冊 counts bound volumes, including books, magazines and notebooks.

The idea

Place a number before 冊: 一冊 is いっさつ, 二冊 にさつ and 三冊 さんさつ. Six is ろくさつ, but eight is はっさつ; ten is じゅっさつ or じっさつ. Ask 何冊（なんさつ）. A quantity can follow the object, as in 本を一冊借りました.

Patterns to compare
FormReading
一冊いっさつ
二冊にさつ
三冊さんさつ
四冊よんさつ
五冊ごさつ
六冊ろくさつ
七冊ななさつ
八冊はっさつ
九冊きゅうさつ
十冊じゅっさつ／じっさつ
何冊なんさつ

Examples

  • 図書館としょかんで本ほんを一冊いっさつ借かりました。I borrowed one book at the library.
  • 新あたらしいノートが二冊にさつあります。There are two new notebooks.
  • この辞書じしょを三冊さんさつ注文ちゅうもんします。I will order three copies of this dictionary.
  • 本棚ほんだなに雑誌ざっしが八冊はっさつあります。There are eight magazines on the bookshelf.
  • この漫画まんがは全部ぜんぶで十冊じゅっさつです。This manga has ten volumes in all.
  • 本ほんを何冊なんさつ借かりましたか。How many books did you borrow?

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 mean “book”, but the counter 本 counts long objects, not book volumes. A ten-volume series is 十冊 even though it is one series.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading in hiragana: 一冊

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    いっさつ

    一冊 is いっさつ: いち shortens and a small っ precedes さつ.

  2. Write the reading in hiragana: 六冊

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    ろくさつ

    六冊 is ろくさつ: unlike 六個（ろっこ）, the く remains.

  3. Write the reading in hiragana: 何冊

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    なんさつ

    何冊 is なんさつ, the question for a number of volumes.

Use it today

Count a few books or notebooks with 冊, then ask how many volumes someone borrowed.