INTERROGATIVE WORDS. IOI
IF 164. Iku may be replaced by nani, usually shortened to nan in such contexts. Nani, though itself Japanese, is chiefly found before words of Chinese origin, thus :
nan-ji P what o'clock ?
nan-nen P how many years ?
nan-nin P how many persons ?
nan-ri P how many leagues ?
Very often the word hodo, " about," is added, thus : nan-nen hodo P nan-ri hodo P
"How much?" is often rendered by ika hodo? dore hodo? or dono knrai? all really meaning " About how much ? "
II 165. The following are examples of the use of the Japan- ese auxiliary numerals and of the interrogative numeral words :
Sakasuki hito-kumi. One set of sake-cups. Yofuku liito-soroe. One suit of foreign clothes. Kami futa-hashira. Two Shinto deities.
ikn-tari de __
Honourable kow-many-peopie How many are there in gozaimasu. [your party?
are ? J
Yottari desii. There are four of us.
Nan-ji desu P What o'clock is it ?
Iku-tsu gozaimasu P How many are there ?
Ikli-hoil L (The choice of one or other of the Japanese
j, . (equivalents depends on the nature of the object
1 Kit-mat ,, J referred to. See IT 159.)
Kono tansu wa, }
VM* cabinet as-for, I How much IS this
iku-ra desu P [cabinet?
hotr-Htticlt it.
