Last Updated on July 8, 2021 by admin

Measure Words in Japanese

Issatsu no hon ??

One day I was asked by a student “Are the sentences Kare wa issatsu no hon o motte ryokoo ni itta, and Kare wa hon o issatsu motte ryokoo ni itta exactly the same?” They appear the same but are actually different. Issatsu no hon refers to a particular book, with an explanation as to the kind of book it is or why it is being taken to follow. It does not mean that there is only one book, and nothing else, was taken. It simply refers to the number of belongings or books that were taken or the trip.

In the same manner, sono ie niwa hitori no kodomo ga imashita is used when speaking specifically of one child, although there may have been other kids in the house. Kodomo ga hitori imashita indicates that only one child was in the house.