Japanese numbering systems are structured similarly to English in that both languages use base numbers and combine them to construct larger numbers. However, Japanese numbers are built around a more regular pattern of grouping and combine two main systems: the native Japanese (wago) system for small numbers, and the Sino-Japanese (kango) system borrowed from Chinese, which is used for larger numbers, higher counts, and formal contexts. Unlike English, where numbers up to thousands are grouped by thousands (e.g., 2,000), Japanese groups numbers by ten-thousands, with specific words and readings for each. This structure facilitates building higher numbers in a systematic way, using simple rules for combining units and tens, hundreds, and thousands.
The similarity lies in how both languages use alphanumeric building blocks—digits or words—that are combined in predictable patterns. Both systems feature special words for important milestones like 100, 1,000, and 10,000, and both have specific pronunciations or words that change depending on context or formal usage. This familiarity in constructing numbers makes it easier for learners to adapt their understanding from one language system to the other once the basic principles are grasped.
| English | Japanese | Romanji and Audio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | ichi |
| 2 | 二 | ni |
| 3 | 三 | san |
| 4 | 四 | yon / shi |
| 5 | 五 | go |
| 6 | 六 | roku |
| 7 | 七 | nana / shichi |
| 8 | 八 | hachi |
| 9 | 九 | kyuu / ku |
| 10 | 十 | juu |
| 20 | 二十 | ni-juu |
| 30 | 三十 | san-juu |
| 40 | 四十 | yon-juu |
| 50 | 五十 | go-juu |
| 60 | 六十 | roku-juu |
| 70 | 七十 | nana-juu |
| 80 | 八十 | hachi-juu |
| 90 | 九十 | kyuu-juu |
| 100 | 百 | hyaku |
| 200 | 二百 | ni-hyaku |
| 300 | 三百 | san-byaku |
| 400 | 四百 | yon-hyaku |
| 500 | 五百 | go-hyaku |
| 600 | 六百 | rop-pyaku |
| 700 | 七百 | nana-hyaku |
| 800 | 八百 | hap-pyaku |
| 900 | 九百 | kyuu-hyaku |
| 1000 | 千 | sen |
| 2000 | 二千 | ni-sen |
| 3000 | 三千 | san-zen |
| 4000 | 四千 | yon-sen |
| 5000 | 五千 | go-sen |
| 6000 | 六千 | roku-sen |
| 7000 | 七千 | nana-sen |
| 8000 | 八千 | has-sen |
| 9000 | 九千 | kyuu-sen |
| 10,000 | 一万 | ichi-man |
Japanese numbers beyond ten are formed by combining the base numbers 1 to 9 with the place values like ten, hundred, and thousand in a simple and consistent pattern. For example, 21 is constructed as 二十一 (ni-juu-ichi), literally “two-ten-one,” meaning 2 × 10 + 1. Unlike English, which often uses unique words for multiples (like twenty, thirty), Japanese relies on directly combining numbers with place values without special terms for the multiples. This makes it easy to build and understand larger numbers once you know the basic 1–10 digits and place value words. The system is very logical and regular, allowing seamless progression from single digits to multiple-digit numbers by straightforward concatenation.
