～人

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Combine 人 with a numerical expression to count people.
  • 三人 is read さんにん, and 四人 is read よにん.
• Basic usage: It counts people such as students, guests, or staff members.
  • 教室に学生が三人います。 gives the number of students in the classroom.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• One and two people
  • 一人 is ひとり, and 二人 is ふたり. Do not mechanically attach にん to each number's usual reading.
• Position of the quantity
  • The quantity can appear before the predicate, as in 学生が三人います, or modify a noun, as in 三人の学生, using の.
• Reading a question
  • 何人 is read なんにん when asking how many people. The nationality word 日本人 uses じん, distinct from this counter reading.