Planning a trip to Japan soon and wondering how to order juicy succulent chicken at FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, or Lawson’s? Well, a simple & effective way is to simply indicate the desired amount using your fingers. Unfortunately, most people have only 10 fingers, what if you want to order more? Don’t worry, by the end of this guide you’ll be able to order any number from 1 to 10,000 (and beyond if you’re interested/hungry enough).
Japanese Counter Words (Quick Primer)
Before diving into numbers, it’s important to understand that Japanese uses counter words (助数詞 – josūshi) differently than English. These special words come after numbers to specify what’s being counted.
English uses counters selectively:
- 1 can of coke
- 1 coke (no counter needed)
- 2 bunches of bananas
- 2 bananas (no counter needed)
- 2 slices of pizza
- 2 pizzas (no counter needed)
Japanese, however, requires a counter word in every situation involving quantities. Without them, your Japanese will usually sound unnatural or incomplete.
It is said that Japanese contains over 500 different counter words, however, currently only ~50 counter words are used in daily life. Furthermore, knowing only ~20 of the essential counter words is enough to for most situations. Let’s start by learning the 3 most essential counter words.
3 Essential Counters for Beginners
| Counter | Hiragana | Romaji | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 個 | こ | ko | (small) solid objects* | apple, egg, button |
| 枚 | まい | mai | flat objects | paper, leaf, plate |
| 本 | ほん | hon | long & skinny objects | pencil, bottle, umbrella |
Two Number Systems: Native vs. Sino-Japanese
Japanese uniquely maintains two separate number systems, each with specific usages, limitations, and origins.
Native Japanese (1-10)
Japan’s original counting system, which existed before written Japanese. The system consists of numbers 1 through 10 and does not utilize counter words. As such, they are typically written in hiragana and have limited use outside of general counts and idiomatic phrases. Interestingly, certain number-counter word pairings use the Native Japanese reading for the number.
Sino-Japanese (0+)
The Chinese-influenced system that was adopted in ~500CE became dominant and is currently used for essentially everything: numbers above 10, time, dates, money, measurements, mathematics, identification (phone numbers, addresses) and more. When dealing with quantities (of something), counter words are required. Two readings exist for numbers 4, 7 and 9 for two reasons: superstition & clarity. Lastly, pronunciation for certain number-counter pairings can morph, which results in “unexpected” readings. You will see examples of this phenomenon throughout the guide.
Numbers 0-10: Mastering the Basics
Native Japanese (1-10)
Despite usage being limited to general counts & idiomatic phrases, every Japanese person knows these words and use them in daily life. Although, it is typically only numbers 1 (ひとつ), 2 (ふたつ) and 3 (みっつ) which are used frequently.
| Number | Audio | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一つ | ひとつ | hitotsu | |
| 2 | 二つ | ふたつ | futatsu | |
| 3 | 三つ | みっつ | mittsu | |
| 4 | 四つ | よっつ | yottsu | |
| 5 | 五つ | いつつ | itsutsu | |
| 6 | 六つ | むつ | mutsu | |
| 7 | 七つ | ななつ | nanatsu | |
| 8 | 八つ | やつ | yatsu | |
| 9 | 九つ | ここのつ | kokonotsu | |
| 10 | 十 | とう | tou |
Sino-Japanese (0-10)
These 10 numbers (and corresponding Kanji) are the foundation from which all numbers are represented. Therefore, it is important to spend time becoming familiar with these numbers before proceeding.
| Number | Audio | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | いち | ichi | |
| 2 | 二 | に | ni | |
| 3 | 三 | さん | san | |
| 4 | 四 | よん・し | yon/shi | |
| 5 | 五 | ご | go | |
| 6 | 六 | ろく | roku | |
| 7 | 七 | なな・しち | nana/shichi | |
| 8 | 八 | はち | hachi | |
| 9 | 九 | きゅう・く | kyuu/ku | |
| 10 | 十 | じゅう | juu |
Rule: 4・7・9 have alternate readings in everyday speech
Alternate readings
- 4 → yon (avoid shi 「死」 “death”)
- 7 → nana (shichi can sound like ichi)
- 9 → kyū (avoid ku 「苦」 “suffering”)
Common exceptions
- Months: 4月 shigatsu, 7月 shichigatsu, 9月 kugatsu
- Time: 7時 shichi-ji/nana-ji, 9時 ku-ji
Japanese Numbers 11-99: Tens (十)
Since there are no Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc…) which uniquely represent double-digit numbers, they are represented as a combination of single digit numbers. Similarly, unique kanji for numbers 11-99 do not exist; therefore, they are represented as a combination of existing kanji. Japanese numbers 11-99 follow a logical pattern using the Sino-Japanese system:
Formula: [tens digit] + 十 (じゅう) + [ones digit]
Examples:
- 11 = 十一 (じゅういち) = “ten-one”
Note that it is not 一十一 (“one-ten-one”). The value is understood through omission.
