1.
seven (things)
The native Japanese counter for seven objects.
たまごを七つ買った。
I bought seven eggs.
箱の中に七つあります。
There are seven in the box.
問題が七つあります。
There are seven problems.
りんごを七つもらったから、友達に分けた。
I received seven apples, so I shared them with my friend.
この町には七つのお寺があって、全部歩いて回ることができる。
There are seven temples in this town, and you can walk to all of them.
七つ is the native Japanese counter for seven objects. It's part of the ひとつ counting system used for general objects.
THE NATIVE COUNTING SYSTEM (1-10):
- 一つ: one
- 二つ: two
- 三つ: three
- 四つ: four
- 五つ: five
- 六つ: six
- 七つ: seven
- 八つ: eight
- 九つ: nine
- 十: ten (no つ)
WHEN TO USE:
- General objects without specific counters
- Age of children (under 10): 七つ = 7 years old
- Informal counting
CONTRAST WITH SINO-JAPANESE:
- 七つ (native): used alone or for general objects
- 七 (Sino-Japanese): used with specific counters (七人, 七個)
NOTE ON 七:
The reading なな is preferred over しち in many cases to avoid confusion with 一 (one) and 四 (four).