Japanese numbers seem simple at first — but there are native Japanese numbers, Sino-Japanese numbers, and special counters. This guide explains how they all work together.
At a Glance: Two Number Systems
| Number | Sino-Japanese (音読み) | Native Japanese (訓読み) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | いち (ichi) | ひとつ (hitotsu) |
| 2 | に (ni) | ふたつ (futatsu) |
| 3 | さん (san) | みっつ (mittsu) |
| 4 | し / よん (shi/yon) | よっつ (yottsu) |
| 5 | ご (go) | いつつ (itsutsu) |
| 6 | ろく (roku) | むっつ (muttsu) |
| 7 | しち / なな (shichi/nana) | ななつ (nanatsu) |
| 8 | はち (hachi) | やっつ (yattsu) |
| 9 | く / きゅう (ku/kyuu) | ここのつ (kokonotsu) |
| 10 | じゅう (juu) | とお (too) |
When to Use Each System
• Sino-Japanese: with counters (三冊, 二枚), phone numbers, addresses, dates
• Native Japanese: counting objects without a counter (ひとつください = give me one), approximate counting
Large Numbers
• 100 = 百 (hyaku) | 1,000 = 千 (sen) | 10,000 = 万 (man) | 100,000,000 = 億 (oku)
Tip: Japanese groups numbers by 4 digits (not 3). 10,000 = 一万 (ichiman). 100,000 = 十万 (juu-man). This is different from English!
YukaI hear both 四 (shi) and よん (yon) for the number 4. When should I use which?
Reiyon is safer! 四 (shi) sounds like 死 (death) in Japanese — so Japanese people often prefer よん for phone numbers, room numbers, and floor numbers to avoid bad luck. In formal counting (1, 2, 3, 4…) both are used.
YukaAnd why does 4 sometimes sound like し and sometimes like よん in different situations?
ReiThe choice depends on context and superstition. In hospital room numbers and gift-giving contexts, よん (yon) and なな (nana) for 7 are preferred over し and しち because し sounds like death (死) and しち is easily confused with いち (1) on the phone.
5 Practice Sentences
| # | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | りんごをふたつください。 | Two apples, please. (native Japanese counting) |
| 2 | 電話番号は090-1234-5678です。 | The phone number is 090-1234-5678. |
| 3 | この商品は一万円です。 | This item is 10,000 yen. |
| 4 | 4番の部屋はありません。 | There’s no room number 4. (avoiding bad luck) |
| 5 | 三つ子の魂百まで。 | The spirit of a child at three lasts a hundred years. (proverb) |
Quick Quiz
1. How do you say 10,000 in Japanese? → 一万 (ichiman)
2. What is ふたつ used for? → Counting two objects without a specific counter
3. Why might Japanese people avoid using 4 (し)? → It sounds like 死 (death)
Practice in the Comments!
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