- 25 = 二十五 (にじゅうご) = “two-ten-five”
While pronounced “two-ten-five”, in reality it is thought of as ( 二十-五) “twenty-five”, similar to English.
- 90 = 九十 (きゅうじゅう) = “nine-ten”
Note that there is no kanji for the [ones digit]. The value is understood through omission.
| Number | Audio | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 十一 | じゅういち | juu-ichi | |
| 12 | 十二 | じゅうに | juu-ni | |
| 13 | 十三 | じゅうさん | juu-san | |
| 14 | 十四 | じゅうよん | juu-yon | |
| 15 | 十五 | じゅうご | juu-go | |
| 16 | 十六 | じゅうろく | juu-roku | |
| 17 | 十七 | じゅうなな | juu-nana | |
| 18 | 十八 | じゅうはち | juu-hachi | |
| 19 | 十九 | じゅうきゅう | juu-kyuu | |
| 20 | 二十 | にじゅう | ni-juu | |
| 30 | 三十 | さんじゅう | san-juu | |
| 40 | 四十 | よんじゅう | yon-juu | |
| 50 | 五十 | ごじゅう | go-juu | |
| 60 | 六十 | ろくじゅう | roku-juu | |
| 70 | 七十 | ななじゅう | nana-juu | |
| 80 | 八十 | はちじゅう | hachi-juu | |
| 90 | 九十 | きゅうじゅう | kyuu-juu |
Rule: Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…) are usually used instead of kanji.
Usage
- Mathematics, statistics, sciences
- Date & time
- Money
Common exception: vertically written text.
Japanese Numbers 100-999: Hundreds (百)
100! Represented as 百(ひゃく) in Japanese; with the addition of this character, numbers up to 999 can be represented.
Formula: [hundreds digit] + 百 (ひゃく) + [remaining number]
Examples:
- 101 = 百一 (ひゃくいち)
- 151 = 百五十一 (ひゃくごじゅういち)
- 999 = 九百九十九 (きゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうきゅう)
Pronunciation Changes (百): 300/600/800
- 300 = 三百 (さんびゃく) – not さんひゃく
- 600 = 六百 (ろっぴゃく) – not ろくひゃく
- 800 = 八百 (はっぴゃく) – not はちひゃく
The above numbers are always pronounced this way. Why? Well 300 being pronounced as さんびゃく can be attributed to a phenomenon called rendaku(連濁)–sequential voicing– where the first syllable of the latter half of a compound word becomes voiced so that the word flows more smoothly in speech.
What about 600 & 800? There isn’t a well-known rule that explains the morphed sound, and none is required! Simply put, Japanese speakers began saying it that way because it felt smoother and easier to say, therefore it became that way.
Numbers 1,000-9,999: Thousands
1000! Represented as 千(せん) in Japanese; with the addition of this character, numbers up to 9999 can be represented.
Formula: [thousands digit] + 千 (せん) + [remaining number]
Examples:
- 1111 = 千百十一 (せんひゃくじゅういち)
- 6500 = 六千五百 (ろくせんごひゃく)
- 8888 = 八千八百八十八 (はっせんはっぴゃくはちじゅうはち)
Pronunciation Changes (千): 3,000/8,000
- 3000 = 三千 (さんぜん) – not さんせん
- 8000 = 八千 (はっせん) – not はちせん
| Number | Audio | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 百 | ひゃく | hyaku | |
| 200 | 二百 | にひゃく | nihyaku | |
| 300 | 三百 | さんびゃく | sanbyaku | |
| 400 | 四百 | よんひゃく | yonhyaku | |
| 500 | 五百 | ごひゃく | gohyaku | |
| 600 | 六百 | ろっぴゃく | roppyaku | |
| 700 | 七百 | ななひゃく | nanahyaku | |
| 800 | 八百 | はっぴゃく | happyaku | |
| 900 | 九百 | きゅうひゃく | kyuuhyaku | |
| 1000 | 千 | せん | sen | |
| 2000 | 二千 | にせん | nisen | |
| 3000 | 三千 | さんぜん | sanzen | |
| 4000 | 四千 | よんせん | yonsen | |
| 5000 | 五千 | ごせん | gosen | |
| 6000 | 六千 | ろくせん | rokusen | |
| 7000 | 七千 | ななせん | nanasen | |
| 8000 | 八千 | はっせん | hassen | |
| 9000 | 九千 | きゅうせん | kyuusen |
Japanese Numbers 10,000 and Beyond (万・億・兆)
The Sino-Japanese number system closely mirrors the English number system up to the 1000s in terms of number naming conventions; both systems have a unit name for 10, 100 & 1000. However, the Japanese system has a unit name for 10,000–万(まん)– resulting in differences in how large numbers are understood.
