いくつ

Definition

Used to ask about quantity of things (without a counter) or a person's age informally. For specific counters, どれくらい (dore kurai) or いくら (ikura) for price are used.

Example

Etymology

'いくつ' (ikutsu) comes from Old Japanese, where it served to express quantity or age. It has maintained its function as a pronoun questioning number or age through the ages.

How & Where It’s Used

'いくつ' (ikutsu) is used in both spoken and written forms and is predominantly informal, suitable for conversations with friends, family, and in casual settings.

Related Terms