Learning Japanese Numbers: 1-100 to 1 Trillion

Published November 8th, 2016

Counting is one of the first things you learn in any language, but Japanese numbers are a little bit different. Numbers in Japanese are so different, in fact, that we're going to take TWO POSTS to tell you everything about counting in Japanese. If you're already a little more advanced, you may already be aware of the Japanese counting system. But if not, then let's start with Japanese numbers and we can learn more from there! japanese numbers 1-100 The most important thing to remember is that the Japanese have a different set of numbers for counting things, actions, and events than they do for counting people or for counting dates. When you use which system will depend on the suffix of the following counter word. If you don't know about Japanese counter words, don't worry. We will be covering those next week! It may seem confusing at first, but once you learn the different systems it will be second nature to you which one to use when! So first, let's learn the two different Japanese number systems: First, we have Sino-Japanese numbers. These readings are based on the On'Yomi (or Chinese pronunciations) of the numbers. The second system is the Native Japanese number system, which is based on the Kun'Yomi, or Japanese pronunciation. Check out this post to learn the difference between On'Yomi and Kun'yomi in Japanese.

Notes on Counting in Japanese

  • The Kun Reading, or Native Japanese numbers, are usually only used up until the #10, but of course there are plenty of exceptions to this!
  • 4 is considered unlucky since the On reading sounds like 死 (the kanji for death). So the Kun reading is preferred for almost all numbers containing 四.
  • For the number 7 (七) nana is often preferred over shichi, but both readings are used depending on what you're talking about.
  • Since the saying of 9 (九) sounds like 苦 (the kanji for suffering), it is usually pronounced kyu instead and hospitals often avoid having a Ward 9.
  • Large numbers are divided into units of ten thousand, so 1 million is one hundred tenthousands: 百萬 (hyaku man).
  • On financial and legal documents, complex forms of the numerals known as 大字 (daiji) are used to prevent fraud.
Number Character On Reading Sino-Japanese Kun Reading Native Japanese 0 [audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio0.mp3"][/audio] 零 / 〇* れい (rei) -
1[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio1.mp3"][/audio] いち (ichi) ひと・つ (hito(tsu))
2[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio2.mp3"][/audio] に, じ (ni, ji ) ふた・つ (futa(tsu))
3[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio3.mp3"][/audio] さん (san) み・っつ (mi(ttsu))
4*[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio4.mp3"][/audio] し (shi) よん、よ・っつ (yon, yo(ttsu))
5[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio5.mp3"][/audio] ご (go) いつ・つ (itsu(tsu))
6[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio6.mp3"][/audio] ろく (roku) む・っつ (mu(ttsu))
7*[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio7.mp3"][/audio] しち (shichi) なな・つ (Nana (tsu))
8[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio8.mp3"][/audio] はち (hachi) や・っつ (ya(ttsu))
9*[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio9.mp3"][/audio] く, きゅう (ku, kyū) ここの・つ (kokono(tsu))
10[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio10.mp3"][/audio] じゅう (jū) とお (tō)
11[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio11.mp3"][/audio] 十一 じゅういち (jū ichi) -
12[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio12.mp3"][/audio] 十二 じゅうに (jū ni) -
13[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio13.mp3"][/audio] 十三 じゅうさん (jū san) -
14*[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio14.mp3"][/audio] [audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio15.mp3"][/audio] 十四 じゅうし (jū shi) じゅうよん (jū yon)
15[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio16.mp3"][/audio] 十五 じゅうご (jū go) -
16[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio17.mp3"][/audio] 十六 じゅうろく (jū roku) -
17*[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio18.mp3"][/audio] [audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio19.mp3"][/audio] 十七 じゅうしち (jū shichi) じゅうなな (jū nana)
18[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio20.mp3"][/audio] 十八 じゅはち (jū hachi) -
19[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio21.mp3"][/audio] 十九 じゅきゅう (jū kyū) -
20[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio22.mp3"][/audio] [audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio23.mp3"][/audio] 二十 にじゅう (ni-jū) hata(chi) / はた・ち
