Counting Floors in Japanese: The Usage of ~kai (~階)
In this lesson, we will discuss josuushi, or counters in
Japanese, specifically ~kai (~階), which is used for counting
floors in a building.
The Function of ~kai (~階)
The counter ~kai (~階) is used to indicate the floors of a
building, such as in houses, apartments, office buildings, hotels, and more.
It functions similarly to the term “floor” in Indonesian.
Table of Usage for josuushi ~kai (~階)
Here is a table showing various forms of ~kai (~階) along
with their meanings:
| Kanji | Romaji | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|
| 一階 | Ikkai | 1st Floor |
| 二階 | Nikai | 2nd Floor |
| 三階 | Sankai / Sangai | 3rd Floor |
| 四階 | Yonkai | 4th Floor |
| 五階 | Gokai | 5th Floor |
| 六階 | Rokkai | 6th Floor |
| 七階 | Nanakai | 7th Floor |
| 八階 | Hakkai / Hachikai | 8th Floor |
| 九階 | Kyuukai | 9th Floor |
| 十階 | Jukkai / Jikkai | 10th Floor |
| 十一階 | Juuikkai | 11th Floor |
| 十二階 | Juunikai | 12th Floor |
| 十三階 | Juusankai / Juusangai | 13th Floor |
| 百階 | Hyakkai | 100th Floor |
| 千階 | Senkai | 1000th Floor |
| 一万階 | Ichimankai | 10000th Floor |
| 地下一階 | Chika ikkai | Basement 1st Floor |
| 地下二階 | Chika nikai | Basement 2nd Floor |
| 何階 | Nankai / Nangai | Which floor? |
Note:
-
For large numbers, Latin numerals are often used instead of kanji, as they
are easier to read. -
To indicate a building with many floors, we can add
~date (~建て) after the number, as shown in the following
examples.
Example Sentences Using ~kai (~階)
Here are some example sentences using ~kai (~階) to refer to
floors in a building:
-
今日は五階で待っています
Kyou wa gokai de matteimasu
Today, I am waiting on the 5th floor. -
駅は二階にあります
Eki wa nikai ni arimasu
The station is on the 2nd floor. -
カフェは六階にあります
Kafe wa rokkai ni arimasu
The cafe is on the 6th floor. -
このビルは十階建てです
Kono biru wa jukkai-date desu
This building has 10 floors. -
ホテルのレセプションは三階です
Hoteru no resepushon wa sankai desu
The hotel reception is on the 3rd floor. -
新しいオフィスは九階にあります
Atarashii ofisu wa kyuukai ni arimasu
The new office is on the 9th floor. -
その映画館は八十階建てです
Sono eigakan wa hachijukkai-date desu
The cinema has 80 floors. -
ビルの上にあるレストランは十四階です
Biru no ue ni aru resutoran wa juuyonkai desu
The restaurant on top of the building is on the 14th floor. -
僕たちは地下二階で会います
Bokutachi wa chika nikai de aimasu
We will meet on the 2nd basement floor.
Conclusion
The use of josuushi ~kai (~階) is simple, and it is mainly
used for counting floors in a building. What you need to pay attention to is
how the numbers are read, as there are some irregular readings. However, once
you get used to these vocabulary words, it will be much easier to understand
and use them.
With a good understanding of ~kai (~階), you will be able to
smoothly talk about floors in buildings when conversing in Japanese.
