Numbers · 26 September 2026 · 4 min read
Japanese numbers: counting, prices, time and counters
Japanese numbers are logical once you see the system, and awkward until you do. There are two sets of numbers for one to ten, large numbers are grouped in fours rather than threes, and many things are counted with a word that depends on their shape. Here is how it fits together.
Counting to ten, twice
The numbers used for maths, prices and time came from Chinese: いち (ichi), に (ni), さん (san), よん or し (yon, shi), ご (go), ろく (roku), なな or しち (nana, shichi), はち (hachi), きゅう or く (kyū, ku) and じゅう (jū).
There is also a native Japanese set for counting things in general: ひとつ (hitotsu), ふたつ (futatsu), みっつ (mittsu), and so on up to とお (tō) for ten. It is how you order two coffees without knowing any other counting word: コーヒーを ふたつ ください (kōhī o futatsu kudasai).
Eleven to ninety-nine
Above ten it is building blocks. Eleven is じゅういち (jūichi, ten one), twenty is にじゅう (nijū, two tens), and 88 is はちじゅうはち (hachijūhachi). If you can count to ten, you can count to 99.
Hundreds and thousands, and the sounds that change
A hundred is ひゃく (hyaku) and a thousand is せん (sen). A few combinations change their sound: 300 is さんびゃく (sanbyaku), 600 is ろっぴゃく (roppyaku), 800 is はっぴゃく (happyaku), 3,000 is さんぜん (sanzen) and 8,000 is はっせん (hassen). These are worth learning as words of their own.
Why big numbers group in fours
English groups digits in threes: thousand, million, billion. Japanese groups them in fours. Ten thousand has its own word, まん (man, 万), so 50,000 is ごまん (goman), five ten-thousands. A million is ひゃくまん (hyakuman), a hundred ten-thousands, and a hundred million is おく (oku, 億).
This matters every day in Japan, because rent, salaries and the price of anything large are quoted in 万. A flat advertised at 8万円 (hachiman en) costs 80,000 yen a month.
Prices and paying
Yen is えん (en), written 円, and これは いくらですか (kore wa ikura desu ka) asks how much something is. Price tags often show two figures: 税込 (zeikomi) includes consumption tax and 税抜 (zeinuki) does not.
Telling the time
Hours use じ (ji, 時), so いちじ (ichiji) is one o'clock. Three hours break the pattern: 4 o'clock is よじ (yoji), 7 o'clock is しちじ (shichiji) and 9 o'clock is くじ (kuji). Minutes use ふん (fun, 分), which becomes ぷん (pun) after some numbers: いっぷん (ippun) is one minute, さんぷん (sanpun) three and じゅっぷん (juppun) ten.
Dates
The first ten days of the month have their own words: the 1st is ついたち (tsuitachi), the 2nd ふつか (futsuka), the 3rd みっか (mikka), and so on to the 10th, とおか (tōka). The 20th is はつか (hatsuka). Months are simpler: the number plus がつ (gatsu), with April as しがつ (shigatsu), July as しちがつ (shichigatsu) and September as くがつ (kugatsu).
Counters
When you count objects, the number takes a counter chosen by the shape or type of the thing: まい (mai) for flat things such as tickets and paper, ほん (hon) for long thin things such as bottles and pens, ひき (hiki) for small animals, さつ (satsu) for books, and にん (nin) for people, except for one and two people, which are ひとり (hitori) and ふたり (futari). Some counters change their sound: one bottle is いっぽん (ippon), three is さんぼん (sanbon) and six is ろっぽん (roppon).
Common questions
Why are there two words for four, seven and nine? し (shi) for 4 sounds like the word for death, so よん (yon) is usually preferred. しち (shichi) for 7 is easily confused with いち (ichi), so なな (nana) is common. For 9, きゅう (kyū) is more common than く (ku). Times and months keep particular readings, so learn those as words.
How do you say 10,000 yen? いちまんえん (ichiman en). Unlike 100, ひゃく (hyaku), and 1,000, せん (sen), ten thousand needs the いち in front.
What is the hardest part of Japanese numbers? For most learners it is counters and the sound changes that come with them, which is why the course gives them three days of their own.
Learn the system once, and a price tag, a timetable and a rent advert all stop being puzzles.