Perfect Counting in Japanese from 1-100,000+：An easy Beginner’s Guide

Learn Japanese reading, Japanese writing and Japanese speaking with these free words and sentences about the numbers from 1 to 100,000. All words and sentences are spoken by real Japanese natives and this helps you in learning the correct pronunciation.

Counting is typically one of the first skills you master when learning a new language. 

Basic Japanese counting: 1 to 99 in Japanese

First, let’s look at how to count from 0 to 10. After 1 to 10, Japanese numbers follow a logical pattern, with a few exceptions.

• 11 is 十一(juuichi)or 10 (juu) + 1 (ichi);
• following the exact same rule, 12 is 十二 (juuni) or 10 (juu) + 2 (ni).

So 11 in Japanese is “10-1”, or juu-ichi / じゅういち.

It’s easier than you’d expect!

Once you learn how to count to 10, you can use 60% of Japanese numbers. Moving onto larger numbers. With the basics we’ve already looked at, it’s not that challenging!

Counting to 100 is just a game of repeatedly compounding and adding.

Once you get to twenty, it’s the same concept, but you start by counting the 10s:

20 is 二十 (nijuu): 2 10’s 21 is 二十一 (nijuuichi): 2 10’s + 1

That is, 20 is said “2-10”, or ni-juu / にじゅう. The only exception is 100, which is hyaku / ひゃく, made up of hya / ひゃ and ku / く.

Forming big numbers like 20, 30, 40 and beyond is simple! We just need to say the first number followed by juu / じゅう.

For example, 52 would be

50(ごじゅう) + and + 2(に), so “52（ごじゅうに）”

NUBERS: 3 DIGITS

100 is pronounced as “hyaku” in Japanese. The table below shows how to write and read Japanese numbers beyond 100.

Let’s look at even larger numbers. 300, 600, and 800 are read slightly differently.

Irregular readings are colored in red.

These changes happen because of the interaction between two syllables. It’s better to just get used to it, rather than analyzing it.

As you can see, the rule we learned for the first 100 Japanese numbers is still valid. To count further than 100 in Japanese, you just continue to stack numbers.

Then, when you get to 1,000, hyaku becomes sen and so on.

NUMBERS: LAGER THAN 1000

In Japanese, numbers larger than 1000 are represented by “,” (comma), and decimal points are represented by “. (period)” for decimal points. In Spanish, however, the usage is completely opposite.

Irregular readings are colored in red.

NUMBERS: DECIMALS

0 before the decimal point is read rei, 0 after the point can be either way, rei or zero.

Decimal point is ten.

NUMBERS: FRACTION

In fractions, the numerator is represented by the numerator, then the denominator. Also, if the numerator is greater than or equal to 2, the denominator is plural.

As for fractions, you just need to read them as (Denominator) + bun no + (Numerator). Note that you must read the denominator first in the reverse order of notation.

Unlike English, Japanese does not have a word for  “quarter” (1/4)”. And the word for “half” (1/2) is “hanbun (半分)”. 

Review

Read these number! Don’t see the hiragana and romaji as well.

DAISUKE

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