幾 appears in questions about quantity and in words for an indefinite number. Learn its reading with each complete word.

The idea

幾 has 12 strokes. 幾つ（いくつ） asks how many or how old; 幾人（いくにん） asks how many people or means several people. 幾年（いくねん） means several years, while 幾何学（きかがく） means geometry.

Patterns to compare
WordReadingMeaning
幾ついくつhow many; how old
幾人いくにんhow many people; several people
幾年いくねんseveral years
幾何学きかがくgeometry

Examples

  • 林檎りんごは幾いくつありますか。How many apples are there?
  • 妹いもうとさんは幾いくつですか。How old is your younger sister?
  • 明日あしたは幾人いくにん来きますか。How many people will come tomorrow?
  • 駅えきの外そとで幾人いくにんかが待まっていました。Several people were waiting outside the station.
  • 日本にほんに来きてから幾年いくねんか経たちました。Several years have passed since I came to Japan.
  • 大学だいがくで幾何学きかがくを勉強べんきょうしています。I study geometry at university.

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

Watch out

幾つ can ask a child’s age, but its meaning depends on context. 幾人 in a statement can mean several people, not necessarily a question. 何人（なんにん） is a common everyday question.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 幾つ in hiragana.

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    いくつ

    幾つ is いくつ; here it asks how many apples.

  2. Write the reading of 幾何学 in hiragana.

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    きかがく

    幾何学 is きかがく, a word for geometry; learn the compound as a whole.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿人（いくにん）［幾／機］.

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    幾

    幾 completes 幾人（いくにん）: in this statement it means several people.

Use it today

Write 幾 using the linked stroke diagram. Cover the readings, read 幾つ and 幾何学, then make a quantity question.