Learn the basic numbers and how to count people, objects, and tell time in Japanese.
Basic Numbers (すうじ) 1-10+
| Japanese (Kana) | Romaji |
|---|
| 1 | いち | ichi |
| 2 | に | ni |
| 3 | さん | san |
| 4 | し / よん | shi / yon |
| 5 | ご | go |
| 6 | ろく | roku |
| 7 | しち / なな | shichi / nana |
| 8 | はち | hachi |
| 9 | く / きゅう | ku / kyuu |
| 10 | じゅう | juu |
| 11 | じゅういち | juuichi |
| 12 | じゅうに | juuni |
| 13 | じゅうさん | juusan |
Exceptions & Notes:
- Multiple Readings:
- 4: Can be よん (yon) or し (shi). よん is more common.
- 7: Can be なな (nana) or しち (shichi). なな is more common.
- 9: Can be きゅう (kyuu) or く (ku). きゅう is more common.
- Forming 11-19: These numbers are formed by combining じゅう (juu - ten) with the numbers 1-9. For example, 11 is じゅういち (juuichi - ten one), 14 is じゅうよん (juuyon - ten four), 19 is じゅうきゅう (juukyuu - ten nine). Use the more common readings (yon, nana, kyuu).
Larger Numbers & Exceptions (おおきい かず と れいがい)
Numbers are generally formed by combining the smaller numbers. However, there are some important pronunciation changes (called rendaku - 連濁) for multiples of 100 and 1000.
| Japanese (Kana) | Romaji | Examples |
|---|
| 10 |
じゅう |
juu |
にじゅう (nijuu) - 20
さんじゅう (sanjuu) - 30
よんじゅう (yonjuu) - 40
きゅうじゅう (kyuujuu) - 90
|
| 100 |
ひゃく |
hyaku |
にひゃく (ni-hyaku) - 200
さんびゃく (san-byaku) - 300
よんひゃく (yon-hyaku) - 400
ろっぴゃく (ro-ppyaku) - 600
はっぴゃく (ha-ppyaku) - 800
|
| 1,000 |
せん |
sen |
にせん (ni-sen) - 2,000
さんぜん (san-zen) - 3,000
よんせん (yon-sen) - 4,000
はっせん (ha-ssen) - 8,000
|
| 10,000 |
まん |
man |
にまん (ni-man) - 20,000
さんまん (san-man) - 30,000
よんまん (yon-man) - 40,000
|
Important Exceptions (Highlighted in Red in examples):
- Tens (十 - じゅう): Generally no major pronunciation changes. Simply prefix with the number (e.g., にじゅう - nijuu, 20).
- Hundreds (百 - ひゃく):
- 300: さん + ひゃく → さんびゃく (san-byaku)
- 600: ろく + ひゃく → ろっぴゃく (ro-ppyaku)
- 800: はち + ひゃく → はっぴゃく (ha-ppyaku)
- Thousands (千 - せん):
- 3,000: さん + せん → さんぜん (san-zen)
- 8,000: はち + せん → はっせん (ha-ssen)
- Note: 1,000 is usually just せん (sen), not いっせん (issen), unless emphasizing "one thousand" or in specific contexts.
- Ten Thousands (万 - まん): No major pronunciation changes for multiples of 万. Simply prefix with the number (e.g., にまん - ni-man, 20,000).
Counting People (にんずう)
| Japanese (Kana) | Romaji |
|---|
| 1 person | ひとり | hitori |
| 2 people | ふたり | futari |
| 3 people | さんにん | san-nin |
| 4 people | よにん | yo-nin |
| 5 people | ごにん | go-nin |
| ... people | [Number] + にん | [Number] + nin |
Note: Special readings for one (ひとり - hitori) and two people (ふたり - futari). For four people, use よにん (yo-nin), not しにん (shi-nin).
Counting General Objects (もの)
| Japanese (Kana) | Romaji |
|---|
| 1 object | ひとつ | hitotsu |
| 2 objects | ふたつ | futatsu |
| 3 objects | みっつ | mittsu |
| 4 objects | よっつ | yottsu |
| 5 objects | いつつ | itsutsu |
| 6 objects | むっつ | muttsu |
| 7 objects | ななつ | nanatsu |
| 8 objects | やっつ | yattsu |
| 9 objects | ここのつ | kokonotsu |
| 10 objects | とお | too |
This native Japanese counting system is used for general objects up to ten. Above ten, use standard numbers (e.g., じゅういち - juuichi for 11).
Telling Time (じかん)
| Time Unit | Japanese (Kana) | Romaji | Example |
|---|
| Hour (時) | [Number] + じ | [Number] + ji | いちじ (ichi-ji) - 1 o'clock |
| Minute (分) | [Number] + ふん / ぷん | [Number] + fun / pun | ごふん (go-fun) - 5 minutes |
| Half Past | はん | han | にじはん (ni-ji han) - 2:30 |
Minute Pronunciation (分 - ふん/ぷん):
- ~pun (ぷん): 1 (いっぷん), 3 (さんぷん), 4 (よんぷん), 6 (ろっぷん), 8 (はっぷん), 10 (じゅっぷん / じっぷん)
- ~fun (ふん): 2 (にふん), 5 (ごふん), 7 (ななふん), 9 (きゅうふん)
Hour Pronunciation (時 - じ): Note variations: 4時 is よじ (yo-ji), 7時 is しちじ (shichi-ji), 9時 is くじ (ku-ji).