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# A Simple Guide to Counting in Japanese: Numbers 1 to 10 and Beyond
- URL: https://blog.lingodeer.com/a-simple-guide-to-counting-in-japanese-numbers/
- Published: 2024-09-14T02:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-04T01:19:15.000Z
- Author: Dear Deer
- Tags: Learn Japanese, language learning, About LingoDeer, #Migrated-1785499243338, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-31 12:01

Learning how to count in Japanese is one of the first steps to mastering the language. You'll encounter numbers in everyday situations like when you’re shopping, checking the time, or discussing quantities. Luckily, the Japanese number system is straightforward once you understand the basic patterns. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to say the numbers in Japanese, starting from 1, and build up to larger numbers. Ready? Let’s start counting!

## Quick Answer: How does Japanese counting begin?

Basic Sino-Japanese numbers are 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九 and 十. Larger numbers combine by place value, while pronunciation may change when numbers join counters.

| Topic    | Key point from this guide |
| -------- | ------------------------- |
| 1–10     | core number forms         |
| 11+      | combine place values      |
| Counters | expect sound changes      |

*Editorial note:* This summary is extracted from the examples and explanations in the original article; it does not replace their context and usage notes.

## Count Japanese Numbers 1 to 10

Let’s begin with the basics: how to count in Japanese from 1 to 10! Japanese uses Kanji (Chinese characters) alongside two phonetic alphabets—[*Hiragana*](https://blog.lingodeer.com/hiragana-chart/) and [*Katakana*](https://blog.lingodeer.com/katakana-chart/). Here are the Japanese numbers with their kanji, hiragana, and pronunciation.

| **Number** | **Kanji** | **Hiragana** | **Pronunciation** |
| ---------- | --------- | ------------ | ----------------- |
| 1          | 一         | いち           | ichi              |
| 2          | 二         | に            | ni                |
| 3          | 三         | さん           | san               |
| 4          | 四         | し/よん         | shi/yon           |
| 5          | 五         | ご            | go                |
| 6          | 六         | ろく           | roku              |
| 7          | 七         | しち/なな        | shichi/nana       |
| 8          | 八         | はち           | hachi             |
| 9          | 九         | きゅう/く        | kyuu/ku           |
| 10         | 十         | じゅう          | juu               |

![Japanese numbers 1 to 10 with kanji, kana readings, and romanization](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeKRD9UjtDJO7sdWVw7bpFDtPWF2yGRtZ09AsG05GfAJ-ooTf5qM-JYNejAzkd8udv3NZMNBta8n27f9y0tush4nV_fIQV844-F-kfk7d3MgNBxWnS2NQ2nETdSPMYs11mAeSSh66oIz5KwaQC92NiQMNQ?key=8G8sphBPRAzlOwDz4oM8GQ)

### Pronunciation Tips from Deer:

- **四 (4)**: This number can be pronounced as "shi" or "yon." "Shi" sounds similar to the word for death (死), so "yon" is more commonly used in daily life.
- **七 (7)**: Both "shichi" and "nana" are valid, but "nana" is preferred in casual conversations because it's clearer and avoids confusion with similar-sounding words.
- **九 (9)**: "Kyuu" and "ku" are both used, though "kyuu" is more frequent.

## Count Numbers Beyond 10: The Pattern is Simple!

Once you know how to count in Japanese from 1 to 10, the pattern for numbers beyond 10 is easy to follow. You just combine the tens with the smaller numbers. Here’s how it works:

- 11 = 十一 (じゅういち, juu-ichi) = 10 + 1
- 12 = 十二 (じゅうに, juu-ni) = 10 + 2
- 20 = 二十 (にじゅう, ni-juu) = 2 + 10

The pattern continues as shown below:

| **Number** | **Kanji** | **Hiragana** | **Pronunciation**   |
| ---------- | --------- | ------------ | ------------------- |
| 11         | 十一        | じゅういち        | juu-ichi            |
| 12         | 十二        | じゅうに         | juu-ni              |
| 13         | 十三        | じゅうさん        | juu-san             |
| 14         | 十四        | じゅうし/じゅうよん   | juu-shi/juu-yon     |
| 15         | 十五        | じゅうご         | juu-go              |
| 16         | 十六        | じゅうろく        | juu-roku            |
| 17         | 十七        | じゅうしち        | juu-shichi/juu-nana |
| 18         | 十八        | じゅうはち        | juu-hachi           |
| 19         | 十九        | じゅうきゅう/じゅうく  | juu-kyuu/juu-ku     |
| 20         | 二十        | にじゅう         | ni-juu              |
| 21         | 二十一       | にじゅういち       | ni-juu-ichi         |
| 30         | 三十        | さんじゅう        | san-juu             |

You can create any number between 11 and 99 by combining the tens place with the numbers 1 to 9\. For example:

- 25 = 二十五 (にじゅうご, ni-juu-go) = 2 + 10 + 5
- 37 = 三十七 (さんじゅうなな, san-juu-nana) = 3 + 10 + 7

