Feb 2026

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Question Patterns

いくつ (ikutsu) - How many/old

Master using いくつ (ikutsu) to ask 'how many' and 'how old' in Japanese. Learn counting questions and age expressions.

What is いくつ (ikutsu)?

いくつ has two main uses:

  1. "How many" - asking about quantity
  2. "How old" - asking about age
いくつありますか？
"How many are there?"

いくつですか？
"How old are you?"

Asking "How Many"

Basic Pattern

いくつありますか？
"How many are there?"

いくつ買いますか？
"How many will you buy?"

いくつ持っていますか？
"How many do you have?"

いくつ欲しいですか？
"How many do you want?"

With Counters

For specific items, use appropriate counters instead of いくつ:

何本 (nanbon) - long objects
何枚 (nanmai) - flat objects
何個 (nanko) - small objects
何人 (nannin) - people

りんごはいくつありますか？ ✓
りんごは何個ありますか？ ✓
"How many apples are there?"

Asking "How Old"

Age Questions

いくつですか？
"How old are you?" (casual, for children)

おいくつですか？
"How old are you?" (polite)

何歳ですか？
"How old are you?" (more direct)

Note on Politeness

  • いくつ - used mainly for young children
  • おいくつ - polite, can be used for adults
  • 何歳 (なんさい) - direct, sometimes considered rude for adults

Answering いくつ Questions

Quantity

Q: いくつありますか？
   "How many are there?"

A: 3つあります
   "There are 3"

A: 5つです
   "There are 5"

A: たくさんあります
   "There are many"

Age

Q: いくつですか？
   "How old are you?"

A: 8歳です
   "I'm 8 years old"

A: 25歳です
   "I'm 25 years old"

A: 30です
   "I'm 30"

Common Patterns

いくつか (ikutsuka)

"Some/several":

いくつか持っています
"I have several"

いくつか質問があります
"I have some questions"

いくつか方法があります
"There are several methods"

いくつも (ikutsumo)

"Many":

いくつも買った
"I bought many"

いくつも問題がある
"There are many problems"

Common Conversations

Example 1: Counting Objects

A: りんごはいくつありますか？
   "How many apples are there?"

B: 5つあります
   "There are 5"

A: もっと欲しいですか？
   "Do you want more?"

B: いいえ、十分です
   "No, that's enough"

Example 2: Age (Child)

A: いくつですか？
   "How old are you?"

B: 7歳です
   "I'm 7 years old"

A: 小学生ですか？
   "Are you in elementary school?"

B: はい、小学2年生です
   "Yes, I'm in 2nd grade"

Example 3: Shopping

A: これをいくつ買いますか？
   "How many of these will you buy?"

B: 3つください
   "Three please"

A: はい、かしこまりました
   "Yes, certainly"

With Different Counters

General Counter (つ)

1つ (ひとつ) - 1
2つ (ふたつ) - 2
3つ (みっつ) - 3
4つ (よっつ) - 4
5つ (いつつ) - 5
6つ (むっつ) - 6
7つ (ななつ) - 7
8つ (やっつ) - 8
9つ (ここのつ) - 9
10 (とお) - 10

Specific Counters

When asking about specific items:

ペンは何本ありますか？
"How many pens are there?"

本は何冊ありますか？
"How many books are there?"

人は何人いますか？
"How many people are there?"

Polite Age Questions

おいくつですか？
"How old are you?" (polite)

お年はいくつですか？
"What is your age?" (very polite/formal)

失礼ですが、おいくつですか？
"Excuse me, but how old are you?"

Avoiding Direct Age Questions

In Japanese culture, asking age directly can be impolite. Alternatives:

何年生ですか？
"What grade are you in?"

大学生ですか？
"Are you a university student?"

社会人ですか？
"Are you a working adult?"

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using いくら for quantity

Wrong: いくらありますか？ (for quantity) ❌
Right: いくつありますか？ ✓
"How many are there?"

いくら is for price only!

Mistake 2: Using いくつ for adults' age casually

Less appropriate: いくつですか？ (to adult) ⚠️
Better: おいくつですか？ ✓
Or: 何歳ですか？ ✓ (if acceptable context)
"How old are you?"

Mistake 3: Wrong counter

When specific counter needed:
Less natural: りんごはいくつ？ ⚠️
More natural: りんごは何個？ ✓
"How many apples?"

Both are acceptable, but specific counters sound more natural

Special Expressions

いくつかの (ikutsuka no)

"Some/several" + noun:

いくつかの問題
"several problems"

いくつかの方法
"some methods"

いくつかの理由
"several reasons"

いくつになっても (ikutsu ni nattemo)

"No matter how old":

いくつになっても元気
"Energetic no matter how old"

いくつになっても学べる
"Can learn no matter how old"

Politeness Levels

Casual (Quantity)

いくつある？
"How many are there?"

いくつ欲しい？
"How many do you want?"

Polite (Quantity)

いくつありますか？
"How many are there?"

いくつ欲しいですか？
"How many do you want?"

Casual (Age - for children)

いくつ？
"How old?"

Polite (Age)

おいくつですか？
"How old are you?"

何歳でいらっしゃいますか？
"How old are you?" (very polite)

Practice Sentences

Quantity

いくつありますか？
"How many are there?"

いくつ買いますか？
"How many will you buy?"

いくつ持っていますか？
"How many do you have?"

いくつ欲しいですか？
"How many do you want?"

Age

いくつですか？
"How old are you?" (for children)

おいくつですか？
"How old are you?" (polite)

お子さんはいくつですか？
"How old is your child?"

Expressions

いくつか質問があります
"I have some questions"

いくつも買いました
"I bought many"

いくつかの方法があります
"There are several methods"
  • Question Words (5W1H) - Overview
  • Counters - Japanese counting system
  • 何 (nani) - What
  • いくら (ikura) - How much (price)
  • Age expressions - Talking about age
  • Numbers - Japanese number system