← N5 · First steps

N5 · Lesson 12

Numbers, Counters and Money

Count things, people, floors and pages, ask ages and dates — and pay in yen.

🎧 Listen first

9:56 · Mimi's voice. Listen once through before reading anything — ears first, eyes second.

Peek as much as you need — then fade the help.

Words this lesson assumes you know: (わたし)· (ひと)· (すき)· (きょう)· (いま)· (あした)· (ちち)· (ねる)· (みせ)· (かう)· (はらう)· (たべる)· (のむ)· (パン)· (チーズ)· (たまご)· (ぎゅうにゅう)· (おおきい)· (いく)· (かえる)· (えき)· (なに)· (ここ)· (せんしゅう)· (ごぜん)· (ごご)· (まいあさ)· (まいばん)· (いえ)· (ばん)· (ください)· (では、また)· (おきる)
Every assumed word was taught by an earlier lesson in the chain — that's the deal.

📚 Today's words

WordRomajiMeaning

さい
saiyears old (counter)

Pochi wa sansai desu.Pochi is three years old.

Nansai desu ka? Juusai desu."How old are you?" "I'm ten."


ひとつ
hitotsuone (thing)

Tamago o hitotsu kudasai.One egg, please.

Koko ni pan ga hitotsu arimasu.There is one bread here.


いちばん
ichibannumber one, the most

Watashi wa Pochi ga ichiban suki desu.Pochi is the one I like most.

Ichiban ookii pan o kudasai.The biggest bread, please.


じ
jio'clock (counter)

Ima, sanji desu.It's three o'clock now.

Maiasa rokuji ni okimasu.I get up at six every morning.


にち
nichiday of the month (date suffix)

Kyou wa tooka desu.Today is the tenth.

Ashita wa juuichinichi desu.Tomorrow is the eleventh.


えん
enyen (currency)

Pan wa hitotsu juuen desu.One bread is ten yen.

Tamago wa hitotsu goen desu.One egg is five yen.


がつ
gatsumonth (counter)

Kyou wa shigatsu desu.Today is April.

Senshuu wa sangatsu deshita.Last week was in March.


つ
tsucounter

Tamago o futatsu kudasai.Two eggs, please.

Koko ni chiizu ga mittsu arimasu.There are three cheeses here.


ページ
peejipage

Nanpeeji desu ka?What page is it?

Koko wa shichipeeji desu.This is page seven.


ふたり
futaritwo people

Watashi to chichi, futari desu.Father and me — that's two people.

Mise ni hito ga futari imasu.There are two people in the store.


かい
kaifloor of a building (counter)

Mise wa nikai desu.The store is on the second floor.

Koko wa ikkai desu.This is the first floor.


にん
nincounter

Hito ga sannin imasu.There are three people.

Eki ni hito ga juunin imasu.There are ten people at the station.


いくつ
ikutsuhow many

Tamago wa ikutsu desu ka?How many eggs are there?

Ikutsu kaimasu ka?How many will you buy?


たくさん
takusanmany, a lot

Tamago o takusan kaimasu.I buy lots of eggs.

Hito ga takusan imasu.There are many people.

📖 The story

The same story you heard in the audio. Read it with as much help as you need.

Kyou wa shigatsu tooka desu.Today is April 10th.

Gozen kuji desu. Watashi wa chichi to mise e ikimasu.It's nine in the morning. I go to the store with Father.

Mise wa nikai desu. Hito ga sannin imasu.The store is on the second floor. There are three people.

Watashi to chichi wa futari desu.Father and I are two people.

Pan o futatsu, tamago o mittsu kudasai.Two breads and three eggs, please.

Pan wa hitotsu juuen desu. Watashi wa haraimasu.One bread is ten yen. I pay.

Watashi wa ichiban ookii pan o kaimasu.I buy the biggest bread.

Mise ni pan ga takusan arimasu. Tamago mo takusan arimasu.The store has lots of bread. It has lots of eggs too.

Pochi wa ie ni imasu. Pochi wa sansai desu.Pochi is at home. Pochi is three years old.

Gogo sanji ni ie e kaerimasu.At three in the afternoon, I go home.

Pochi, chiizu o tabenaide kudasai.Pochi, please don't eat the cheese.

Chichi wa ban, gyuunyuu o nomanai.In the evening, Father doesn't drink milk.

Watashi wa maiban juuji ni nemasu.Every night, I go to bed at ten.

Ashita wa shigatsu juuichinichi desu. Dewa, mata.Tomorrow is April 11th. Well then, see you.

❓ Questions about the story

Say your answer out loud first — then tap to check.

Question 1 ·

Kyou wa nangatsu nannichi desu ka?What month and day is it today?

Answer:

Shigatsu tooka desu.It's April 10th.

Question 2 ·

Mise wa nankai desu ka?What floor is the store on?

Answer:

Nikai desu.It's on the second floor.

Question 3 ·

Mimi wa nani o kaimashita ka?What did Mimi buy?

Answer:

Ichiban ookii pan o kaimashita.She bought the biggest bread.

Question 4 ·

Pochi wa nansai desu ka?How old is Pochi?

Answer:

Sansai desu.He is three years old.

Question 5 ·

Pan wa hitotsu nanen desu ka?How many yen is one bread?

Answer:

Juuen desu.It's ten yen.

🈳 Kanji in this lesson

These get their own cards in the kanji sectionas it grows — recognition first, no quizzes.

💬 Stuck on something? Tell Mimi

Feedback goes with the page you were on, so Mimi can find the exact spot. If it was one word or one line, name it below.

This form is brand new and is still being connected behind the scenes — if sending fails, it is the plumbing, not you.