What’s Countable and What’s Not? A Guide to Nouns

“I have many rice.” “There is much apple.”

Hmm… something sounds a little off, right? That’s because in English, we divide nouns into countable and uncountable—a concept that’s very different from Japanese. But don’t worry! This guide will help you understand the difference and use them naturally.

1. What Are Countable Nouns?

Countable nouns are things you can count: 1, 2, 3…

• A book → two books

• An apple → five apples

• A car, a chair, a dog

With countable nouns, you can use: A / An / numbers

Examples:

• I have three pens.

• She bought a chair.

• He gave me an umbrella.

2. What Are Uncountable Nouns?

Uncountable nouns are things you can’t count individually. They are usually liquids, abstract ideas, or things that come in masses.

• water, milk, rice, money, information, furniture, advice

• The word money = you can count money bills but not the general idea of money

3. How Can I Count Uncountable Nouns?

Use a “unit” or a container to count them!

• A bottle of water

• A cup of tea

• A piece of advice

Example:

• I gave two pieces of cake to my teacher.

• She had three cups of coffee.

4. Practice Time!

Choose the correct option:

1. I don’t have ___ sugar.

• a) many

• b) much

2. We saw ___ beautiful paintings at the museum.

• a) much

• b) many

3. He gave me ___ useful advice.

• a) a

• b) some

Want to test your uncountable nouns skills and learn more about it?

We created printable worksheets with Japanese translations so you can understand better and practice more!

🔜 Coming soon — grammar bundles & worksheets will be available here!
Follow us on Instagram@kohaku_english_online for updates 💛

Disclaimer:

English has many exceptions, and sometimes native speakers break the rules too! The explanations here are meant to give you a strong foundation, but don’t worry if you come across something different in real life. With practice and exposure, it will all start to feel more natural!