| English | Japanese | Romanji and Audio |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 十一 | juu-ichi |
| 12 | 十二 | juu-ni |
| 13 | 十三 | juu-san |
| 14 | 十四 | juu-yon |
| 15 | 十五 | juu-go |
| 21 | 二十一 | ni-juu-ichi |
| 25 | 二十五 | ni-juu-go |
| 30 | 三十 | san-juu |
| 35 | 三十五 | san-juu-go |
| 42 | 四十二 | yon-juu-ni |
| 50 | 五十 | go-juu |
| 64 | 六十四 | roku-juu-yon |
| 75 | 七十五 | nana-juu-go |
| 88 | 八十八 | hachi-juu-hachi |
| 99 | 九十九 | kyuu-juu-kyuu |
| 100 | 百 | hyaku |
| 146 | 百四十六 | hyaku-yon-juu-roku |
| 275 | 二百七十五 | ni-hyaku-nana-juu-go |
| 368 | 三百六十八 | san-byaku-roku-juu-hachi |
| 450 | 四百五十 | yon-hyaku-go-juu |
| 582 | 五百八十二 | go-hyaku-hachi-juu-ni |
| 999 | 九百九十九 | kyuu-hyaku-kyuu-juu-kyuu |
| 1,000 | 千 | sen |
| 2,021 | 二千二十一 | ni-sen-ni-juu-ichi |
| 3,500 | 三千五百 | san-zen-go-hyaku |
| 4,879 | 四千八百七十九 | yon-sen-hap-pyaku-nana-juu-kyuu |
| 10,000 | 一万 | ichi-man |
| Category | Example (Japanese) | Romanji and Audio | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| People’s Age | 十五歳 | juu-go sai | Age uses 歳 (sai). Example: 私は十五歳です (Watashi wa juu-go sai desu) = “I am 15 years old.” |
| 二十歳 | hatachi | Special reading for age 20, not ni-juu-sai. | |
| 三十歳 | san-juu sai | Example: 母は三十歳です (Haha wa san-juu sai desu) = “My mother is 30 years old.” | |
| Money | 百円 | hyaku en | Yen uses 円 (en). Example: 百円です (Hyaku en desu) = “It’s 100 yen.” |
| 五千円 | go-sen en | Example: 五千円を払いました (Go-sen en o haraimashita) = “I paid 5,000 yen.” | |
| 一万円 | ichi-man en | Example: 一万円札 (Ichi-man en satsu) = “10,000 yen bill.” | |
| Time (Hours) | 一時 | ichi-ji | “o’clock” uses 時 (ji). Example: 一時です (Ichi-ji desu) = “It’s 1 o’clock.” |
| 三時 | san-ji | Example: 今は三時です (Ima wa san-ji desu) = “It’s 3 o’clock now.” | |
| Time (Minutes) | 五分 | go-fun | “Minutes” use 分 (fun/pun). Note change in reading for some numbers (shown below). |
| 一分 | ip-pun | 分 reads as pun for 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 (due to sound changes). | |
| 三十分 | san-juppun | Example: 三十分待ちました (San-juppun machimashita) = “I waited 30 minutes.” |
Quick Usage Notes
10 → 十分 (juppun)
Age (歳)
Usually follows the number directly: 十五歳 (juu-go sai).
The word 歳 changes reading only for 20 → 二十歳 (hatachi).
Money (円)
The yen symbol (¥) corresponds to 円 (en).
Large numbers use the Japanese unit system:
一万円 (10,000 yen)
十万円 (100,000 yen)
百万円 (1,000,000 yen)
Time (時 and 分)
時 marks “o’clock” and 分 marks “minutes.”
Irregular minute readings:
1 → 一分 (ip-pun)
3 → 三分 (san-pun)
4 → 四分 (yon-pun)
6 → 六分 (rop-pun)
8 → 八分 (hap-pun)
Here’s an extended section covering dates, months, and years in Japanese — essential for mastering daily time expressions and understanding how Japanese numbers adapt in these contexts.