## Counting in the Hundreds

Once you’ve mastered numbers up to 99, let’s move on to the hundreds. The pattern is similar, and this will help you master numbers in Japanese quickly.

| **Number** | **Kanji** | Hiragana | **Pronunciation** |
| ---------- | --------- | -------- | ----------------- |
| 100        | 百         | ひゃく      | hyaku             |
| 200        | 二百        | にひゃく     | ni-hyaku          |
| 300        | 三百        | さんびゃく    | sanbyaku          |
| 400        | 四百        | よんひゃく    | yon-hyaku         |
| 500        | 五百        | ごひゃく     | go-hyaku          |
| 600        | 六百        | ろっぴゃく    | roppyaku          |
| 700        | 七百        | ななひゃく    | nana-hyaku        |
| 800        | 八百        | はっぴゃく    | happyaku          |
| 900        | 九百        | きゅうひゃく   | kyuu-hyaku        |

### Pronunciation Tips:

- **300 (三百)**: Instead of "san-hyaku," it’s pronounced "sanbyaku."
- **600 (六百)**: "Roku-hyaku" becomes "roppyaku."
- **800 (八百)**: "Hachi-hyaku" is pronounced as "happyaku."

*Eg,* 873: 

**800** (八百, happyaku): This is the hundreds place. "Hachi" (8) + "hyaku" (100) = "happyaku." Notice the slight pronunciation change from "hyaku" to "happyaku."

**70** (七十, nana-juu): For the tens place, "nana" (7) + "juu" (10) = "nana-juu."

**3** (三, san): Lastly, for the ones place, just say "san" (3).

When you combine them, you get 八百七十三 (happyaku nana-juu san), which reads as "800 + 70 + 3." So, 873 is "happyaku nana-juu san" in Japanese.

## Counting in the Thousands

Counting into the thousands follows the same pattern. Simply add the number before "thousand," which is "sen" (千).

| **Number** | **Kanji** | **Hiragana** | **Pronunciation** |
| ---------- | --------- | ------------ | ----------------- |
| 1,000      | 千         | せん           | sen               |
| 2,000      | 二千        | にせん          | ni-sen            |
| 3,000      | 三千        | さんぜん         | san-zen           |
| 4,000      | 四千        | よんせん         | yon-sen           |
| 5,000      | 五千        | ごせん          | go-sen            |
| 6,000      | 六千        | ろくせん         | roku-sen          |
| 7,000      | 七千        | ななせん         | nana-sen          |
| 8,000      | 八千        | はっせん         | hassen            |
| 9,000      | 九千        | きゅうせん        | kyuu-sen          |

### Pronunciation Tips:

- **3,000 (三千)**: "San-sen" changes to "san-zen."
- **8,000 (八千)**: "Hachi-sen" becomes "hassen."

## Counting in the Ten Thousands: 万 (Man)

In Japanese, after you reach 9,999, the next step is 万 (まん, man), which means ten thousand. Unlike in English, where we count thousands, in Japanese, the unit changes after ten thousand.

| **Number** | **Kanji** | **Hiragana** | **Pronunciation** |
| ---------- | --------- | ------------ | ----------------- |
| 10,000     | 一万        | いちまん         | ichi-man          |
| 20,000     | 二万        | にまん          | ni-man            |
| 50,000     | 五万        | ごまん          | go-man            |
| 100,000    | 十万        | じゅうまん        | juu-man           |

### Key Point:

In English, we use commas after every three digits (e.g., 10,000). In Japanese, the comma comes after every four digits, so 10,000 is **一万 (ichi-man)**, and 100,000 is **十万 (juu-man)**.

*Examples:*

- 15,000 = 一万五千 (いちまんごせん, ichi-man go-sen) = 10,000 + 5,000
- 34,000 = 三万四千 (さんまんよんせん, san-man yon-sen) = 30,000 + 4,000

Let’s try a difficult one:

- 123,456 = 十二万三千四百五十六 (じゅうにまんさんぜんよんひゃくごじゅうろく, jyuu-ni-man san-zen yon-hyaku go-jyuu roku)

Now that you’ve learned the basics of counting in Japanese from 1 to 10 and beyond, you're ready to use numbers in everyday situations like shopping, telling time, and chatting. With practice, you’ll master numbers in Japanese and build confidence for more complex conversations. Keep practicing, and soon, counting in Japanese will feel second nature!

For more content on Japanese numbers, check out the [LingoDeer](https://www.lingodeer.com/?ref=blog.lingodeer.com) app.

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## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is this a complete learning method?

No. Use this summary as a starting point and keep the article’s examples, explanations and practice context.

### How should a beginner practise?

Choose one small target, practise it with understandable examples, and revisit it through active recall.

### Should accuracy or fluency come first?

Both matter. Early practice can prioritize communication while feedback gradually improves accuracy.

### How can progress be checked?

Repeat a practical task after several sessions and compare speed, accuracy and independence.

*Scope:* These answers summarize this article. Language varies by context, speaker and region, so consult the full examples before applying an expression.