Numbers and Counting in Japanese

Overview

Japanese has not one but two number systems that you will use daily. The Sino-Japanese system (いち, に, さん...) was borrowed from Chinese and is used for most counting, phone numbers, dates, and math. The native Japanese system (ひとつ, ふたつ, みっつ...) is used for counting general objects from 1-10. Both systems are essential at the CEFR A1 level.

Numbers in Japanese are more regular than in English once you learn the basic building blocks. After you know 1-10, you can construct any number up to 99 with simple combination rules: 11 is 十一 (juu ichi, "ten one"), 23 is 二十三 (ni juu san, "two tens three"), and so on.

The bigger challenge is that Japanese uses counter words (助数詞, josushi) when counting specific items -- you cannot just say "three apples" the way you would in English. Instead, you say りんごを三つください (ringo o mittsu kudasai, "three apples please"), using the native counter つ. You will learn the most common counters as a separate topic, but understanding the number systems is the first step.

How It Works

Sino-Japanese Numbers (1-100)

Number	Kanji	Reading
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	く / きゅう (ku / kyuu)
10	十	じゅう (juu)

Numbers with two readings: 4, 7, and 9 each have two readings. よん, なな, and きゅう are generally safer and more common in everyday speech.

Building Larger Numbers

Number	Construction	Reading
11	十一	じゅういち (juu ichi)
20	二十	にじゅう (ni juu)
35	三十五	さんじゅうご (san juu go)
100	百	ひゃく (hyaku)
1,000	千	せん (sen)
10,000	万	まん (man)

Native Japanese Numbers (1-10)

Number	Reading	Use
1	ひとつ (hitotsu)	General counter for objects
2	ふたつ (futatsu)	General counter for objects
3	みっつ (mittsu)	General counter for objects
4	よっつ (yottsu)	General counter for objects
5	いつつ (itsutsu)	General counter for objects
6	むっつ (muttsu)	General counter for objects
7	ななつ (nanatsu)	General counter for objects
8	やっつ (yattsu)	General counter for objects
9	ここのつ (kokonotsu)	General counter for objects
10	とお (too)	General counter for objects

These are used as a general-purpose counter (つ counter) for objects that do not have a specific counter word, or when you cannot remember the right counter.

Zero

Zero is れい (rei) or ゼロ (zero, from English). ゼロ is more common in casual speech.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
一、二、三、四、五	1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (ichi, ni, san, yon, go)	Sino-Japanese counting
りんごを三つください。	Three apples, please. (mittsu)	Native counter
百円です。	It's 100 yen. (hyaku en)	Price
電話番号は何番ですか？	What's your phone number? (nanban)	Asking for digits
二十歳です。	I'm 20 years old. (hatachi)	Special reading for 20 years old
五百円のお釣りです。	Your change is 500 yen. (gohyaku en)	Shopping
部屋は三つあります。	There are three rooms. (mittsu)	Native counter for rooms
千円札はありますか？	Do you have a 1,000-yen bill? (sen en)	Money
四月に日本に行きます。	I'll go to Japan in April. (shigatsu)	Months use し for 4
七時に起きます。	I wake up at 7. (shichiji)	Time uses しち for 7

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong reading for 4, 7, 9

• Wrong: Using し for 4 when counting objects (し, に, さん...)
• Right: Use よん for 4 in most counting contexts
• Why: し sounds like 死 (shi, death) and is avoided in many contexts. Use よん for 4, なな for 7, and きゅう for 9 as defaults.

Forgetting sound changes with hundreds

• Wrong: さんひゃく for 300
• Right: さんびゃく (sanbyaku)
• Why: 百 (hyaku) changes pronunciation after certain numbers: 300 = さんびゃく, 600 = ろっぴゃく, 800 = はっぴゃく.

Using native numbers above 10

• Wrong: とおひとつ for 11
• Right: じゅういち (juu ichi)
• Why: The native Japanese counting system only goes up to 10 (とお). For 11 and above, always use Sino-Japanese numbers.

Saying numbers digit by digit for quantities

• Wrong: いち、に apples
• Right: りんごを二つください。
• Why: Japanese requires counter words when counting things. You cannot just put a number before a noun like in English.

Practice Tips

• Count everything you see. On your commute, at the store, at home -- count objects around you using both number systems. This builds automatic number recall.

• Practice with money. Japanese currency (100 yen, 500 yen, 1000 yen) provides natural number practice. Calculate prices and change amounts in Japanese.

• Learn numbers in context, not isolation. Rather than memorizing a number list, practice with real scenarios: telling time, giving your phone number, saying prices. Context makes numbers stick.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: Basic Counters -- the counter words you pair with numbers
• Next steps: Time Expressions -- using numbers for telling time and dates