Numbers are one of the first things you need in any language. Japanese counting is surprisingly logical once you learn the pattern — here's everything from 1 to 100.
Why Numbers First?
Numbers show up everywhere — ordering food, telling time, shopping, giving your phone number, talking about age. Unlike kanji or grammar, numbers are immediately practical. And the good news? Japanese numbers follow a beautifully logical pattern.
The Building Blocks: 1–10
Every number in Japanese is built from these ten foundations. Master these and you're 90% of the way there.
| Number | 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 | kyū / ku |
| 10 | 十 | じゅう | jū |
Watch Out: Numbers With Two Readings
Three numbers have alternate readings you'll need to know:
- 4 — よん (yon) is preferred in most cases. し (shi) sounds like 死 (death), so it's often avoided. But し is used in some set words like 四月 (shigatsu — April).
- 7 — なな (nana) is more common in everyday counting. しち (shichi) appears in words like 七月 (shichigatsu — July).
- 9 — きゅう (kyū) is standard. く (ku) sounds like 苦 (suffering), so きゅう is usually safer.
The Pattern: 11–19
Here's where Japanese gets beautifully simple. To make 11–19, you just say "ten + single digit":
| Number | Japanese | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | じゅういち (jūichi) | ten-one |
| 12 | じゅうに (jūni) | ten-two |
| 13 | じゅうさん (jūsan) | ten-three |
| 14 | じゅうよん (jūyon) | ten-four |
| 15 | じゅうご (jūgo) | ten-five |
| 16 | じゅうろく (jūroku) | ten-six |
| 17 | じゅうなな (jūnana) | ten-seven |
| 18 | じゅうはち (jūhachi) | ten-eight |
| 19 | じゅうきゅう (jūkyū) | ten-nine |
No special words for "eleven" or "twelve" like English — just straight math. 十一 = 10 + 1. That's it.
The Tens: 20–90
For multiples of ten, flip the pattern — say the multiplier before ten:
| Number | Japanese | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | にじゅう (nijū) | two-ten |
| 30 | さんじゅう (sanjū) | three-ten |
| 40 | よんじゅう (yonjū) | four-ten |
| 50 | ごじゅう (gojū) | five-ten |
| 60 | ろくじゅう (rokujū) | six-ten |
| 70 | ななじゅう (nanajū) | seven-ten |
| 80 | はちじゅう (hachijū) | eight-ten |
| 90 | きゅうじゅう (kyūjū) | nine-ten |
Putting It All Together: Any Number 1–99
The formula is dead simple:
[tens digit] + じゅう + [ones digit]
Examples:
- 23 = にじゅうさん (nijūsan) — two-ten-three
- 47 = よんじゅうなな (yonjūnana) — four-ten-seven
- 68 = ろくじゅうはち (rokujūhachi) — six-ten-eight
- 91 = きゅうじゅういち (kyūjūichi) — nine-ten-one
No exceptions. No irregular forms. Just pure logic.
And Finally: 100
| Number | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 百 | ひゃく | hyaku |
百 (hyaku) is a new word — it doesn't follow the "ten-ten" pattern. You can't say じゅうじゅう for 100. This is a standalone word that you'll build on for larger numbers (but that's for Part 2!).
Quick Practice
Try reading these numbers out loud:
- 15 → ？
- 42 → ？
- 77 → ？
- 99 → ？
- 53 → ？
Answers: じゅうご、よんじゅうに、ななじゅうなな、きゅうじゅうきゅう、ごじゅうさん
What's Next?
In Part 2, we'll cover numbers beyond 100 — including 千 (sen — thousand), 万 (man — ten thousand, a concept English doesn't have!), and the counter system that makes Japanese numbers truly unique.
For now, practice counting to 100. Count steps when you walk. Count items at the grocery store. The more you use them, the faster they'll become automatic.
数字はたのしい！ (Sūji wa tanoshii!) — Numbers are fun!