Language/Japanese/Grammar/Plurals

Japanese Grammar - Plurals

Hi Japanese learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn how to form plurals in Japanese. Unlike English, Japanese does not really have plurals as it doesn't use different noun forms for singular and plural. Instead, context plays a significant role in determining whether a noun is singular or plural. However, there are some nuances in the language that can imply number, and this is what we will be covering today.

Introduction

Nouns in Japanese don't change form based on number. The context and the particles used in a sentence indicate whether the noun is singular or plural. For example, the particle が (ga) is used for the subject of a sentence in Japanese, and it is generally used with singular nouns. The particle は (wa) is also used for the subject in a sentence, but is more commonly used for plural nouns.

Quantifiers

To indicate quantity, Japanese uses quantifiers just like in English. Quantifiers are words that indicate how many objects there are, such as "two books" or "three apples". In Japanese, the quantifier comes before the noun. Unlike English, where the quantifier changes based on the noun, the Japanese quantifier stays the same regardless of the noun. Here are some examples:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
一つ (hitotsu)	hee-toh-tsu	one
二つ (futatsu)	foo-tah-tsu	two
三つ (mittsu)	mee-tsu	three
四つ (yottsu)	yoh-tsu	four

In Japanese, classifiers are also used as quantifiers. As the name suggests, classifiers classify the noun to provide more information such as shape, size or type. For example, 一本 (ippun) is a classifier for long, cylindrical objects like pencils or chopsticks.

Here are some other common classifiers in Japanese:

- 人 (nin): person - 枚 (mai): flat objects like paper or photographs - 匹 (hiki): small animals or fish - 階 (kai): floors in buildings

Classifiers and quantifiers are typically used for counting objects, but not for people. Japanese people are counted using the counter 人 (nin) instead. Here's an example dialogue to illustrate this:

• Person 1: 友達は何人いますか？(Tomodachi wa nan-nin imasu ka?) (How many friends do you have?)
• Person 2: 三人います。(San-nin imasu.) (I have three friends.)

Particles

Particles are used in Japanese to show the relationship between words in a sentence. The particle used with a noun can give a hint as to whether it is singular or plural. For example:

- が (ga) is typically used with a singular subject. For example: 犬がいます。 (Inu ga imasu.) (There is a dog.) - は (wa) is generally used with a plural subject. For example: 犬達はいます。 (Inu-tachi wa imasu.) (There are dogs.)

However, it is essential to keep in mind that simply using a particle is not enough to indicate singular or plural. The context of the sentence is still important in determining number.

Verbs and adjectives

Japanese verbs and adjectives don't change form based on number. They remain the same whether they are describing a singular or a plural noun. The particles used in the sentence are used to indicate whether the subject is singular or plural.

Here's an example:

• Person 1: 魚はおいしいです。(Sakana wa oishii desu.) (Fish is delicious.)
• Person 2: 魚達はおいしいです。(Sakana-tachi wa oishii desu.) (Fish is/are delicious.)

The adjective (おいしい - oishii) is the same in both sentences. However, in the first sentence, the particle は (wa) indicates that the subject is singular, while in the second sentence, 達 (tachi) is used as a suffix with the noun 魚 (sakana) to indicate that the subject is plural.

Irregular plurals

While Japanese usually does not use different noun forms for singular and plural, some nouns do have irregular forms. Here are a few examples:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
子供 (kodomo)	koh-doh-moh	children
人 (hito)	hee-toh	people
牛 (ushi)	oo-shee	cows

These irregular plurals have unique forms in the language that aren't simply determined through context or particles.

Examples in context

Here are some examples in context to help you understand how plurals work in Japanese:

• Person 1: 医者が二人います。 (Isha ga futari imasu.) (There are two doctors.)
• Person 2: そうですか？(Sou desu ka?) (Is that so?)
• Person 1: はい、病院にいました。(Hai, byouin ni imashita.) (Yes, they were at the hospital.)

In the above dialogue, the particle が (ga) is used with 医者 (isha) to indicate that the noun is singular. The quantifier 二人 (futari) indicates that there are two doctors. The second sentence is a question, and the response confirms that there were indeed two doctors at the hospital.

Conclusion

Japanese nouns don't change form based on number, but rather context and particles are used to indicate whether a noun is singular or plural. Quantifiers can also be used to show quantity. Remember that some nouns have irregular plurals and that the context of the sentence is essential in determining number.

To improve your Japanese Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Japanese grammar
• Japanese particles
• Japanese counter word

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