〜号(ごう)

ごう
suffix, counter
number; issue (counter)
number
See also: 号(ごう) (number (base form))
1. number (in a series)
Used to indicate a numbered item in a series, such as train names, magazine issues, or room numbers.
新幹線(しんかんせん)のぞみ3号(さんごう)に乗(の)る。
To ride the Nozomi No. 3 Shinkansen.
I bought this month's issue of the magazine.
I'm waiting in meeting room No. 5.
2. name of a ship/train
The suffix used in naming vessels, trains, and other vehicles.
The Titanic is a famous ship.
アポロ11号(じゅういちごう)が月(つき)に着陸(ちゃくりく)した。
Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
The probe was named Hayabusa 2 and launched toward an asteroid.

〜号(ごう) is a suffix used to assign a number to items in a named series. Unlike 〜番(ばん), which numbers items in ordered sequences, 号(ごう) is used for named vehicles, publications, and designated spaces.

Counting patterns

Common collocations

Similar words

号(ごう) labels items in a named series (trains, issues, ships), while 番(ばん) numbers items in ordered sequences (1番(ばん), 2番(ばん)). For example, a train might be のぞみ3号(さんごう), but a ticket window would be 3番(ばん)窓口(まどぐち).

Related Words