Meaning

Primary

Number Of People

Alternatives

People, Counter For People

Word Type

counter

Explanation

When you see this on a number, for example 7人 or 3人, you're using it to count people. Just remember, both 一人 and 二人 have alternative readings. From 3 and up it's just the number plus にん, like this. 5人 is ごにん, 10人 is じゅうにん, etc. This is the counter for people, which makes this word the number of people.

Reading

にん
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is a counter, which usually means on'yomi readings from the kanji. Since has two on'yomi readings, here's a mnemonic to help you remember which one to use:

Just think of the sheer number of people at Nintendo (にん). It must be huge. This really is just a counter for people that work at Nintendo.

Context

Pattern of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 九人

    nine people

    七人

    seven people

    四人

    four people

Context Sentences

スタッフは十人います。

There are ten staff members.

うちは、四人ファミリーです。

There are four of us in my family.

王子のウェディングパーティーには千人のゲストがきます。

A thousand guests are coming to the prince's wedding reception.

Kanji Composition