Explore 枚 in everyday situations, from paper and photographs to tickets and shirts. Learn the counter together with the number before it.

The idea

枚 has 8 strokes and is read まい as a counter. Place a number before it: 一枚（いちまい）, 二枚（にまい）, 三枚（さんまい）. It counts thin, flat objects, including sheets, tickets and plates. 何枚（なんまい） asks how many. Follow the linked diagram for stroke order.

Patterns to compare
JapaneseReading
一枚いちまい
二枚にまい
三枚さんまい
四枚よんまい
五枚ごまい
何枚なんまい

Examples

  • 紙かみを一枚いちまいください。Please give me one sheet of paper.
  • 写真しゃしんを二枚にまい印刷いんさつしました。I printed two photographs.
  • 切符きっぷを三枚さんまい買かいました。I bought three tickets.
  • テーブルの上うえに皿さらが四枚よんまいあります。There are four plates on the table.
  • シャツを五枚ごまい干ほしました。I hung five shirts out to dry.
  • 切手きっては何枚なんまい必要ひつようですか。How many stamps do you need?

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

Watch out

The English word “sheet” is only a clue: 枚 also counts shirts and plates. Choose a counter by the object and context; books normally take 冊, not 枚.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 一枚 in hiragana.

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    いちまい

    一枚 is いちまい: 一 is read いち before the counter まい.

  2. Write the reading of 何枚 in hiragana.

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    なんまい

    何枚 is なんまい, the question word for the number of flat objects.

  3. Choose the counter for three flat sheets of paper: 三＿［枚／冊］.

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    枚

    枚 completes 三枚（さんまい） because sheets of paper are counted as flat objects; 冊 counts bound volumes.

Use it today

Write 枚 following the stroke-order diagram. Cover the table, read 一枚 and 何枚 aloud, then say how many photographs you have.