Numbers in Japanese can be confusing as it has a different counting system from English, but once you understand the patterns, it becomes surprisingly intuitive. Counting from 1 to 10 is the first step, but what about counting up to a million? Or even a hundred million?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the Japanese number system, including both the Sino-Japanese readings (onyomi) and native Japanese readings (kunyomi), and how to count from basic digits all the way to massive numbers like 1,000,000,000.
Want to improve your pronunciation as you learn to count? Check out our guide to Japanese pronunciation. Don’t forget to watch our YouTube video about it, too!
Basics of Counting Japanese Numbers
Japanese numbers come in two main types:
- Native Japanese numbers
- Chinese-based numbers
For example, the numbers 1 to 10 in Chinese-based Japanese are: ichi (1), ni (2), san (3), yon (4), go (5), roku (6), nana (7), hachi (8), kyuu (9), juu (10).
However, when counting objects, the Japanese often add special words called counters after the number. Counters are different depending on what you’re counting. For example:
- にん (nin) is used for people
- まい (mai) is used for flat things like paper
- ほん (hon) is used for long, thin things like pencils or bottles
So if you want to say “three people,” you say さんにん (sannin), and for “three pencils,” it’s さんぼん (sanbon). Notice how the pronunciation changes a little to sound smoother. Learning counters is important because you can’t just say numbers alone when counting things in Japanese. But don’t worry. Once you get used to it, it becomes easy!
Dive into our complete guide on Japanese counters to learn more about that.
Sino-Japanese and Yamato Kotoba (Chinese-based Japanese vs Native Japanese Numbers)
The Japanese counting system is still based on a base-10 structure, just like English, but the units are grouped differently, especially beyond 10,000.
In English, we count large numbers by thousands: 1,000 is one thousand, 1,000,000 is one million, and 1,000,000,000 is one billion. But in Japanese, the system is different. The key unit is 10,000, not 1,000. This unit is called 万 (まん or man). Ten thousand “man” makes the next unit: 億 (おく or oku), which is 100 million. There are no in-between units like in English, so it jumps from man (10,000) to oku (100 million). Even though Arabic numerals still use commas every three digits when written, the way Japanese people mentally group numbers is by four digits. This difference can be confusing and takes some getting used to for language learners!
Japanese numbers also come with two main reading systems:
- Sino-Japanese 音読み (onyomi): Also called kango, Sino-Japanese is based on Chinese readings and used most commonly in counting, time, dates, and math.
- Native Japanese 訓読み (kunyomi): Also called wago, kunyomi Japanese words are often used for counting small quantities or objects.
How to Count 1 – 10 in Japanese
Here’s a table that shows Japanese numbers 1 to 10 in both 和語 (wago) — native Japanese numbers — and 漢語 (kango) — Sino-Japanese (Chinese-derived) numbers:
| Number | Wago (Native Japanese) | Kango (Sino-Japanese) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ひとつ (hitotsu) | いち (ichi) |
| 2 | ふたつ (futatsu) | に (ni) |
| 3 | みっつ (mittsu) | さん (san) |
| 4 | よっつ (yottsu) | し (shi) / よん (yon) |
| 5 | いつつ (itsutsu) | ご (go) |
| 6 | むっつ (muttsu) | ろく (roku) |
| 7 | ななつ (nanatsu) | しち (shichi) / なな (nana) |
| 8 | やっつ (yattsu) | はち (hachi) |
| 9 | ここのつ (kokonotsu) | きゅう (kyuu) / く (ku) |
| 10 | とお (too) | じゅう (juu) |
Kunyomi: Native Japanese Numbers (1–10)
Wago numbers are mainly used for counting general items (especially up to 10), the ages of small children, and traditional Japanese contexts. These are used when you don’t need a counter (e.g., ordering one item at a restaurant).
- ひとつ (hitotsu) – 1
- ふたつ (futatsu) – 2
- みっつ (mittsu) – 3
- よっつ (yottsu) – 4
- いつつ (itsutsu) – 5
- むっつ (muttsu) – 6
- ななつ (nanatsu) – 7
- やっつ (yattsu) – 8
- ここのつ (kokonotsu) – 9
- とう (tou) – 10
Example:
- お菓子をひとつください。
- Okashi o hitotsu kudasai.
