General Counter tsu

The Japanese counter 〜つ (tsu) is one of the most useful counters. This counter doesn't limit itself to specific shapes or characteristics; instead, it has the broad ability to count, well, just about anything. In contrast to counters that depend on an object's shape or features, 〜つ keeps it simple by just tallying up general "things".

〜つ (tsu) is a generic counter that can be used for counting almost any object in the world (excluding people). It proves beneficial when you're uncertain about the specific counter associated with a particular object.

Look at the table below to learn general counters in kanji, hiragana, and romaji.

How to count general items in Japanese

Audio	English	Romaji	Japanese	Kana
	one thing	hitotsu	一つ	ひとつ
	two things	futatsu	二つ	ふたつ
	three things	mittsu	三つ	みっつ
	four things	yottsu	四つ	よっつ
	five things	itsutsu	五つ	いつつ
	six things	muttsu	六つ	むっつ
	seven things	nanatsu	七つ	ななつ
	eight things	yattsu	八つ	やっつ
	nine things	kokonotsu	九つ	ここのつ
	ten things	too	十	とお
	how many	ikutsu	いくつ	いくつ

How do you use the generic counter "tsu" to count beyond ten?

The 〜つ (tsu) counter only goes up to 10. After reaching 10, you have two options: either switch to the specific counter for the object you are counting, or use the numeral directly. For example, you can say じゅういち (jūichi) for eleven or じゅうに (jūni) for twelve without attaching a specific counter word.