Sino-Japanese Numbers
Japanese has two sets of numbers: those derived from Chinese known as “Sino-Japanese numbers” and those native to the language known as “native numbers.” Counting involves using both sets of numbers together, but in this lesson, we will focus on Sino-Japanese numbers, as they are the ones you will use the most.
Because some numbers have multiple pronunciations, ON readings will be in Katakana to indicate that a word is a (Sino-Japanese) loan word, and KUN readings will be in Hiragana to indicate native words. Furthermore, all notes on intonation are largely in accordance with the 2016 edition of the NHK 日本語発音アクセント新辞典, which is the leading authority on standard pronunciation in accordance with the times. Preferred readings in the spoken language are noted in bold.
Zero
There are three ways to say zero.
| 漢字 | Reading | Intonation | Word Origin |
| 零・〇 | レイ | HL | Sino-Japanese |
| ゼロ | ゼロ | HL※ | English |
| 〇※ | まる | LH(H) | Native |
※The intonation of ゼロ changes to LH in compounds.
※まる literally means “circle” but may mean “zero” in the same way “o” can in English.
When to use 零・〇（レイ）or ゼロ is largely based on circumstance. ゼロ is always interpreted as “zero,” whereas 零, at times, refers to 0% with a margin of error such as in weather forecasts. This is because the Kanji also has the meaning of “trivial/insignificant.” Often times, one word is used over the other in set phrases.
1. きょうも気温は【零度・〇℃】を下回っています。
Even today, the temperature is below 0℃.
2. 零点とは、関数 f（x）について、f（x）＝0を満たす元 xのことである。
Regarding the zero point in the function f(x), it is the unknown “x” that fulfills f(x) = 0.
3. 自分だけかもしれないが、未だに【ゼロ歳・零歳】の記憶はちゃんとありますよ。
It may just be me, but I still definitely have memory from when I was zero-years-old.
4. 零細企業とは、中小企業のうち、特に小規模なものを指していう。
Micro-enterprises refer to particularly small-scale ones among small and medium enterprises.
5. 渋谷01011でピアスを買ったことがあります。
I’ve bought ear piercings at the Marui Shibuya store before.
One to Ten
| No. | 漢字 | Reading(s) | Pitch |
| 1 | 一 | イチ | LH(L) |
| 2 | 二 | ニ | H(L) |
| 3 | 三 | サン | LH(H)※ |
| 4 | 四 | シ・よん | H(L)/HL |
| 5 | 五 | ゴ | H(L) |
| 6 | 六 | ロク | LH(L) |
| 7 | 七 | シチ・なな | LH(L)/H(L) |
| 8 | 八 | ハチ | L(H(L) |
| 9 | 九 | キュウ・ク | HL/H(L) |
| 10 | 十 | ジュウ | HL |
※A growing number of speakers pronounce 3 with a HL intonation.
Some Sino-Japanese numbers are interchangeable with their native number equivalent, so much so that omitting them in this chart would not do you justice in learning how to count: these native numbers are for 4 and 7.
4 may either be シ (Sino-Japanese) or よん (native). The latter is more common due to a superstition that 4 is unlucky due to シ being homophonous with the word for death – 死. Similarly, 7 may either be シチ (Sino-Japanese) or なな (native). The latter is more common, but the reason is not that it is unlucky, but because シチ can be potentially misheard as イチ.
As for 9, it may either be キュウ or ク. Both readings are Sino-Japanese, but キュウ is more common because of how ク2 is homophonous with 苦 (suffering).
6. 一から十まで
From 1 to 10
From A to Z (Figuratively)
7. 1から10までの数え方
How to count from 1 to 10
8. 9まで数えてください。
Please count to 9.
9. 1 + 3 = 4
Reading: イチ たす サン イコール よん
10. 6 – 4 = 2
Reading: ロク ひく よん イコール ニ
11. 3 x 3 = 9
Reading: サン かける サン イコール キュウ
12. 10 / 2 = 5
Reading: ジュウ わける ニ イコール ゴ
Notation Note: Math is written out the same way as it is in the Western world. Reading out verbs like “to add,” “to subtract,” etc. in the English word order is common.