- Please give me one snack.
Kunyomi numbers are rarely used beyond 10. For everything else, we use the more common Sino-Japanese system.
Onyomi: Sino-Japanese Numbers (1–10)
Kango numbers are used in most modern and formal contexts like dates, times, phone numbers, prices, and mathematics.
- 一 (ichi) – 1
- 二 (ni) – 2
- 三 (san) – 3
- 四 (shi / yon) – 4
- 五 (go) – 5
- 六 (roku) – 6
- 七 (shichi / nana) – 7
- 八 (hachi) – 8
- 九 (kyuu / ku) – 9
- 十 (juu) – 10
Example:
紙を一枚ください。
Kami o ichimai kudasai.
Please give me one sheet of paper.
Read More: Basic Japanese Words to Know
Irregular Japanese Number Readings
In Japanese, while most numbers follow regular reading patterns, there are several important irregular readings to know.
| Number | Irregular / Preferred Reading | Reason or Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | よん (yon) | Avoid し (shi) due to “death” |
| 7 | なな (nana) | Avoid confusion with いち (ichi) |
| 9 | きゅう (kyuu) | Avoid く (ku) due to “suffering” |
| 1 & 2 (people) | ひとり (hitori), ふたり (futari) | Special native words |
For example, the number 4 can be read as し (shi) or よん (yon), but よん is preferred because し sounds like the word for death (死), which is considered unlucky. Similarly, 7 is read as しち (shichi) or なな (nana), with なな commonly used in daily speech to avoid confusion with the number 1 (いち).
There are also pronunciation changes when numbers combine with counters to make speech smoother, like the ones below!
- 300：三百（さんびゃく）sanbyaku
- 600：六百（ろっぴゃく）roppyaku
- 800：八百（はっぴゃく）happyaku
- 3000：三千（さんぜん）sanzen
- 8000：八千（はっせん）hassen
Examples:
- 12: (じゅうに) juu-ni
- 157: (ひゃく ごじゅう なな) hyaku go-juu nana
- 1861: (せん はっぴゃく ろくじゅう いち) sen happyaku roku-juu ichi
Counting Double-Digit Numbers in Japanese
Counting double-digit numbers in Japanese is simple once you understand the pattern. To form these numbers, you start with the number for the tens place, followed by じゅう (juu), which means “ten.”
For example, 20 is にじゅう (ni-juu), meaning “two tens,” and 30 is さんじゅう (san-juu), meaning “three tens.” If the number has a digit in the ones place, you simply add it after the tens. So, 21 becomes にじゅういち (ni-juu-ichi), and 47 becomes よんじゅうなな (yon-juu-nana). If there’s no number in the ones place — like in 10, 20, or 30 — you just say the tens part: じゅう (juu), にじゅう (ni-juu), さんじゅう (san-juu), and so on. This system continues consistently, making it easy to build up to higher numbers once you know the basic 1–10.
| Number | Japanese Reading | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | じゅういち (juu ichi) | 10 + 1 |
| 27 | にじゅうなな (ni juu nana) | 20 + 7 |
| 38 | さんじゅうはち (san juu hachi) | 30 + 8 |
| 49 | よんじゅうきゅう (yon juu kyuu) | 40 + 9 |
| 50 | ごじゅう (go juu) | 5 × 10 |
You’ll notice that after the number 10, Japanese typically uses the preferred pronunciations for 4, 7, and 9 — that is, yon, nana, and kyuu — instead of shi, shichi, or ku. This is especially true for double-digit numbers. For example, 40 is read as yon juu, not shi juu, to avoid the negative connotations associated with shi (death) and ku (suffering). Once you have a solid grasp of numbers 1 to 10 and understand which readings are preferred, it becomes much easier to count larger numbers and form double-digit combinations naturally.
How to Count in Japanese from 100 to 900
Counting in Japanese from 100 to 900 is straightforward, but there are a few pronunciation changes to watch out for, especially with 300, 600, and 800. To count by hundreds, you take the number (1–9) and add ひゃく (hyaku), which means “hundred.”
