65834
> **何本か** 重要な電話をかけ、...  
>  He made several important phone calls and ...

As I puzzled about why phone calls might use the counter 本 (see [this
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/65399/why-are-phone-
calls-cylindrical)) I wondered more generally about how to say several.

Is there a difference between "何 + counter + か" and "数 + counter"?

If you don't know what counter to use can you always just use いくつか instead?

I think I may be getting mixed up about which ones are used adjectively and
which ones are used adverbially, or if they can be used both ways.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-09T16:02:44.853
65398
2019-03-04T13:55:46.193
2019-02-09T16:39:02.680
7944
7944
question
grammar counters
Different ways to say several
> 何本{なんぼん}か重要{じゅうよう}な電話{でんわ}をかけ、...
>
> He made several important phone calls and ...

The most important thing first.

While the English translation above is a valid one, it is grammatically
structured differently from the Japanese original.

In the original, 「何本か」 functions _**adverbially**_ to modify the verb 「かけ」. In
other words, it does not function adjectivally to modify the noun 「電話」. This
is why while " **several important phone calls** " is a perfectly independent
and meaningful noun phrase, 「何本か重要な電話」 is _**not**_ because the 「何本か」 is left
hanging without a verb to modify. Only by changing 「何本か」 to 「何本か **の** 」, it
can function adjectivally like "several" can in English.

Since 「何本か」 functions adverbially, you can naturally position it directly in
front of the verb 「かけ」 and say 「重要な電話を **何本か** かけ」.

> Is there a difference between "何 + counter + か" and "数 + counter"?

There is no difference in the sense that both function _**adverbially**_. Just
like with the former, you need to add a 「の」 to the latter to make it function
adjectivally. This is a grammar point on which many J-learners make mistakes.

It is _**incorrect**_ to say:

「数個みかん」、「数匹犬」、「何枚かピザ」、「何人か日本人」, etc.

It is only correct to say:

「数個 **の** みかん」、「数匹 **の** 犬」、「何枚か **の** ピザ」、「何人か **の** 日本人」, etc.

Very common mistakes also include:

「ふたつメロンパン」、「みっつリンゴ」, etc. Got to insert a 「の」 into those.

> If you don't know what counter to use can you always just use いくつか instead?

For only inanimate objects, yes. It will make you sound childish, but what can
you do if you do not know the right counter?

If, however, you used 「いくつか」 to count animate objects (especially humans), you
would sound more than childish, so please do not forget the counter 「人{にん}」
and if all possible, 「名{めい}」 as well.

_**EXCEPTIONS**_ :

Proper nouns such as 「六本木{ろっぽんぎ}」、「九十九里浜{くじゅうくりはま}」, etc. Inserting a 「の」 is a
no-no. No pun intended.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-04T10:43:39.763
65834
2019-03-04T13:55:46.193
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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65398
answer