Quote:
Originally Posted by jacobf
So, is it only attached to nouns that have counters? Or is the つ itself a counter? That is what is confusing me.
The book gives the example of two people, and it is 二人 (ふたり) and then the second (date); (for) two days, which is 二日 (ふつか)
I think it is called okurigana, the concept itself doesn't confuse me, but I don't understand why it is attached to these kanji.
|
つ is a counter but even us native speakers often forget it's a counter because it's different from all the other counters in its nature and usage.
First, let me surprise you by telling how I learned to count from 1 to 10. This was when I was 2 or 3. Ready?
ひとつ、ふたつ、みっつ、よっつ、いつつ、むっつ、な なつ、やっつ、ここのつ、and とお.
Did this shock you? Hope it did. That is how the Japanese counted before we encountered the Chinese. We still often use this system to count to 10. Now when I entered kindergarten at age 4, I learned another system. This one won't surprise you.
いち、に、さん、し、ご、ろく、しち、はち、く、and じゅう. Boring because it sounds familiar, isn't it?
So, つ is the almighty counter but it can only be used with numbers 1 thru 9. That is why we need other counters and others are difficult to learn because none of them are as almighty as the つ.
That we already had ひとつ、ふたつ、みっつ, etc. before encountering the Chinese means that these are original Japanese words. Therefore, a kanji compound like 二人 is merely a substitute. Even now many better writers write ふたり in kana. If I were a Japanese teacher, I would not teach you to write it in kanji, either. No one even knows what part of the word ふたり is the reading of the 二 or the 人.