Why Japanese Numbers Feel Unfamiliar

Japanese numbers 1–10 are straightforward to memorize. The challenge comes from two things: alternate readings (4 can be し or よん, 7 can be しち or なな) and the 万 unit. Unlike English which groups numbers in thousands (1,000 / 1,000,000), Japanese groups them in ten-thousands — so 10,000 is 一万 and 100,000,000 is 一億. Once you understand the 万 system, large numbers in Japanese actually follow a very clean logic.

1 to 10

The deck uses よん (not し) for 4 and なな (not しち) for 7 — these are the safer readings that avoid superstition and ambiguity. Memorize these 12 cards first; everything else is built on top of them.

Number数字suuji

数字を書いてください。 — Please write down the number.

To count数えるkazoeru

いくつあるか数えてみましょう。 — Let's count how many there are.

One一ichi

一分待ってください。 — Please wait one minute.

Two二ni

チケットを二枚ください。 — Two tickets please.

Three三san

三人で、お願いします。 — Table for three, please.

Four四yon

四号室です。 — Room number four.

Five五go

五番線です。 — Platform five.

Six六roku

六時です。 — Six o'clock.

Seven七nana

ラッキーナンバーは七です。 — My lucky number is seven.

Eight八hachi

八番出口です。 — Exit eight.

Nine九kyuu

スコアは九十九でした。 — Score of ninety-nine.

Ten十juu

徒歩十分です。 — Ten minutes on foot.

20 to 90

Tens follow a simple rule: multiply the digit by 十. 二十 (2×10), 三十 (3×10)… up to 九十 (9×10). Numbers in between combine the ten with the unit: 二十五 (25), 三十八 (38), 七十二 (72). No irregularities.

Twenty二十nijuu

二十代です。 — I'm in my twenties.

Thirty三十sanjuu

三十分です。 — Thirty minutes.

Forty四十yonjuu

四十パーセントオフです。 — Forty percent off.

Fifty五十gojuu

五十歳です。 — Fifty years old.

Sixty六十rokujuu

六十分、一時間です。 — Sixty minutes is one hour.

Seventy七十nanajuu

七十パーセントです。 — Seventy percent.

Eighty八十hachijuu

八十人が参加しました。 — Eighty people attended.

Ninety九十kyuujuu

九十パーセント完成しました。 — Ninety percent complete.

Hundreds, Thousands & Beyond

The key insight: Japanese counts in units of 万 (10,000), not thousands. So ¥50,000 is 五万円 (5 × 10,000), not "fifty thousand." Once you grasp this, reading Japanese prices and large numbers becomes much easier.

One hundred百hyaku

百円です。 — One hundred yen.

One thousand千sen

千円です。 — One thousand yen.

Ten thousand一万ichiman

一万円です。 — Ten thousand yen.

One hundred thousand十万juuman

十万円です。 — One hundred thousand yen.

One million百万hyakuman

百万円です。 — One million yen.

4 Tips for Mastering Japanese Numbers

1. Always use よん and なな in daily life

Four (4) has two readings: し and よん. し sounds like 死 (death), so it is considered unlucky and avoided in many contexts — hospitals, hotels, and everyday speech favor よん. Seven (7) has しち and なな; なな is clearer and avoids confusion with いち (1). Use よん and なな as your defaults — you will almost never go wrong.

2. Think in 万 for Japanese prices

Japan prices everything in yen without decimal points, and large amounts are expressed in 万. A ¥30,000 hotel room is 三万円. A ¥150,000 monthly rent is 十五万円. A ¥1,000,000 car is 百万円. Once you start thinking in 万 instead of thousands, reading price tags, menus, and rent listings becomes natural.

3. Phone numbers use の between groups

When saying a phone number in Japanese, groups of digits are separated by の: 090の1234の5678. Each digit is read individually using the standard readings. Note that 0 is read as ゼロ or まる (maru) in phone numbers, not れい.

4. Sound changes with 百 and 千

百 changes sound: 三百 (sanbyaku), 六百 (roppyaku), 八百 (happyaku). 千 also changes: 三千 (sanzen), 八千 (hassen). These are the most important irregular pronunciations to memorize — they come up constantly in prices. The pattern is predictable once you see it a few times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I say prices in Japanese?

Add 円 (en) after the number: 五百円 (500 yen), 千二百円 (1,200 yen), 三万八千円 (38,000 yen). In shops, cashiers will often show you a display or write it down — but being able to hear and say prices in Japanese speeds up every transaction. The phrase いくらですか？ (how much is it?) is your go-to question.

What is the difference between 四 (し) and 四 (よん)?

They are the same kanji with two valid readings. し comes from the Chinese-derived reading; よん is the native Japanese reading. In modern speech, よん dominates because し is homophonous with 死 (death) — hospitals avoid room 4, some buildings skip floor 4, and many phone numbers avoid it. Use よん as your default.

How does Japanese handle very large numbers differently?

English uses thousands as the base unit (thousand / million / billion). Japanese uses 万 (10,000) as the next unit after 千: 一万 = 10,000, 十万 = 100,000, 百万 = 1,000,000, 千万 = 10,000,000, 一億 (ichioku) = 100,000,000. This means you must mentally re-group English numbers when converting — 50,000 is not "fifty thousand" but 五万 (5 × man).

Can I use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) in Japanese writing?

Yes — Arabic numerals are used extensively in modern Japanese, especially in horizontal writing (横書き), prices, ages, times, and dates. Kanji numerals (一、二、三) appear more in vertical writing (縦書き), formal documents, and traditional contexts. In everyday life you will see both. The readings are identical regardless of which script is used.

Count in Japanese with Confidence — Study These Cards

All 25 number words above are available as a ready-made deck in Onigiri Anki. Study them with native Japanese audio to lock in the correct pronunciation — especially the tricky sound changes in 三百, 六百, and 三千.

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