(ごう)

ごう
suffix, counter
number; issue (counter)
number
See also: (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)()
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)(つき)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.

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

Counting patterns

Common collocations

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

Related Words