冊 (satsu): Counting Books and Bound Volumes
Quick Answer: 冊 counts bound volumes: books, notebooks, magazines, manga volumes, dictionaries, etc. Sound changes: 1 = いっさつ, 8 = はっさつ, 10 = じゅっさつ. Other numbers are regular: にさつ, さんさつ, よんさつ, etc.
Books, notebooks, magazines, and anything with a binding
Category: Counters
The Rule
冊 counts bound volumes: books, notebooks, magazines, manga volumes, dictionaries, etc. Sound changes: 1 = いっさつ, 8 = はっさつ, 10 = じゅっさつ. Other numbers are regular: にさつ, さんさつ, よんさつ, etc.
Why This Matters
Beginners often try to use 本 for books (since 本 means 'book'!), but books use 冊. This is a classic trap. 冊 comes from the character meaning 'volume/册' in classical Chinese — bound bamboo strips. Any bound, paginated object qualifies.
Examples
• 図書館で本を五冊借りました。 — "I borrowed five books from the library." [ごさつ = 5 books] • この漫画は全部で二十冊あります。 — "This manga has twenty volumes in total." [にじゅっさつ = 20 volumes] • ノートを一冊買ってきて。 — "Go buy a notebook." [いっさつ = 1 (note the っ sound change)] • 毎月雑誌を三冊読んでいます。 — "I read three magazines every month." [さんさつ = 3 magazines (bound periodicals)]
Common Mistakes
❌ 本を三本読みました。 ✅ 本を三冊読みました。 → Books use 冊 (bound volumes), NOT 本 (long/cylindrical objects). This is the #1 counter confusion for beginners ❌ いちさつ ✅ いっさつ → 1 book: いち + さつ → いっさつ. The double consonant (っ) is mandatory, similar to いっぽん
Quick Tip
冊 is only for bound/paginated items. Loose papers use 枚, e-books on a device use 冊 (same concept), and single-page flyers use 枚. The binding is the key concept.
冊 is only for bound/paginated items. Loose papers use 枚, e-books on a device use 冊 (same concept), and single-page flyers use 枚. The binding is the key concept.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: 本を三本読みました。 → Correct: 本を三冊読みました。. Books use 冊 (bound volumes), NOT 本 (long/cylindrical objects). This is the #1 counter confusion for beginners
Incorrect: いちさつ → Correct: いっさつ. 1 book: いち + さつ → いっさつ. The double consonant (っ) is mandatory, similar to いっぽん
Quiz
How do you say 'eight dictionaries'?