Numbers in Japanese

The Japanese counting system is based on a logic of addition and multiplication from about ten basic words. Once the numbers 0 to 10 are memorized, the construction of larger numbers follows regular rules, with a few pronunciation exceptions to be aware of.

Numbers from 0 to 10

Four numbers have two possible readings. ‘Yon’ is preferred over ‘shi’ for the number 4, as the latter is pronounced like the word for ‘death’. Zero is commonly said ゼロ (zero, borrowed from English), while れい (rei) remains reserved for more formal or mathematical contexts.

Numbers from 11 to 100

Beyond ten, the construction follows a logic of addition: the number 11 is formed by adding 1 to 10, i.e., 十一 (juuichi). From 20, the tens are formed by multiplication, placing the digit before 十 (juu).

A two-digit number simply combines the tens and the units, without any additional linking word: 43 is obtained by assembling 40 (四十, yonjuu) and 3 (三, san).

Hundreds

百 (hyaku) means ‘hundred’. Most hundreds follow the rule digit + hyaku, except for three numbers whose pronunciation changes for ease of articulation.

300, 600 and 800 are the three irregularities to remember: sanbyaku (not sanhyaku), roppyaku (not rokuhyaku), happyaku (not hachihyaku).

Thousands

千 (sen) means ‘thousand’. As with the hundreds, two numbers change pronunciation slightly.

3,000 is pronounced sanzen, not sansen; 8,000 is pronounced hassen, not hachisen. The number 1,000 is expressed directly as 千 (sen), without adding the digit 1 in front.

Large units: man and oku

The Japanese system groups large numbers by units of ten thousand, not by thousand as in English. 万 (man) denotes 10,000, a unit in its own right that has no direct equivalent in Western languages.

Unlike in English, where the order of magnitude changes every three zeros, Japanese changes every four zeros. There is no direct word for ‘million’: 1,000,000 is expressed as hyakuman, literally ‘hundred ten-thousands’. Ten ‘man’ make 億 (oku), which is 100 million, with no intermediate unit equivalent to the English million.

Two reading systems

Japanese has two sets of numbers: the Sino-Japanese reading (音読み, onyomi), based on Chinese, and the native Japanese reading (訓読み, kunyomi), also called wago.

This native reading, formed with the general counter つ (tsu), remains limited to numbers from 1 to 10 and is mainly used to count objects without a precise classifier, for example in a simple order. Beyond ten, only the Sino-Japanese reading (ichi, ni, san…) is used, especially for dates, time, and mathematics.

Specific counters

Unlike in English, Japanese systematically associates a number with a counter that specifies the nature of the object being counted. These counters are placed immediately after the number and can slightly modify its pronunciation.

The counter 人 (nin) for people follows an exception for the first two numbers: one person is 一人 (hitori) and two people are 二人 (futari), before rejoining the regular structure from three (三人, sannin). The counter 本 (hon) also changes its sound according to the preceding number: 一本 (ippon), 三本 (sanbon), 六本 (roppon).

Practical exercise

Test your understanding of the Japanese counting system. To approach the grammar associated with numbers and counters in a broader context, a complete Japanese course allows you to structure these basics step by step.

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