These changes are due to rendaku (sequential voicing) and sound blending for smoother pronunciation.
| Number | Japanese Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | ひゃく (hyaku) | Base form |
| 200 | にひゃく (ni-hyaku) | Regular pronunciation |
| 300 | さんびゃく (san-byaku) | Sound change for easier pronunciation |
| 400 | よんひゃく (yon-hyaku) | Uses “yon” instead of “shi” |
| 500 | ごひゃく (go-hyaku) | Regular pronunciation |
| 600 | ろっぴゃく (roppyaku) | Small つ (っ) added, sound shift |
| 700 | ななひゃく (nana-hyaku) | Uses “nana” instead of “shichi” |
| 800 | はっぴゃく (happyaku) | Small つ (っ) added, sound shift |
| 900 | きゅうひゃく (kyuu-hyaku) | Regular pronunciation |
Read More: Guide on Double Consonants and Long Vowels in Japanese
How to Read Larger Numbers in Japanese
Unlike English, which groups numbers by thousands (thousand, million, billion), Japanese groups by myriad (万, まん, 10,000) units. The main units are:
| Japanese Unit | Kanji | Value |
|---|---|---|
| まん (man) | 万 | 10,000 |
| おく (oku) | 億 | 100 million |
| ちょう (chou) | 兆 | 1 trillion |
| けい (kei) | 京 | 10 quadrillion |
Japanese numbers are grouped by 4 digits instead of 3. The more detailed breakdown is:
- 10,000: 一万 (ichi-man)
- 100,000: 十万 (juu-man)
- 1,000,000: 百万 (hyaku-man)
- 10,000,000: 千万 (issen-man)
- 100,000,000: 一億 (ichi-oku)
- 1,000,000,000: 十億 (juu-oku)
- 1,000,000,000,000: 一兆 (icchou)
Example:
- 320,000 = san-juu ni man (さんじゅう に まん)
- 18,257 = ichi-man hassen ni-hyaku go-juu nana (いちまん はっせん にひゃく ごじゅう なな)
In English, we group numbers by thousands: 1,000, 1,000,000. In Japanese, numbers are grouped by ten-thousands.
That’s why 10,000 is not “juu-sen” but ichi-man (一万) — one ten-thousand.
How to Say Zero in Japanese
In Japanese, zero is commonly said as ゼロ (zero), borrowed from English, or れい (rei), which is the native Japanese word often used in counting and formal contexts. Both are correct, but ゼロ is more common in everyday speech and measurements. Maru should only be used when you are referring to zero as a number for phone numbers or codes, although the same word is also used to denote that something is correct.
- ゼロ (zero): Common, borrowed from English
- まる (maru): Used in phone numbers or codes
- 零 (rei): Formal but rarely used in speech
Example:
- 郵便番号は102-0072です。
- Yuubin bango wa ichi maru ni no maru maru nana ni desu.
- My postcode is 102-0072.
Writing Numbers: Arabic vs Kanji
Japanese uses both:
- Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…): Common in daily use
- Kanji (一, 二, 三…): Used in legal, financial, and formal documents
Understanding numbers is just one part of mastering Japanese. To count things properly, you’ll also need to learn counters — like 本 (for long objects), 個 (for small items), and 枚 (for flat objects).
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FAQ
How do you count from 1 to 10 in Japanese?
You can use either Sino-Japanese (ichi, ni, san…) or native Japanese (hitotsu, futatsu…). The Sino-Japanese system is more common and used with counters.
What does 'man' mean in Japanese numbers?
Man (万) means 10,000. Unlike English, Japanese numbers are grouped by ten-thousands instead of thousands. For example, 20,000 is ni-man (二万).
Why are there two readings for Japanese numbers?
Japanese has Sino-Japanese (onyomi) readings from Chinese and native Japanese (kunyomi) readings. The context (counting objects, reading dates, math) determines which to use.
How do you say 100,000 in Japanese?
100,000 is said as juu-man (十万), which means “ten ten-thousands” — because Japanese groups numbers by 10,000 units.
Do Japanese people use kanji for numbers?
In daily life, Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) are common. Kanji (一, 二, 三) are used in formal documents, banking, and legal writing.