English (10³) vs Japanese (10⁴) Grouping
While English creates new number names every thousand (10³), Japanese does so every ten thousand (10⁴):
English pattern:
- 1,000 = thousand (10³)
- 1,000,000 = million (10⁶)
- 1,000,000,000 = billion (10⁹)
Japanese pattern:
- 1万 = まん (10⁴)
- 1億 = おく (10⁸)
- 1兆 = ちょう (10¹²)
Comma Placement
- English: 1,000,000 (every 3 digits)
- Japanese: 1,0000,0000 (every 4 digits)
Why This Matters
This difference affects how large numbers are interpreted and represented with kanji. Now, let’s walk through how to interpret: 5–8-digit numbers, 9–12-digit numbers, and 12+ digit numbers, so you can develop a concrete understanding of how the Japanese number system is different and how to interpret numbers through it.
万 (10,000): Reading 5–8-digit numbers
Formula: [Left 1-4 digits] + 万 (まん) + [Right 4 digits]
Examples:
- 1,0000 (10,000) = 一万 (いちまん）
- 500,0000 (5,000,000) = 五百万(ごひゃくまん)
- 9999,0000 (99,990,000) = 九千九百九十九万(きゅうせんきゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうきゅうまん)
Rule: Why do we say 一万 but not 一十? Learn the rule behind Japanese number formation
Use 一 with large units like 万・億・兆 (e.g., 一万、 一億、一兆), but omit it with 十・百・千.
- 10,000 → 一万（ichiman）
- 100,000,000 → 一億（ichioku）
- 1,000,000,000,000 → 一兆（icchō）
億 (100,000,000): Reading 9–12-digit numbers
Formula: [Left 1-4 digits] + 億 (おく) + [Right 8 digits]
Examples:
- 1,0000,0000 (100,000,000) = 一億 (いちおく)
- 500,0000,0000 (50,000,000,000) = 五百億(ごひゃくおく)
- 9999,0000,0000 (999,900,000,000) = 九千九百九十九億(きゅうせんきゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうきゅうおく)
兆 (1,000,000,000,000): Reading 13–16-digit numbers
Formula: [Left 1-4 digits] + 兆 (ちょう) + [Right 12 digits]
Examples:
- 1,0000,0000,0000 (100,000,000) = 一兆 (いっちょう)
- 500,0000,0000,0000 (500,000,000,000,000) = 五百兆(ごひゃくちょう)
- 9999,0000,0000,0000 (9,999,000,000,000,000) = 九千九百九十九兆(きゅうせんきゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうきゅうちょう)
Pronunciation Changes (兆): 1 trillion/8 trillion
- 1 trillion = 一兆 (いっちょう) – not いちちょう
- 8 trillion = 八兆 (はっちょう) – not はちちょう
| Number | Audio | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,0000 (ten thousand) | 一万 | いちまん | ichi-man | |
| 10,0000 (one-hundred thousand) | 十万 | じゅうまん | juu-man | |
| 100,0000 (one million) | 百万 | ひゃくまん | hyaku-man | |
| 1000,0000 (ten million) | 千万 | せんまん | sen-man | |
| 1,0000,0000 (one-hundred million) | 一億 | いちおく | ichi-oku | |
| 10,0000,0000 (one billion) | 十億 | じゅうおく | juu-oku | |
| 100,0000,0000 (ten billion) | 百億 | ひゃくおく | hyaku-oku | |
| 1000,0000,0000 (one-hundred billion) | 千億 | せんおく | sen-oku | |
| 1,0000,0000,0000 (one trillion) | 一兆 | いっちょう | icchou |
Thought Experiment
What is the largest number you can represent in thousand(s)?
999, 000 (nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand). Why? What happens if you add 1000? The number becomes 1,000,000–1 million– or in other words, 1000-1000s (one-thousand one-thousands). Expressing 1,000,000/2,000,000 etc… as one-thousand one-thousands/two-thousand one-thousands is quite confusing, isn’t it? That’s why in English a new word is used–million– which expresses this value. This is the same as how we say hundred (not ten-tens).
What happens when you add 1 million to 999 million? You get 1000-million–1 billion. 1 billion + 999 billion? 1 trillion. In this way, the number unit names exist at powers 10^3–thousand–, 10^6–million–, 10^9–billion–, 10^12–trillion–.
