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!
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 and Katakana. 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 |
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!
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