台 counts machines and vehicles, such as cars, computers and washing machines.

The idea

Put a number before 台: 一台 is いちだい, 二台 is にだい and 四台 is よんだい. Ask 何台（なんだい） for the number. The quantity can follow the object, as in バスを三台予約しました.

Patterns to compare
FormReading
一台いちだい
二台にだい
三台さんだい
四台よんだい
五台ごだい
六台ろくだい
七台ななだい
八台はちだい
九台きゅうだい
十台じゅうだい
何台なんだい

Examples

  • 駐車場ちゅうしゃじょうに車くるまが一台いちだいあります。There is one car in the parking lot.
  • 会社かいしゃにパソコンが二台にだいあります。There are two computers at the company.
  • バスを三台さんだい予約よやくしました。We reserved three buses.
  • この店みせは自転車じてんしゃを四台よんだい売うりました。This shop sold four bicycles.
  • 家いえに洗濯機せんたくきが一台いちだいあります。There is one washing machine at home.
  • 車くるまを何台なんだい持もっていますか。How many cars do you have?

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

台 counts the vehicles or machines themselves, not their passengers. Count people with 人 instead; one car carrying three people is 一台 and 三人.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading in hiragana: 一台

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    いちだい

    一台 is いちだい: 一 keeps its いち reading before 台.

  2. Write the reading in hiragana: 四台

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    よんだい

    四台 is よんだい: use よん for four in this count.

  3. Write the reading in hiragana: 何台

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    なんだい

    何台 is なんだい, the question for a number of machines or vehicles.

Use it today

Count the machines around you with 台, then ask how many cars someone has.