Master Japanese Numbers: From 1 to 1000 and Beyond

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import { Callout, InfoBox, ExampleBox } from '@/components/blog/mdx/components' Numbers are everywhere in daily life - from shopping and telling time to giving your phone number. Mastering Japanese numbers early will boost your confidence and practical communication skills! ## Basic Numbers 1-10 Let's start with the fundamentals. Japanese has two number systems: the native Japanese system (ひとつ、ふたつ) and the Chinese-derived system (いち、に). The Chinese system is more commonly used for counting. ### Numbers 1-10 (Chinese System) 1. **一** (いち) - ichi 2. **二** (に) - ni 3. **三** (さん) - san 4. **四** (し/よん) - shi/yon 5. **五** (ご) - go 6. **六** (ろく) - roku 7. **七** (しち/なな) - shichi/nana 8. **八** (はち) - hachi 9. **九** (きゅう/く) - kyuu/ku 10. **十** (じゅう) - juu ### Important Notes on 4, 7, and 9 The numbers 4, 7, and 9 have two readings each: - **4**: し (shi) or よん (yon) - Use よん more often as し sounds like "death" (死) - **7**: しち (shichi) or なな (nana) - Both are common - **9**: きゅう (kyuu) or く (ku) - きゅう is more common ## Numbers 11-99 Once you know 1-10, larger numbers follow a logical pattern! ### Numbers 11-19 Simply combine 十 (juu) + the second digit: ### Numbers 20-99 For multiples of 10, use: number + 十 (juu) For other numbers, combine: tens + ones - 25 = 二十五 (にじゅうご) - ni juu go - 38 = 三十八 (さんじゅうはち) - san juu hachi - 76 = 七十六 (ななじゅうろく) - nana juu roku ## Numbers 100-9999 ### Hundreds 100 = **百** (ひゃく) - hyaku **Special pronunciations:** - 300 = 三百 (さん**びゃく**) - san byaku - 600 = 六百 (ろっ**ぴゃく**) - roppyaku - 800 = 八百 (はっ**ぴゃく**) - happyaku Examples: - 150 = 百五十 (ひゃくごじゅう) - 256 = 二百五十六 (にひゃくごじゅうろく) - 999 = 九百九十九 (きゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうきゅう) ### Thousands 1000 = **千** (せん) - sen **Special pronunciations:** - 3000 = 三千 (さん**ぜん**) - san zen - 8000 = 八千 (はっ**せん**) - hassen ## Large Numbers Japanese groups numbers by 10,000s (万), not 1,000s like English! ### Important Large Numbers - **万** (まん) - man = 10,000 - **十万** (じゅうまん) - juu man = 100,000 - **百万** (ひゃくまん) - hyaku man = 1,000,000 - **千万** (せんまん) - sen man = 10,000,000 - **億** (おく) - oku = 100,000,000 Examples: - 15,000 = 一万五千 (いちまんごせん) - 250,000 = 二十五万 (にじゅうごまん) - 3,000,000 = 三百万 (さんびゃくまん) ## Essential Counter Words Japanese uses specific counter words (助数詞) depending on what you're counting. Here are the most common ones: ### 個 (ko) - General Objects Used for small, round objects or when unsure: ### 本 (hon) - Long Objects Used for pens, bottles, trees: ### 枚 (mai) - Flat Objects Used for paper, plates, shirts: - 1枚 = いちまい (ichimai) - 2枚 = にまい (nimai) - 3枚 = さんまい (sanmai) ### 人 (nin) - People **Special readings:** - 1人 = ひとり (hitori) - 2人 = ふたり (futari) - 3人 = さんにん (sannin) - 4人 = よにん (yonin) - 5人 = ごにん (gonin) ## Time Expressions ### Hours (時 - ji) - 1時 = いちじ (ichi ji) - 1 o'clock - 2時 = にじ (ni ji) - 2 o'clock - 4時 = **よじ** (yo ji) - 4 o'clock - 7時 = **しちじ** (shichi ji) - 7 o'clock - 9時 = **くじ** (ku ji) - 9 o'clock ### Minutes (分 - fun/pun) ### Telling Time Example - 3:30 = 三時三十分 (さんじさんじゅっぷん) - 7:15 = 七時十五分 (しちじじゅうごふん) - 10:45 = 十時四十五分 (じゅうじよんじゅうごふん) ## Days of the Month Days 1-10 and day 20 have special readings! - 1日 = ついたち (tsuitachi) - 2日 = ふつか (futsuka) - 3日 = みっか (mikka) - 4日 = よっか (yokka) - 5日 = いつか (itsuka) - 6日 = むいか (muika) - 7日 = なのか (nanoka) - 8日 = ようか (youka) - 9日 = ここのか (kokonoka) - 10日 = とおか (tooka) - 20日 = はつか (hatsuka) Other days use number + にち (nichi): - 11日 = じゅういちにち - 25日 = にじゅうごにち ## Practical Usage ### Phone Numbers Read each digit individually: - 090-1234-5678 = ゼロきゅうゼロ いちにさんよん ごろくななはち ### Prices Use number + 円 (えん - en): - 100円 = ひゃくえん - 1,500円 = せんごひゃくえん - 10,000円 = いちまんえん ### Ages Use number + 歳/才 (さい - sai): - 20歳 = はたち (special reading) or にじゅっさい - 25歳 = にじゅうごさい - 30歳 = さんじゅっさい ## Practice Exercises Try reading these numbers: 1. 47 2. 168 3. 2,500 4. 今何時ですか？ 3:20です。 5. りんごを５個ください。

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1. よんじゅうなな (yon juu nana) 2. ひゃくろくじゅうはち (hyaku roku juu hachi) 3. にせんごひゃく (nisen gohyaku) 4. いま なんじですか？さんじにじゅっぷんです。 5. りんごを ごこ ください。(Please give me 5 apples)

## Common Mistakes to Avoid 1. **Using the wrong counter word** - ❌ 三個の人 (sanko no hito) - ✅ 三人 (sannin) 2. **Forgetting special pronunciations** - ❌ さんひゃく (sanhyaku) for 300 - ✅ さんびゃく (sanbyaku) 3. **Confusing 4 and 7 readings** - Generally use よん for 4 and なな for 7 ## Learning Tips ### 1. Practice Daily Count everything around you - stairs, items, people. ### 2. Use Number Apps Many apps gamify number learning with quizzes. ### 3. Watch Prices When watching Japanese content, pay attention to prices shown. ### 4. Learn Counters Gradually Start with 個 (ko) for general counting, then add others. ## Summary - Master 1-10 first - everything builds from there - Remember special pronunciations (300, 600, 800) - Learn basic counters: 個、本、枚、人 - Practice with real-life situations (time, prices, phone numbers) Numbers might seem overwhelming at first, but they follow logical patterns. Start with basics, practice daily, and soon you'll be counting like a native speaker! 頑張って数字の勉強を！(Good luck studying numbers!)