いくつ～
ikutsu~
JLPT N5 Neutral
Formation
いくつ + Noun (optional)
Used to express 'how many' or ask for the number of something.
When to use
'How many' for things counted without a special counter, and 'how old'. With a counter, なん + counter.
Explanation
The grammar point いくつ is used when asking or expressing 'how many' of something there are, or to indicate an unspecified number. In English, it can be translated as 'how many' or 'several'.
Example sentences
リンゴはいくつありますか？
How many apples are there?
Ringo wa ikutsu arimasu ka?
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I have to solve several problems.
Ikutsu ka no mondai o kaiketsu shinakereba narimasen.
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How many languages can you speak?
Anata wa ikutsu no gengo o hanasemasu ka?
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There are several drinks at the party.
Paatii ni wa ikutsu ka no nomimono ga arimasu.
What (Something / Anything / Nothing / How Many)
- なに～nani~N5Asking about 'what' or 'which' in Japanese
- なん～nan~N5Used to form interrogative questions and emphasize the…
- なにか～nanika～N5Indicates 'something' or 'some kind of'.
- なんでも～nandemo～N5Means 'any', 'anything', 'anyone'.
- なにも～ませんnanimo~masenN5Used to express 'not anything', 'nothing'.
- なんで～nande～N5Asking the reason or cause; 'why', 'how come'.
Corpus examples (60)
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Let's ask some questions.
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Please bring me some glasses.
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How old are your children?
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An uncle of mine gave me some useful advice.
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How many rooms are there in your house?
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There are a number of superficial reasons.
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How old is your father?
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I have some questions to ask, but I don't want to bother you now.
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May I ask some questions?
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How many caps do you own?
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He made a few remarks on the book.
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I listened to some of his records.
いくつかの種は基本の歌に対する何十、いや何百もの変化形をもつ洗練されたレパートリーを次第に発展させていく。
Some species gradually develop elaborate repertoires of dozens or even hundreds of variants of a basic song.
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Several typhoons hit Japan in autumn.
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There were some ink spots on the book jacket.
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How many cameras do you have?
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How old are you?
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He is eminent for his great discoveries.
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I can sing some French songs.
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Treated roughly, the cup has some cracks.
つまり、いくつかの銃は、暴発（例えば落とされた時）を防ぐために優れた安全機構を持っていますがそうでない銃も多いのです。
In short some guns have excellent security systems to prevent accidental firing (e.g. when dropped), others don't.
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What is 5814 rounded to the nearest thousand?
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How many islands are in Germany?
歴史はそれぞれの問題にいくつもの異なった答えを私たちに与える。
History presents us with many different answers to each question.
昨日のミーティングでは、重要な決定がいくつか下されたので、早急に実行に移さないといけない。
Several important decisions were made in yesterday's meeting, so we have to put them into practice promptly.