Numbers are a constant in Japanese daily life, whether you’re checking the time, writing the date, or paying for your train ticket. The good news about Japanese numbers is that they all follow a simple formula that applies uniformly from 10 to infinity. Learning the kanji for numbers is helpful, but you can use the same Arabic numerals you’re used to for almost everything.
Things get more complicated when you start counting objects, but the first step is to learn the first 10 numbers (plus zero) and then the place values that follow (like hundreds). It takes less than 20 Japanese words for you to count as high as you can imagine!
Table of Contents
Japanese numbers 1-10
Japanese numbers 1-10 are the building blocks of all numbers in Japanese. If you learn these numbers, you’ll be able to construct every number up to 99 with relative ease.
| Number | Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation |
| 0 | ゼロ | zero | zeh-roh |
| 1 | 一 | ichi | ee-chee |
| 2 | 二 | ni | nee |
| 3 | 三 | san | sahn |
| 4 | 四 | yon | yohn |
| 5 | 五 | go | goh |
| 6 | 六 | roku | roh-koo |
| 7 | 七 | nana | nah-nah |
| 8 | 八 | hachi | hah-chee |
| 9 | 九 | kyū | kyoo |
| 10 | 十 | jū | joo |
How to form Japanese numbers 11-19
For numbers 11-19, all you need to do is say the number for 10 (jū) and then the single number that would add up to the final number you need.
It can help to think of this in a mathematical formula. For example, start with 10 and then add 1 to make 11.
- 10 + 1 = 11
- jū + ichi → jū-ichi = 11
This formula easily applies to numbers 11-19.
| Number | Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation |
| 11 | 十一 | jū-ichi | joo-ee-chee |
| 12 | 十二 | jū-ni | joo-nee |
| 13 | 十三 | jū-san | joo-sahn |
| 14 | 十四 | jū-yon | joo-yohn |
| 15 | 十五 | jū-go | joo-goh |
| 16 | 十六 | jū-roku | joo-roh-koo |
| 17 | 十七 | jū-nana | joo-nah-nah |
| 18 | 十八 | jū-hachi | joo-hah-chee |
| 19 | 十九 | jū-kyū | joo-kyoo |
Japanese numbers 20-99
Just as the Japanese numbers 11-19 follow a formula, so do numbers 20-99. This range of numbers uses a mix of multiplication and addition.
The first step is to create the tens place by multiplying ten (jū) by the number of tens:
- 2 x 10 = 20 (or two tens)
- ni x jū → ni-jū = 20
With this formula, make sure your smaller number comes first. Otherwise, you’ll have created a different number. For example, ni-jū is 20 while jū-ni is 12.
This multiplication pattern means that 30 is san-jū, 40 is yon-jū, 50 is go-jū, and so on.
| Number | Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation |
| 10 | 十 | jū | joo |
| 20 | 二十 | ni-jū | nee-joo |
| 30 | 三十 | san-jū | sahn-joo |
| 40 | 四十 | yon-jū | yohn-joo |
| 50 | 五十 | go-jū | goh-joo |
| 60 | 六十 | roku-jū | roh-koo-joo |
| 70 | 七十 | nana-jū | nah-nah-joo |
| 80 | 八十 | hachi-jū | hah-chee-joo |
| 90 | 九十 | kyū-jū | kyoo-joo |
To create the numbers in between the tens (e.g., 21), you combine the two formulas:
- (2 x 10) + 1 = 21
- (ni x jū) + ichi → ni-jū-ichi = 21
- (4 x 10) + 6 = 46
- (yon x jū) + roku → yon-jū–roku = 46
That’s why you can create any number in Japanese (including dates associated with days of the week in Japanese) through 99 if you know the first 10 numbers!
| Number | Formula | Japanese | Romanization |
| 35 | (3 x 10) + 5 = 35 | 三十五 | san-jū-go |
| 68 | (6 x 10) + 8 = 68 | 六十八 | roku-jū-hachi |
| 71 | (7 x 10) + 1 = 71 | 七十一 | nana-jū-ichi |
| 83 | (8 x 10) + 3 = 83 | 八十三 | hachi-jū-san |
| 99 | (9 x 10) + 9 = 99 | 九十九 | kyū-jū-kyū |
Japanese numbers 100-999 use hyaku
The Japanese word for 100 is hyaku (百), pronounced “hyah-koo.” To create each hundred, use the same formula that you used for tens.
