Japanese word

数人

Pronunciation

Romajisūnin

Meaning

  • nounseveral people

Example

数人が駅で待っています。sū nin ga eki de ma tte i ma su

Several people are waiting at the station.

Illustration for 数人 (several people)

More examples

教室に数人の学生が残っています。kyō shitsu ni sū nin no gaku sei ga noko tte i ma su

Several students remain in the classroom.

Core concept

Refers to more than one person as a group whose approximate size matters more than its exact headcount.

Common phrases

  • 数人の学生sū nin no gaku sei

    several students

  • 数人ずつsū nin zu tsu

    several at a time

Similar words

何人かnanninka: Describes more than one person when the specific number is left unclear.
数名sūmei: Describes several people in formal speech or writing.

Definition in Japanese

何人いるかをはっきり示さず、二人以上の人をまとめて指す語。nan nin i ru ka o ha kki ri shime sa zu futa ri i jō no hito o ma to me te sa su go

Word origin

数人 (sūnin) is formed from 数 (sū, "number") and 人 (nin, "person"), so its structure describes people counted by an unspecified number.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 数人 (sūnin) is a neutral expression for several people when giving an exact headcount is unnecessary.

Other meanings

  • a few peoplenoun

Word lists with this word