゅっぷん ごじゅっぷん Minutes :05 :15 :25 :35 :45 :55 => gohun jugohun nijugohun sanjugohun yonjugohun gojugohun (use hun) =>
Seconds 1 to 12 => ichi-byoo nibyoo sanbyoo yonbyoo gobyoo rokubyoo nanabyoo hachibyoo kubyoo juubyoo juuichibyoo juunibyoo and so on...
a.m.=> gozen => ごぜん
p.m.=> gogo => ごご
Midday => Shogo => しょご
Midnight => Mayonaka =>まよなか
What time is it (now)? => ima nanji desuka => いま なんじ ですか
11 o' clock => juuichiji => じゅういちじ (ji is the counter for hours)
from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.=> gozen juhichiji kara gogo niji made => ごぜん　じゅういちじ　から ごご　にじ　まで

DATE
Days from 1st to 10th : tsuitachi futsuka mikka yokka itsuka muika nanoka yooka kokonoka tooka => ついたち ふつか みっか よっか いつか むいか なのか ようか ここのか とうか Days 11th to 31th :juuichinichi juuninichi juusannichi juuyokka(14) juugonichi juurokunichi juunananichi juuhachinichi juukunichi(19) hatsuka(20) nijuuichinichi nijuuninichi nijuusannichi nijuuyokka(24) nijuugonichi nijuurokunichi nijuunananichi nijuuhachinichi nijuukunichi(29) sanjuunichi sanjuuichinichi
What day today is? => Kyou wa nan nichi desuka => きょうは なん にち ですか？
It's 11th => Juuichi nichi desu => じゅういちにち です
Days of the week from Sunday to Saturday: nichiyoobi(にちようび) getsuyoobi(げつようび) kayoobi(かようび) suiyoobi(すいようび) mokuyoobi(もくようび) kinyoobi(きんようび) doyoobi(どようび) (yoobi(ようび) means day of the week).
What day of the week is today? => Kyoo wa nan yoobi desuka? => きょうは なに ようび ですか
it's 15th => juugonichi yoobi desu => じゅうごにち ようび です
Months from January to December: ichigatsu nigatsu sangatsu shigatsu(April) gogatsu rokugatsu shichigatsu(July) hachigatsu kugatsu(September) juugatsu juuichigatsu juunigatsu  (gatsu(がつ) means month).
What month is this month? => Nan gatsu desuka => なんがつ ですか？
It's April => shigatsu desu => しがつ です
What date is today? => Kyoo wa nan gatsu nan nichi desuka? => きょうは なんがつ なんにち ですか？
It's 14th september => Kyoo wa kugatsu juuyokka desu => きょうは くがつ じゅうよっか
Years
Number+nen. Write the number of the year instead of the long japanese pronunciation.
1998 <=> sen kyuuhyaku kyuujuuhachi nen
1999 <=> sen kyuuhyaku kyuujuukyuu nen
2000 <=> nisen nen
Monday January 1st 2000 => nisen nen ichigatsu ichitachi getsuyoobi => 2000 ねん いちがつ いちたち げつようび (2000/1/1) => 2000 年 一月 一日   月曜日(these are all kanji...)

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© 2000 Alessandro Pisan
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