- 2 x 100 = 200 (or two hundreds)
- ni x hyaku → ni-hyaku = 200
One important difference to note is that the pronunciation of the Japanese words for 300, 600, and 800 are unique.
| Number | Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation |
| 100 | 百 | hyaku | hyah-koo |
| 200 | 二百 | ni-hyaku | nee-hyah-koo |
| 300 | 三百 | san-byaku | sahn-byah-koo |
| 400 | 四百 | yon-hyaku | yohn-hyah-koo |
| 500 | 五百 | go-hyaku | goh-hyah-koo |
| 600 | 六百 | roppyaku | rohp-pyah-koo |
| 700 | 七百 | nana-hyaku | nah-nah-hyah-koo |
| 800 | 八百 | happyaku | hahp-pyah-koo |
| 900 | 九百 | kyū-hyaku | kyoo-hyah-koo |
The previous rules for numbers between each group of ten also apply to the numbers between each hundred. If you need to skip a place (because there are no tens or ones), simply omit that place from the number.
- (3 x 100) + (2 x 10) + 5 = 325
- (san x hyaku = sanbyaku) + (ni x jū) + go → sanbyaku-ni-jū-go = 325
- (9 x 100) + 6 = 906
- (kyū x hyaku) + roku → kyū-hyaku–roku = 906
Japanese numbers 1,000-9,999 use sen
The Japanese word for 1,000 is sen (千), pronounced “sehn.” The multiplication formula for the rest of the smaller Japanese numbers still applies.
- 5 x 1,000 = 5,000 (or five thousands)
- go x sen → go-sen = 5,000
Note that the pronunciation for 3,000 and 8,000 are unique.
| Number | Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation |
| 1,000 | 千 | sen | sehn |
| 2,000 | 二千 | ni-sen | nee-sehn |
| 3,000 | 三千 | san-zen | sahn-zehn |
| 4,000 | 四千 | yon-sen | yohn-sehn |
| 5,000 | 五千 | go-sen | goh-sehn |
| 6,000 | 六千 | roku-sen | roku-sehn |
| 7,000 | 七千 | nana-sen | nah-nah-sehn |
| 8,000 | 八千 | hassen | hahs-sehn |
| 9,000 | 九千 | kyū-sen | kyoo-sehn |
Japanese numbers 10,000 and above use man
English place values jump from thousands to millions, but the next unit above thousand (sen) in Japanese is actually ten thousand (man). The largest bank note in Japanese currency is the 10,000 man bill, so it’s still essential to know numbers 10,000 and above.
Unlike 10, 100, and 1,000, you’ll need to add the word for “one” (ichi) before man for 10,000.
| Number | Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation |
| 10,000 | 一万 | ichi-man | ee-chee-mahn |
| 20,000 | 二万 | ni-man | nee-mahn |
| 30,000 | 三万 | san-man | sahn-mahn |
| 40,000 | 四万 | yon-man | yohn-mahn |
| 50,000 | 五万 | go-man | goh-mahn |
| 60,000 | 六万 | roku-man | roh-koo-mahn |
| 70,000 | 七万 | nana-man | nah-nah-mahn |
| 80,000 | 八万 | hachi-man | hah-chee-mahn |
| 90,000 | 九万 | kyū-man | kyoo-mahn |
| 100,000 | 十万 | jū-man | joo-mahn |
| 1,000,000 | 百万 | hyaku-man | hyah-koo-mahn |
Beyond man, you might also see other place values for large numbers.
- oku（億）= 100,000,000 (one hundred million)
- chō（兆）= 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion)
Using numbers with Japanese counters
The basic words for numbers (like “one” being ichi) are rarely used alone. Most situations require the addition of special suffixes called Japanese counters.
