--- In [email protected], "KoOkY!"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> But hit on the subject of counters
> and I really don't understand their point. Book ju started with
three
> examples: mai, hon and satsu for thin/flat objects, long
cylindrical,
> and bound together. But.....why? :)
I don't know why, but in most cases you have to use different
counters (josuushi) to count different things. For example, "mai" is
used for counting thin, flat things such as sheets of paper,
handkerchiefs, blankets, etc; "hon" for long, cylindraical thins
like pencils, pens, baseball bats, trees, logs, etc; and "satsu" for
things bound together (e.g. books, notebooks, magazines, photo
albums, etc).
> What's the difference between
> saying "Yon mai no kami" and "Yon no kami". Both are saying 4
pieces
> of paper aren't they?
"Yon mai no kami" is the only way to say "four sheets/pieces of
paper". You can't say "yon no kami". See the examples:
-ichi mai no kami (not "ichi no kami") (a sheet/piece of paper)
-ni hon no enpitsu (not "ni no enpitsu") (two pencils)
-san satsu no hon (not "san no hon") (three books)
Kamui
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