GrammarJLPT N5
〜つ
→ general-purpose counter
General-Purpose Counter
JLPT N5CounterNeutral
〜箇 is a general-purpose counter used to count discrete objects, items, or abstract units. It is the kanji form behind the more commonly seen counters 〜個 (simplified form) and 〜か (hiragana form). In modern Japanese, 〜箇 most frequently appears in compound expressions like 〜箇所 (places/spots), 〜箇月 (months), and 〜箇国 (countries), while standalone item counting tends to use the simplified kanji 個 or the native Japanese counter 〜つ. The reading follows the same pattern as 個: いっか, にか, さんか, etc., with sound changes at certain numbers (one, six, eight, ten typically use っか). Understanding 〜箇 is important because it is the original character underlying several high-frequency counters, and learners will encounter it in formal writing, official documents, and set expressions where the full kanji form is preserved.
Functions
#1 Counting discrete items
Structure
Number + 箇（こ）
りんごを三箇ください。
Here 箇 is used as a standalone counter for individual items, functioning identically to 個. The reading is こ, and the number 三 (さん) attaches directly to it without any sound change. In everyday writing, 個 is more common for this usage, but 箇 may appear in formal or traditional texts.Please give me three apples.
Structures
- Number + 箇 (standalone counting)
- Number + 箇（こ）
- Number + 箇 in compounds
- Number + 箇所（かしょ）/ 箇月（かげつ）/ 箇国（かこく）
Common mistakes
A common mistake is confusing the multiple written forms of 箇. The characters 箇, 個, ヶ, ケ, and hiragana か are all related, but they are not always interchangeable. For standalone item counting, 個 is standard and 箇 is rare in casual writing. For compounds like months, places, and countries, any of 箇, ヶ, or か may be used, but mixing them inconsistently within a single text looks unpolished. Another frequent error is forgetting the sound changes (促音変化): one month is いっかげつ (not いちかげつ), six months is ろっかげつ, and ten months is じゅっかげつ. Finally, learners sometimes use 箇 or 個 for flat or thin objects, long objects, or other items that have their own specific counters like 枚 or 本; while it may be understood, it sounds unnatural to native speakers.
Related
〜個〜つ〜か所〜か月〜か国