# Too many counters
**URL:** https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242
**Category:** WaniKani
**Created:** [April 22, 2020, 10:06am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242 "2020-04-22T10:06:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:06am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/1 "2020-04-22T10:06:44Z")
Please don’t tell me the vocab portion is padded out with counters… Like so much of it is self explanatory even for beginners. I can see using one example but 4 examples for one counter is excessive. It’s pandering and patronizing.
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### Author:  [@Belthazar](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Belthazar)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:11am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/2 "2020-04-22T10:11:53Z")
They fade away after the first few counters. It’s largely to get the readings of the numbers well and truly hammered down.
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### Author:  [@neriander](https://community.wanikani.com/u/neriander)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:12am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/3 "2020-04-22T10:12:09Z")
There are exceptions to counters which is also what they help reinforce. There will be plenty of non counter related vocab once you move on. The first three levels aren’t the MOST reliable when it comes to wanikani impressions. Not sure what you mean by pandering though, have literally only heard that word used in politics and when video games/books do silly stuff.
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:22am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/4 "2020-04-22T10:22:11Z")
It’s not a good impression to make by having repetitive vocabulary. Knowing your trans vets intrans is important but if it’s being aimed at beginner what’s the point? I’m certainly beyond beginner but raise and rise messed me up simply due to how trans and intrans gets muddled in English it doesn’t translate well.
I’m definitely going to continue with wanikani but the first levels are a mess. If I was new to Japanese it would not be a sell to me.
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### Author:  [@Belthazar](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Belthazar)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:23am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/5 "2020-04-22T10:23:18Z")
> [@monkeyshine89](#):
>
> I’m certainly beyond beginner but raise and rise messed me up simply due to how trans and intrans gets muddled in English it doesn’t translate well.
Heh. Raise and rise are one of the extremely few occasions when there **is** a distinct difference in English between the transitive and the intransitive.
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### Author:  [@neriander](https://community.wanikani.com/u/neriander)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:25am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/6 "2020-04-22T10:25:17Z")
Counters is one thing but wk actually extensively has vocab on transitive and intransitive verbs. I frequently trip on them a lot. 😅
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:25am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/7 "2020-04-22T10:25:33Z")
Because I feel like wanikani is doing pointless silly stuff to pad out reviews in lower levels. And 台 is just that no weird readings. Plus those with funny readings are not hard to pick up. It’s not that much of a leap to 3000 turning to さんぜん or 8 bottles turning to はっぽん as opposed to ほん or ぼん
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:30am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/8 "2020-04-22T10:30:10Z")
I mean yes there is a difference between rise and raise but why drag out 4 really close words at a beginning level to only trip people up? 下がる 下げる上がる 上げる having all those back to back.
I like the community and and like the very organized and directed approach wanikani offers the busy student but the first few levels could stand a rewrite IMHO.
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### Author:  [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 10:54am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/9 "2020-04-22T10:54:02Z")
It’s really not that many items in the grand scheme of things.
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### Author:  [@saibaneko](https://community.wanikani.com/u/saibaneko)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:11am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/11 "2020-04-22T11:11:54Z")
For a true beginner - like me - those counters are a relief in a sea of new things. At least I have a few that I can type in quickly and get right. It boosts my confidence. I think it’s a good thing. Besides, the alternative readings might be easy for you but they’re not easy for me so I do need to have those early on.
btw I’m neither slow or burdened with memory issues. Yet, it does not feel like padding to me.
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### Author:  [@Arzar33](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Arzar33)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:14am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/12 "2020-04-22T11:14:11Z")
> [@monkeyshine89](#):
>
> Like so much of it is self explanatory even for beginners. I can see using one example but 4 examples for one counter is excessive. It’s pandering and patronizing.
The first few levels are designed for people who know nothing about Japanese, except hiragana. You are not a beginner anymore but try to remember how hard it was at the very beginning to memorize all
the number, the weirdo つ counter, the super weirdo day counter\*, then all the other counters and the little exceptions. Wanikani hammer them down heavily in the first few levels not to patronize, just because it’s very hard for beginner.
\*Today someone at my job used the word ここのか in a sentence and I blanked out completely. ここのなに? ここ …のか ? Is のか some kind of grammar I don’t know ? 😛
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:25am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/13 "2020-04-22T11:25:14Z")
Oh for heaven’s sake i mentioned two things I didn’t like. I have plenty of things I do like about wanikani and have mentioned then throughout my time in the forum. Feel free to ignore negative posts.
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:26am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/14 "2020-04-22T11:26:53Z")
And yes those are great and important words to know but I don’t know why several versions of them need to be put on the same level. To me it felt very tedious.
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/15 "2020-04-22T11:31:48Z")
That’s what I’ve been told. The first few levels are very meh. It’s like the idea of the first season of a show not being great I guess. Like I said I’m very interested in the system. But not completely sold yet. I do like the routine and organization if it. Very professional and polished. A lot of care went into making it.
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### Author:  [@DerpiesDerp](https://community.wanikani.com/u/DerpiesDerp)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:36am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/16 "2020-04-22T11:36:01Z")
I’m level 24 and still can’t remember how to say 八つ. But then that’s just me.
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### Author:  [@aanhlle](https://community.wanikani.com/u/aanhlle)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:40am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/17 "2020-04-22T11:40:20Z")
hmm actually couters are still hard for me at this level dont’ know why. Probably I don’t see them enough
anyway it’s fine to know from 1-9 at the beginning for me
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### Author:  [@ScooterFox](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ScooterFox)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:40am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/18 "2020-04-22T11:40:51Z")
Same here, I keep mistaking it with 四つ.
四日 and 八日 are even worse, I still haven’t burned either of them.
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:40am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/19 "2020-04-22T11:40:59Z")
It’s just one of those things that take time. I still trip up every now and again with it. But if I’m counting I won’t… Which is weird.
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### Author:  [@monkeyshine89](https://community.wanikani.com/u/monkeyshine89)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:44am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/20 "2020-04-22T11:44:53Z")
But before I get raked over the coals please relax people. I’m not trying to drag wanikani . It’s just a few things that frustrated me or stuck out in my first weeks of using it. If you are totally satisfied then great! Please don’t take it personally.
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### Author:  [@Arzar33](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Arzar33)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2020, 11:47am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/too-many-counters/43242/21 "2020-04-22T11:47:41Z")
> [@monkeyshine89](#):
>
> And yes those are great and important words to know but I don’t know why several versions of them need to be put on the same level. To me it felt very tedious.
Yeah, the system can be a bit rigid, but basically after learning a kanji WK give all the vocab associated to it. Most of the time it works great and reinforce the kanji, but there is a few times where it can be confusing or a bit tedious.
Btw I just took a look at the vocab list again and I think it’s the first five levels that are firmly into beginner territory with high level of repetition for counter, number, next day/week/month/year, previous day/week/month/year and stuff like that. It get better past those. For example at level 9 there is a new counter, 度, and there is only one vocab associated to it 〜度.
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