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Study in the app →Japanese · JLPT Band 1 (N5) · Chapter 7
かぞくは よにんです My family is four people
Family words and the counter nin for people: hitori, futari, sannin, yonin (hitori and futari are irregular). Ask how many with nannin desu ka. For your own family you are humble — chichi, haha; for someone else's, polite — otōsan, okāsan. Kana: 濁点 and long vowels together — otōsan, okāsan.
Dialogue
かぞくは よにんです — My Family Is Four People
- Yuki マイクさんの かぞくは なんにんですか。 Mike, how many people are in your family?
- Mike よっつです。 Four (things). (mistake: used the つ counter for people)
- Yuki ひとは「よにん」ですよ。「よっつ」じゃないです。 For people it's "yonin", you know. Not "yottsu".
- Mike あ、かぞくは よにんです。こどもは ふたりです。 Ah, my family is four people. There are two children.
Dialogue
ちち と はは — My Father and Mother
- Ken マイクさんの おとうさんは かいしゃいんですか。 Mike, is your father an office worker?
- Mike はい、わたしの おとうさんは かいしゃいんです。 Yes, my father is an office worker. (slight slip: otōsan for own father)
- Ken マイクさんの かぞくは「ちち」ですよ。「ちちは かいしゃいんです」。 For your own family it's "chichi". "Chichi wa kaishain desu".
- Mike あ、ちちは かいしゃいんです。ははは せんせいです。 Ah, my father is an office worker. My mother is a teacher.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| かぞく | kazoku | n. | family |
| ちち | chichi | n. | (my) father |
| はは | haha | n. | (my) mother |
| おとうさん | otōsan | n. | father (someone's / polite) |
| おかあさん | okāsan | n. | mother (someone's / polite) |
| ひとり | hitori | num. | one person |
| ふたり | futari | num. | two people |
| さんにん | sannin | num. | three people |
| よにん | yonin | num. | four people |
| なんにん | nannin | pron. | how many people |
| こども | kodomo | n. | child |
Grammar
ひとを かぞえる「にん」 Counting people with にん (nin)
ひとを かぞえる ときは すうじに「にん」を つけます: さんにん（3にん）、よにん（4にん）。でも「ひとり」（1にん）と「ふたり」（2にん）は とくべつな よみかたで、「いちにん・ににん」とは いいません。にんずうを たずねる ときは「なんにんですか」。「かぞくは よにんです」のように、かぞくの にんずうを いう ときに よく つかいます。
To count people, add nin to the number: sannin (3 people), yonin (4 people). But hitori (1) and futari (2) are special readings — you do NOT say "ichinin / ninin". Ask the number of people with nannin desu ka. It is common when stating family size, as in Kazoku wa yonin desu (My family is four people).
- かぞくは なんにんですか。— よにんです。 Kazoku wa nannin desu ka. — Yonin desu. How many people in your family? — Four.
- こどもは ふたりです。 Kodomo wa futari desu. There are two children.
- わたしの かぞくは さんにんです。 Watashi no kazoku wa sannin desu. My family is three people.
kana
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