These suffixes are like units of measure in English (such as “meter” or “teaspoons”), but nearly everything that can be counted has a corresponding counter in Japanese.
For example, the word for “one” can change depending on what is being counted, which means it may not use the word ichi at all.
- ichi en（一円）= one yen
- ippun（一分）= one minute
- hitotsu（一つ）= one object (general)
You’ll need several different counters for daily life in Japan, including those involving time in Japanese. These three suffixes for counting in Japanese are useful for anyone making purchases.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| ～円 | en | ehn | yen |
| ～ドル | doru | doh-roo | dollars |
| ～枚 | mai | mah-ee | flat objects |
Most counters function by stating the thing being counted (like tickets) followed by the quantity, which is the opposite of the order English uses.
- Watashi wa chiketto o ni mai kau hitsuyō ga arimasu.（私はチケットを二枚買う必要があります。）= I need to buy two tickets.
However, money uses currencies as counters, so the number comes before the currency in Japanese.
- Kono beddo wa nana-sen-yon-hyaku en desu.（このベッドは七千四百円です。）= This bed costs 7,400 yen.
- Kore wa roku-jū-yon doru desu.（これは六十四ドルです。）= It costs 64 dollars.
How to write numbers in Japanese
In Japan, it’s common to write numbers using the same Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) that most countries around the world use. However, you might also see numbers using kanji, one of three writing systems in Japanese.
It’s rare to see numbers written in hiragana. Writing out the numbers phonetically takes up much more space than writing them in either Arabic numerals or kanji. Compare the number “651” using each of the three options:
- Arabic numerals: 651
- kanji: 六百五十一
- hiragana: ろっぴゃくごじゅういち
Ultimately, it’s important to be consistent. For example, if you write a date, either use all Arabic numerals or all kanji rather than a mix of the two.
The main exception is especially large numbers (like those in the millions or billions), where mixing in kanji for place values (like 1,000 or 10,000) makes the number easier to understand at a glance.
- 9,510,000 = 951 man = 951万
When to use Arabic numerals for numbers in Japanese
You’ll mostly use Arabic numerals when writing numbers in Japanese, especially for everyday situations.
- Money
- Counting, including when combined with counters (which are often written in kanji)
- Full dates (day, month, year), months, and years
- Math and equations
- Data
- Ordinal numbers
When to use kanji for numbers
It’s less common to use kanji for numbers in Japanese, but there are some situations where it’s preferable.
- Text written vertically
- Number-counter combinations where the numbers have particularly unique pronunciations (like individual dates)
- Certain Japanese idioms and expressions with numbers like isseki nichō (一石二鳥), which means “one stone, two birds.”
- Proper nouns like the Japanese region Shikoku (四国 instead of ４国), which literally means “four countries”
When to use hiragana for numbers
You’ll hardly ever see numbers written in hiragana while in Japan. However, some situations exist where having the phonetic spelling is useful.
- Educational materials
- Books for children
- Words with numbers that immediately repeat like hitotsu hitotsu (一つ一つ or 一つひとつ), or “one-by-one”
Key takeaways about Japanese numbers
Counting basic numbers in Japanese is formulaic and easy to remember. If you know numbers 1-10 in Japanese, you can handle anything up to 99 with ease. For hundreds and thousands, just add the words for hundred, thousand, and ten thousand to your list and you’ll be able to use the same formulas all the way up to 99,999,999.
Remember those 13 words and these key takeaways before you starting writing dates or counting cash:
- Japanese numbers one through ten are as follows: ichi, ni, san, yon, go, roku, nana, hachi, kyū, and jū.
- For Japanese 1-100 numbers, you only need to know the first ten numbers plus the word for 100 (hyaku).
- Japanese numbers are built by adding each place value together with no special words for twenties, thirties, etc.
- The most common Japanese place values are tens (jū), hundreds (hyaku), thousands (sen) and ten thousands (man).
- You can use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) instead of kanji for most situations.
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