数人(すうにん)

すうにん
noun
several people; a few people
quantity
1. several people; a few people
An approximate number of people, typically implying somewhere between two or three and about ten. A common way to express a small, indefinite number of people.
数人(すうにん)の友達(ともだち)と会(あ)った。
I met with a few friends.
教室(きょうしつ)に数人(すうにん)の生徒(せいと)が残(のこ)っていた。
Several students were still in the classroom.
事故(じこ)現場(げんば)には数人(すうにん)の目撃者(もくげきしゃ)がいたが、証言(しょうげん)はそれぞれ異(こと)なっていた。
There were several eyewitnesses at the accident scene, but their testimonies differed.

The prefix 数(すう)～ means "several" or "a few" and combines with many counters: 数回(すうかい) (several times), 数日(すうじつ) (several days), 数年(すうねん) (several years), 数百(すうひゃく) (several hundred). The range implied by 数(すう)～ is roughly 2–9, though context determines the perceived quantity. Related: 何人(なんにん)か (some number of people — similar but phrased as a question-based indefinite), 数名(すうめい) (several people — more formal variant using 名(めい)).

Related Words

Related: 数日(すうじつ) (several days)
Related: 数冊(すうさつ) (several books)
Compare: 幾人(いくにん) (how many people)
Related: 数種類(すうしゅるい) (several kinds)
Related: 数回(すうかい) (several times)
general
Added 2026.3.23 12:40 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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