当たり

When you want to express a rate or amount per unit, quantity, or person, Japanese uses 当たり to mean “per …” or “apiece.” It attaches to the unit you’re counting or the base quantity (e.g., 一人, 一日, 一個) to indicate the amount allocated or expected for each unit. It’s commonly used in statistics, budgets, pricing, and distributions. Notes: - It answers how much per unit, not the total amount. - It can modify nouns with の when describing per-person costs or per-unit figures (e.g., 一人当たりの料金). - It is distinct from 当たる (to hit) and the noun form 当たり can stand alone in contexts like 表現の一部としての“当たり” meaning “per unit.” Examples: - 一人当たり五千円です。 / Five thousand yen per person. - 一個当たり十円。 / Ten yen per item. - 一日当たりの販売本数は百本です。 / The number sold per day is 100 units. - 千人当たりの医師数は三人だ。 / There are three doctors per thousand people. - 一人当たりの負担は大きい。 / The burden per person is large.