30[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio24.mp3"][/audio] [audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio25.mp3"][/audio] 三十 さんじゅう (san-jū) みそ・じ (miso(ji))
40*[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio26.mp3"][/audio] [audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio27.mp3"][/audio] 四十 しじゅう (shi-jū) よんじゅう (yon-jū)
50[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio28.mp3"][/audio] 五十 ごじゅう (go-jū) -
60[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio29.mp3"][/audio] 六十 ろくじゅう (roku-jū) -
70*[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio30.mp3"][/audio] [audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio31.mp3"][/audio] 七十 しちじゅう (shichi-jū) ななじゅう (nana-jū)
80[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio32.mp3"][/audio] 八十 はちじゅう (hachi-jū) -
90[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio33.mp3"][/audio] 九十 きゅうじゅう (kyū-jū) -
100[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio34.mp3"][/audio] ひゃく (hyaku) もも (momo)
200[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio35.mp3"][/audio] 二百 にひゃく(ni hyaku) -
300[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio36.mp3"][/audio] 三百 さんびゃく (san byaku) -
400[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio37.mp3"][/audio] 四百 - よんひゃく(yon hyaku)
500[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio38.mp3"][/audio] 五百 ごひゃく(go hyaku) -
600[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio39.mp3"][/audio] 六百 ろっぴゃく (ro ppyaku) -
700[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio40.mp3"][/audio] 七百 - ななひゃく (nana hyaku)
800[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio41.mp3"][/audio] 八百 はっぴゃく (ha ppyaku) -
900[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio42.mp3"][/audio] 九百 きゅうひゃく (kyū hyaku) -
1,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio43.mp3"][/audio] 千, 一千 せん (sen, i ssen) (ち/chi)
2,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio44.mp3"][/audio] 二千 にせん (ni sen) -
3,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio45.mp3"][/audio] 三千 さんぜん(san zen) -
4,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio46.mp3"][/audio] 四千 よんせん (yon sen)
5,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio47.mp3"][/audio] 五千 ごせん (go sen) -
6,000 六千 ろくせん (roku sen) -
7,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio48.mp3"][/audio] 七千 - ななせん(nana sen)
8,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio49.mp3"][/audio] 八千 はっせん (ha ssen) -
9,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio50.mp3"] 九千 きゅうせん (kyū sen) -
10,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio51.mp3"] 一万/ 萬 いちまん (ichi-man) (よろず/ yorozu)
20,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio52.mp3"] 二万 にまん (ni-man) -
30,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio53.mp3"] 三万 さんまん (san-man) -
40,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio54.mp3"] 四万 - よんまん (yon man)
50,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio55.mp3"] 五万 ごまん (go-man) -
60,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio56.mp3"] 六万 ろくまん (roku-man) -
70,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio57.mp3"] 七万 - ななまん(nana man)
80,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio58.mp3"] 八万 はちまん (hachi-man)
90,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio59.mp3"] 九万 きゅうまん (kyū-man) -
100,000[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio60.mp3"] 十万 じゅうまん (ju-man) -
1 million[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio61.mp3"] 百万 ひゃくまん (hyaku-man) -
10 million[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio62.mp3"] 一千万 いっせんまん (i ssen man) -
100 million[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio63.mp3"] 一億 いちおく (ichi oku) -
1 trillion[audio mp3="statamic://asset::blog::wp-content/uploads/2016/11/aki_nihongo_numbers_MP3-Audio_256-Kbps-CD-Transparent-Audio64.mp3"] 一兆 いっちょう (I ccho) -

Japanese Numbers for Person

And of course, if you are counting people, they have yet ANOTHER Japanese number system! You can use the Japanese counter for person, (にん –). Except for numbers 1 and 2, which are irregular. | 一人 (ひとり, hitori) | 1 person | |---|---| | 二人 (ふたり, futari) | 2 people | | 三人 (さんにん**,** sannin) | 3 people | | 四人 (よにん**,** yonin) | 4 people | | 五人 (ごにん**,** gonin) | 5 people | | 六人 (ろくにん, rokunin) | 6 people | | 七人 (しちにん, shichinin) | 7 people | | 八人 (はちにん, hachinin) | 8 people | | 九人 (きゅうにん, kyuunin) | 9 people | | 十人 (じゅうにん, juunin**)** | 10 people |