Japanese word

番目

Pronunciation

Romajibanme

Meaning

  • counternth

Example

これは三番目の本です。ko re wa san ban me no hon de su

This is the third book.

Illustration for 番目 (nth)

More examples

これは２番目の箱です。ko re wa ban me no bako de su

This is the second box.

上から三番目の棚に箱があります。ue ka ra san ban me no tana ni bako ga a ri ma su

There is a box on the third shelf from the top.

Core concept

It shows where something falls in an ordered count, turning a number into an ordinal.

Common phrases

  • 三番目の席san ban me no seki

    third seat

  • 前から三番目mae ka ra san ban me

    third from the front

  • 何番目nan ban me

    what position

Similar words

位kurai: A counter used for a rank or place in an ordered group or competition.
番ban: A counter used to show a place or turn in a fixed order.
次tsugi: A counter used to show a turn or occurrence in a sequence.

Definition in Japanese

同じ種類の物事を順に数えたとき、その位置を示す語。ona ji shu rui no mono goto o jun ni kazo e ta to ki so no i chi o shime su go

Word origin

番目 (banme) is formed from 番 (ban, "turn or number") and 目 (me, "ordinal position"), creating a suffix for counted order.

Usage tips

  • 番目 (banme) follows a number in expressions such as 三番目 (sanbanme), while English changes three to "third" for the ordinal form.

Word lists with this word