All Blogs
How to Renew a Japan Work Visa — How to Fill the Application Form + Complete Guide (Excel/PDF Download) Practical Guide to Landing IT Jobs in Japan Without Japanese Skills How I Found My First Web Developer Job in Japan Without Speaking Japanese Japan Work Visa Requirements: What You Need to Know The Best Cities to Work in Japan for Foreigners Hand-Cash Jobs in Japan: Timing, Risks & Visa Impact Top 10 Companies Hiring Foreigners in Japan Right Now
Menu
Counting Houses

Japanese Counter for Houses (軒) – Counting Houses and Buildings

Learn how to count houses and buildings in Japanese using 軒

Counting Houses and Buildings in Japanese (軒 / けん / ken)

In Japanese, houses and small buildings are counted using the counter 軒 (けん / ken).

This counter is commonly used for houses, shops, restaurants, and small buildings. It is often used when talking about buildings along a street or in a neighborhood.

Basic Pattern
Number + 軒 (けん / ken)

Examples:
2軒 (にけん / niken)
3軒 (さんけん / sanken)
5軒 (ごけん / goken)

Important Sound Changes
Some numbers change pronunciation when combined with 軒 (けん / ken).

1軒 (いっけん / ikken)
6軒 (ろっけん / rokken)
8軒 (はっけん / hakken)
10軒 (じゅっけん / jukken)

Common Usage
この通りには家が三軒あります。
(このとおりにはいえがさんけんあります / kono toori ni wa ie ga sanken arimasu)
Meaning: There are three houses on this street.

近くにレストランが二軒あります。
(ちかくにレストランがにけんあります / chikaku ni resutoran ga niken arimasu)
Meaning: There are two restaurants nearby.

This counter is useful when talking about buildings in a neighborhood, along a street, or when describing locations of shops and houses.
1
一軒
Hiragana
いっけん
Romaji
ikken
Meaning
one house
2
二軒
Hiragana
にけん
Romaji
niken
Meaning
two houses
3
三軒
Hiragana
さんげん / さんけん
Romaji
sangen / sanken
Meaning
three houses
4
四軒
Hiragana
よんけん / しけん
Romaji
yonken / shiken
Meaning
four houses
5
五軒
Hiragana
ごけん
Romaji
goken
Meaning
five houses
6
六軒
Hiragana
ろっけん
Romaji
rokken
Meaning
six houses
7
七軒
Hiragana
ななけん / しちけん
Romaji
nanaken / shichiken
Meaning
seven houses
8
八軒
Hiragana
はっけん
Romaji
hakken
Meaning
eight houses
9
九軒
Hiragana
きゅうけん / くけん
Romaji
kyuuken / kuken
Meaning
nine houses
10
十軒
Hiragana
じゅっけん / じっけん
Romaji
jukken / jikken
Meaning
ten houses
11
十一軒
Hiragana
じゅういっけん
Romaji
juuikken
Meaning
eleven houses
12
十二軒
Hiragana
じゅうにけん
Romaji
juuniken
Meaning
twelve houses
13
十三軒
Hiragana
じゅうさんげん / じゅうさんけん
Romaji
juusangen / juusanken
Meaning
thirteen houses
14
十四軒
Hiragana
じゅうよんけん / じゅうしけん
Romaji
juuyonken / juushiken
Meaning
fourteen houses
15
十五軒
Hiragana
じゅうごけん
Romaji
juugoken
Meaning
fifteen houses
16
十六軒
Hiragana
じゅうろっけん
Romaji
juurokken
Meaning
sixteen houses
17
十七軒
Hiragana
じゅうななけん / じゅうしちけん
Romaji
juunanaken / juushichiken
Meaning
seventeen houses
18
十八軒
Hiragana
じゅうはっけん
Romaji
juuhakken
Meaning
eighteen houses
19
十九軒
Hiragana
じゅうきゅうけん
Romaji
juukyuuken
Meaning
nineteen houses
20
二十軒
Hiragana
にじゅっけん / にじっけん
Romaji
nijukken / nijikken
Meaning
twenty houses
この通りには家が一軒あります。
Hiragana
このとおりにはいえがいっけんあります。
Romaji
kono toori ni wa ie ga ikken arimasu
Meaning
There is one house on this street.
この町にはレストランが二軒あります。
Hiragana
このまちにはれすとらんがにけんあります。
Romaji
kono machi ni wa resutoran ga niken arimasu
Meaning
There are two restaurants in this town.
この通りには店が三軒あります。
Hiragana
このとおりにはみせがさんげんあります。
Romaji
kono toori ni wa mise ga sangen arimasu
Meaning
There are three shops on this street.
村には家が四軒あります。
Hiragana
むらにはいえがよんけんあります。
Romaji
mura ni wa ie ga yonken arimasu
Meaning
There are four houses in the village.
この通りには店が五軒あります。
Hiragana
このとおりにはみせがごけんあります。
Romaji
kono toori ni wa mise ga goken arimasu
Meaning
There are five shops on this street.
この町には家が六軒あります。
Hiragana
このまちにはいえがろっけんあります。
Romaji
kono machi ni wa ie ga rokken arimasu
Meaning
There are six houses in this town.
この通りにはレストランが七軒あります。
Hiragana
このとおりにはれすとらんがななけんあります。
Romaji
kono toori ni wa resutoran ga nanaken arimasu
Meaning
There are seven restaurants on this street.
この町には店が八軒あります。
Hiragana
このまちにはみせがはっけんあります。
Romaji
kono machi ni wa mise ga hakken arimasu
Meaning
There are eight shops in this town.
この通りには家が九軒あります。
Hiragana
このとおりにはいえがきゅうけんあります。
Romaji
kono toori ni wa ie ga kyuuken arimasu
Meaning
There are nine houses on this street.
この町には店が十軒あります。
Hiragana
このまちにはみせがじゅっけんあります。
Romaji
kono machi ni wa mise ga jukken arimasu
Meaning
There are ten shops in this town.

Use Our New JLPT Kanji Learning Tool (N5 to N1)

Master every Japanese Kanji from JLPT N5 to N1 using our all-in-one Kanji Learning Tool. Explore each character with detailed Onyomi (音読み) and Kunyomi (訓読み) readings, meanings, and example words. Practice writing interactively with stroke-order animations and a built-in writing canvas — the perfect way to study, memorize, and master kanji step by step.