Let’s learn how to count numbers in Japanese today. Knowing how to count numbers will increase your proficiency level in Japanese.
Vocabulary (0-10)
The table below shows how to say numbers from zero to ten in Japanese. Try pronouncing the numbers one by one on your own.
| Numerals | Hiragana/Katakana | Reading | Kanji |
| 0 | ゼロ・れい | zero,ree | 〇、零 |
| 1 | いち | ichi | 一 |
| 2 | に | ni | 二 |
| 3 | さん | san | 三 |
| 4 | よん・し | yon,shi | 四 |
| 5 | ご | go | 五 |
| 6 | ろく | roku | 六 |
| 7 | なな・しち | nana,shichi | 七 |
| 8 | はち | hachi | 八 |
| 9 | きゅう・く | kyuu,ku | 九 |
| 10 | じゅう | jyuu | 十 |
Here’s one interesting way to remember them.
| Numerals | Reading |
How to remember
|
| 0 | zero,ree | |
| 1 | ichi | itchy |
| 2 | ni | knee |
| 3 | san | sun |
| 4 | yon,shi | yawn, see |
| 5 | go | go |
| 6 | roku | rock ‘n’ roll |
| 7 | nana,shichi | nana, she itchy |
| 8 | hachi | hatch |
| 9 | kyuu,ku | queue, coup |
| 10 | jyuu |
jew (as in “jewel”)
|
Gesturing while saying the numbers and picturing the image in your mind will make it easier and more fun to memorize them.
Practice
Let’s practice the following on your own.
- Repeat 0 to 10 five times.
- Repeat 10 to 0 five times.
- Say the following numbers.
3 5 7 9 10 4 8 9 0 2 1 9 8 5 4 3 0 6 6 8 8 9 4 7 - Let’s practice telephone numbers. Say the – as “wa”. Try reading the numbers.
090-1234-9876
03-4567-9876 - Try saying your own telephone number.
- Try saying No.1-10. No. is called “ばん ban” in Japanese. We add “ban” after numbers. No.1 is called “いちばん ichiban”. Use this way of saying the ranks when there are two ways of reading it.
Vocabulary (11-100)
Have you mastered 0 to 10? If you have, we can move on to the next step. Mastering 0 to 10 makes it easy to say subsequent numbers.
It is very simple to say 11-99 in Japanese.テキストが入ります。
15: 10＋5→ じゅうご jyuu go
Tens are called jyuu and we read the ones as they are.
It’s the same for numbers 20 onward.
20: 2＋10→ にじゅう ni jyuu
23: 2＋10＋3→ にじゅうさん ni jyuu san
Pay attention when you come to 40 and 90. There are two ways of reading 4 and 9.
When we come to the tens, we only pronounce “yon jyuu” and not “shi jyuu” (strictly speaking, “shi jyuu” is also used but not in modern Japanese. Remember “yon jyuu” for daily usage). 90 is pronounced as “kyuu jyuu” and not “ku jyuu”.
| Numerals | Hiragana/Katakana | Reading | Kanji |
| 11 | じゅういち | jyuu ichi | 十一 |
| 12 | じゅうに | jyuu ni | 十二 |
| 13 | じゅうさん | jyuu san | 十三 |
| 14 | じゅうよん じゅうし |
jyuu yon, jyuu shi |
十四 |
| 15 | じゅうご | jyuu go | 十五 |
| 16 | じゅうろく | jyuu roku | 十六 |
| 17 | じゅうなな じゅうしち |
jyuu nana, jyuu shichi |
十七 |
| 18 | じゅうはち | jyuu hachi | 十八 |
| 19 | じゅうきゅう じゅうく |
jyuu kyuu, jyuu ku |
十九 |
| 20 | にじゅう | ni jyuu | 二十 |
| 30 | さんじゅう | san jyuu | 三十 |
| 40 | よんじゅう ×しじゅう |
yon jyuu | 四十 |
| 50 | ごじゅう | go jyuu | 五十 |
| 60 | ろくじゅう | roku jyuu | 六十 |
| 70 | ななじゅう しちじゅう |
nana jyuu shichi jyuu |
七十 |
| 80 | はちじゅう | hachi jyuu | 八十 |
| 90 | きゅうじゅう ×くじゅう |
kyuu jyuu | 九十 |
| 100 | ひゃく | hyaku | 百 |
Practice
Try practicing 11-100 on your own.
- Repeat 11 to 100 five times.
- Repeat 100 to 11 five times.
- Say the following numbers.
34 15 37 98 100 44 78 29 60 42 72 93 88 55 47 73 80 26 46 38 68 49 74 9 - Try saying prices. The dollar sign is called “ドル doru” in Japanese. 10$ is pronounced as “jyuu doru”.
①13＄ ②25＄ ③34＄ ④98＄ ⑤74＄ ⑥83＄ ⑦27＄ ⑧62＄
⑨100＄ ➉47＄ ⑪51＄
How did you find it? My students usually master 0 to 100 in their first lesson. Keep practicing and saying the numbers and you will master it in no time!