How does this compare to Japanese? Well Japanese follows a nearly identical pattern, the only difference being that their “1000” is actually 10,000 (万ーまんーman). What is the largest number that can be represented in “万”? 9999, 0000 (nine-thousand nine-hundred ninety-nine 万). When 1万 is added to this number it becomes 1,0000,0000–億 (おくーoku), a different word. In this way, the number names exist at powers of 10^4–万, 10^8–億, 10^12–兆 (ちょうーchou).
Since English number names exist at powers that are multiples of 3, we use commas every 3 digits (1,000,000). Accordingly, since Japanese number names exist at powers that are multiples of 4, we use commas every 4 digits (1,0000,0000).
Conclusion
Mastering Japanese numbers opens doors to practical communication and cultural understanding. Start with the basics, practice regularly, and soon you’ll be confidently ordering exactly what you want at any Japanese convenience store—no finger counting required!
To get you started on your practice, I have provided some material below.
Additional Practice
Look at the number, then write the corresponding kanji (or hiragana) on a piece of paper and say it aloud. Check if you got it correct by clicking on the number to reveal the answer. I purposely excluded commas for better practice.
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Practice item: 37
三十七
さんじゅうなな
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Practice item: 86
八十六
はちじゅうろく
-
Practice item: 54
五十四
ごじゅうよん
-
Practice item: 97
九十七
きゅうじゅうなな
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Practice item: 132
百三十二
ひゃくさんじゅうに
-
Practice item: 368
三百六十八
さんびゃくろくじゅうはち
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Practice item: 652
六百五十二
ろっぴゃくごじゅうに
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Practice item: 935
九百三十五
きゅうひゃくさんじゅうご
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Practice item: 1310
千三百十
せんさんびゃくじゅう
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Practice item: 3899
三千八百九十九
さんぜんはっぴゃくきゅうじゅうきゅう
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Practice item: 6400
六千四百
ろくせんよんひゃく
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Practice item: 8224
八千二百二十四
はっせんにひゃくにじゅうよん
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Practice item: 13500
一万三千五百
いちまんさんぜんごひゃく
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Practice item: 30880
三万八百八十
さんまんはっぴゃくはちじゅう
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Practice item: 68320
六万八千三百二十
ろくまんはっせんさんびゃくにじゅう
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Practice item: 98765
九万八千七百六十五
きゅうまんはっせんななひゃくろくじゅうご
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Practice item: 350630
三十五万六百三十
さんじゅうごまんろっぴゃくさんじゅう
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Practice item: 8900001
八百九十万一
はっぴゃくきゅうじゅうまんいち
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Practice item: 46812300
四千六百八十一万二千三百
よんせんろっぴゃくはちじゅういちまんにせんさんびゃく
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Practice item: 75508810
七千五百五十万八千八百十
ななせんごひゃくごじゅうまんはっせんはっぴゃくじゅう
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Practice item: 550505500
五億五千五十万五千五百
ごおくごせんごじゅうまんごせんごひゃく
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Practice item: 863004020
八億六千三百万四千二十
はちおくろくせんさんびゃくまんよんせんにじゅう
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Practice item: 1770035008310
一兆七千七百億三千五百万八千三百十
いっちょうななせんななひゃくおくさんぜんごひゃくまんはっせんさんびゃくじゅう
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Practice item: 8987654321023
八兆九千八百七十六億五千四百三十二万千二十三
はっちょうきゅうせんはっぴゃくななじゅうろくおくごせんよんひゃくさんじゅうにまんせんにじゅうさん
References & Further Reading
- NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [JP] Standard accent/pronunciation reference (useful for しち/なな, きゅう/く).
- 大辞林・明鏡 国語辞典（コトバンク経由） [JP] Canonical entries for 「万・億・兆」, counters, and readings.
- 文化庁：国語施策・表記資料 [JP] Official guidance on numerals/notation in public documents.
- Tae Kim’s Guide — Numbers Beginner overview of numbers, readings, and basic counters.
- IMABI — Numbers & Counters Deeper explanations and exceptions; great for edge cases.
- Tofugu — Japanese Numbers Learner-friendly coverage, mnemonics, and large-number units.
- Wasabi — Japanese Counters Clear tables for common counters and when to use them.
- Kanshudo — Numbers in Japanese Quick lookups and examples; helpful as a secondary reference.
- Jisho.org Fast lookups for readings, kanji, and counters (JMdict based).
- Weblio [JP] Multiple dictionaries + example sentences; good for nuance checks.
- Tatoeba Example sentences (use selectively; verify against other sources).
- Makino, Tsutsui — A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar Authoritative entries covering numerals/quantifiers and beginner counters.