They are similar to English expressions such as "a cup of ~", "a sheet of ~" and so on. There are a variety of counters, often based on the shape of the object. Counters are attached directly to a number (e.g. ni-hai, san-mai). Following the next couple of paragraphs, we have included counters for the following categories: objects, duration, animals, frequency, order, people and others.

hon 本 --- Long, cylindrical objects: trees, pens, etc.

mai 枚 --- Flat, thin objects: paper, stamps, dishes, etc.

ko 個 --- Broad category of small and compact objects

hai 杯 --- Liquid in cups, glasses, bowls, etc.

satsu 冊 --- Bound objects: books, magazines, etc.

dai 台 --- Vehicles, machines etc.

kai 階 --- The floor of a building

ken 件 --- Houses, buildings

soku 足 --- Pairs of footwear: sock, shoes, etc.

tsuu 通 --- Letters