| Category | Example (Japanese) | Romanji and Audio | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days of the Month | 一日 | tsuitachi | 1st day of the month; has a special reading (not ichi-nichi). |
| 二日 | futsuka | 2nd day of the month. | |
| 三日 | mikka | 3rd day of the month. | |
| 四日 | yokka | 4th day of the month. | |
| 五日 | itsuka | 5th day of the month. | |
| 六日 | muika | 6th day of the month. | |
| 七日 | nanoka | 7th day of the month. | |
| 八日 | youka | 8th day of the month. | |
| 九日 | kokono-ka | 9th day of the month. | |
| 十日 | tooka | 10th day of the month. | |
| 二十日 | hatsuka | 20th day of the month, special reading. | |
| 二十四日 | ni-juu-yokka | 24th day of the month; pattern continues beyond 11 using counting + 日 (nichi). | |
| 三十一日 | san-juu-ichi-nichi | 31st; standard pattern with 日. | |
| Months | 一月 | ichi-gatsu | January. All months use the number + 月 (gatsu). |
| 二月 | ni-gatsu | February. | |
| 三月 | san-gatsu | March. | |
| 四月 | shi-gatsu | April — note irregular shi, not yon. | |
| 五月 | go-gatsu | May. | |
| 六月 | roku-gatsu | June. | |
| 七月 | shichi-gatsu | July — note shichi, not nana. | |
| 八月 | hachi-gatsu | August. | |
| 九月 | ku-gatsu | September — note ku, not kyuu. | |
| 十月 | juu-gatsu | October. | |
| 十一月 | juu-ichi-gatsu | November. | |
| 十二月 | juu-ni-gatsu | December. | |
| Years | 二千二十五年 | ni-sen ni-juu-go nen | “Year” is marked by 年 (nen). Example: “2025.” |
| 平成三十年 | Heisei san-juu nen | Used for Japanese eras. | |
| 令和七年 | Reiwa nana-nen | “Reiwa Year 7” = 2025 in Western calendar. |
Notes on Date Usage
- The standard order for Japanese dates: Year + Month + Day
Example: 二千二十五年十一月八日 (ni-sen ni-juu-go nen juu-ichi-gatsu youka) = “November 8, 2025.” - For conversation:
- 今日は何日ですか？ (Kyō wa nan-nichi desu ka?) → “What day is it today?”
- 誕生日は三月三日です。 (Tanjōbi wa san-gatsu mikka desu.) → “My birthday is March 3rd.”
- Remember reading shifts:
- 日 can read nichi, ka, or jitsu depending on context.
- 月 reads gatsu in months, tsuki when meaning “moon.”
Here’s a practice exercise set using the number categories you’ve learned — age, money, time, and dates — to reinforce comprehension and speaking fluency. These are designed to help you recall both the native readings and structure.
Practice Set: Using Numbers in Context
| # | English Prompt | Japanese Example | Romanji and Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Say your age: “I am 26 years old.” | 私は二十六歳です。 | Watashi wa ni-juu-roku sai desu. |
| 2 | Ask someone’s age: “How old are you?” | 何歳ですか？ | Nan-sai desu ka? |
| 3 | Say a price: “It costs 800 yen.” | 八百円です。 | Hap-pyaku en desu. |
| 4 | Ask a price: “How much is it?” | いくらですか？ | Ikura desu ka? |
| 5 | Tell the time: “It’s 3:15.” | 三時十五分です。 | San-ji juu-go fun desu. |
| 6 | Ask for the time: “What time is it now?” | 今何時ですか？ | Ima nan-ji desu ka? |
| 7 | Say what time something starts: “The meeting starts at 10:30.” | 会議は十時半に始まります。 | Kaigi wa juu-ji han ni hajimarimasu. |
| 8 | Say today’s date: “Today is November 8, 2025.” | 今日は二千二十五年十一月八日です。 | Kyō wa ni-sen ni-juu-go nen juu-ichi-gatsu youka desu. |
| 9 | Ask someone’s birthday: “When is your birthday?” | 誕生日はいつですか？ | Tanjōbi wa itsu desu ka? |
| 10 | Say your birthday: “My birthday is March 3rd.” | 誕生日は三月三日です。 | Tanjōbi wa san-gatsu mikka desu. |
Tips for Practice
- Repeat each sentence aloud after playing the audio.
- Swap numbers regularly (e.g., say “I’m 30,” “It’s 7:45,” “Today is July 14”) to strengthen flexibility.
- Notice how particles like は (wa), に (ni), and です (desu) anchor the sentence pattern — they remain consistent across number changes.