Use 本 after a number to count pencils, bottles, umbrellas and other long objects.

The idea

The counter 本 is normally ほん, but after one, six and eight it becomes ぽん; after three and 何 it becomes ぼん. For example, 一本 is いっぽん, 三本 is さんぼん, and 六本 is ろっぽん.

Patterns to compare
FormReading
一本いっぽん
二本にほん
三本さんぼん
四本よんほん
五本ごほん
六本ろっぽん
七本ななほん／しちほん
八本はっぽん
九本きゅうほん
十本じゅっぽん／じっぽん
何本なんぼん

Examples

  • ペンを一本いっぽん買かいます。I buy one pen.
  • ペンを二本にほん買かいます。I buy two pens.
  • 水みずを三本さんぼん買かいます。I buy three bottles of water.
  • 鉛筆えんぴつが六本ろっぽんあります。There are six pencils.
  • 傘かさが八本はっぽんあります。There are eight umbrellas.
  • 鉛筆えんぴつは何本なんぼんありますか。How many pencils are there?

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

Watch out

本 can also mean a book, but books are normally counted with 冊. A bottle of water can be counted with 本 because the bottle is the unit.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading in hiragana: 一本

    Show answer or example answer

    いっぽん

    一本 is いっぽん: the small っ and ぽん replace the expected separate sounds.

  2. Write the reading in hiragana: 三本

    Show answer or example answer

    さんぼん

    三本 is さんぼん: the counter begins with ぼ after three.

  3. Write the reading in hiragana: 六本

    Show answer or example answer

    ろっぽん

    六本 is ろっぽん: ろく shortens to ろっ and 本 becomes ぽん.

Use it today

Count pens or bottles using one, three and six, then ask how many there are.