Countdowns
Whether you are counting down from ten to one or counting up from one to ten, the intonation patterns of these basic numbers actually change to match the occasion. With no exception, the intonations change to HL, meaning that the accent is always on the first mora.
| No. | Reading(s) | Pitch | No. | Reading(s) | Pitch |
| 1 | イチ | HL | 2 | ニ― | HL |
| 3 | サン | HL | 4 | シー・よん | HL/HL |
| 5 | ゴー | HL | 6 | ロク | HL |
| 7 | シチ・なな | HL/HL | 8 | ハチ | HL |
| 9 | クー・キュー | HL/HL | 10 | ジュウ | HL |
When counting down or up, the readings in bold are actually elongated to two morae. They also happen to be the most common readings when counting down, making counting in this way exceptional when it comes to which form is preferred. Even for 7, the Sino-Japanese reading シチ is preferred in this situation.
13. ３、２、１、ロケット発射！
3, 2, 1, the rocket is launched!
14. イチ、二―、サン、シー、ゴー、ロク、シチ、ハチ、クー、ジュウ！(早口)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! (Fast Speech)
Eleven to 100
Up until you reach 100, at which a new unit is introduced, any number in between is expressed by what is literally made up of. Say you have 45. The Japanese number literally translates as “four-ten-five”- よんジュウゴ.
| No. | 漢字 | Reading(s) | Pitch | No. | 漢字 | Reading(s) | Pitch |
| 11 | 十一 | ジュウイチ | LHHH(L) | 12 | 十二 | ジュウニ | LHH(L) |
| 13 | 十三 | ジュウサン | HLLL | 14 | 十四 | ジュウよん ジュウシ | LHHL LHH(L) |
| 15 | 十五 | ジュウゴ | HLL | 16 | 十六 | ジュウロク | LHHH(L) |
| 17 | 十七 | ジュウなな ジュウシチ | LHHL LHHH(L) | 18 | 十八 | ジュウハチ | LHHH(L) |
| 19 | 十九 | ジュウキュウ ジュウク | LHH LHLL | 20 | 二十 | ニジュウ | HLL |
| 30 | 三十 | サンジュウ | HLL | 40 | 四十 | よんジュウ シジュウ | HLLL LHH |
| 50 | 五十 | ゴジュウ | LHL | 60 | 六十 | ロクジュウ | LHHL |
| 70 | 七十 | ななジュウ シチジュウ | LHLL LHHL | 80 | 八十 | ハチジュウ | LHHL |
| 90 | 九十 | キュウジュウ クジュウ | LHHH LHL | 100 | 百 | ヒャク | LH(L) |
From 11 to 19, the pitch of the number is generally continuous as one pattern, but once you hit 20, multiples of ten generally3 have their pitch separate from 1-9 that may follow, although the accented mora of the following 1-9 will shift to the first mora if it is not already due to still being in a compound.
| No. | Reading | Pitch |
| 23 | ニジュウサン | HLL-HL |
| 32 | サンジュウニ | HLL-H |
| 58 | ゴジュウハチ | LHH-HL |
Reading 4, 7, 9 in Larger Numbers
The secondary readings for 14 (ジュウシ), 40 (シジュウ), 70 (シチジュウ), and 90 (クジュウ) are nonexistent in the spoken language, but in older language, native numbers were not mixed with Sino-Japanese ones4
Although the readings シ for 4, シチ for 7, and ク for 9 are not used for multiples of ten, they can be seen in free variation after multiples of ten.
| No. | 漢字 | Reading(s) | No. | 漢字 | Reading(s) |
| 34 | 三十四 | サンジュウよん | 37 | 三十七 | サンジュウなな サンジュウシチ |
| 39 | 三十九 | サンジュウキュウ サンジュウク | 47 | 四十七 | よんジュウなな よんジュウしち |
| 64 | 六十四 | ロクジュウよん | 69 | 六十九 | ロクジュウキュウ ロクジュウク |
| 77 | 七十七 | ななジュウなな | 79 | 七十九 | ななジュウキュウ ななジュウク |
| 94 | 九十四 | キュウジュウよん | 99 | 九十九 | キュウジュウキュウ キュウジュウク |
Although ignoring older readings not listed makes counting easier, examples of those older readings will pop up in set phrases5.
| Phrase | Reading | Meaning |
| 七十七銀行 | シチジュウシチギンコウ | 77 Bank |
| 四十七士の討入り | シジュウシチシのうちいり | The Raid of Forty-Seven Warriors |
101-9999
Numbers greater than 100 are broken down similarly to how 0-100 are. For instance, 254 is “two hundred – five ten – four” and 5335 is “five thousand – three hundred – three ten – five.” These hyphens also indicate the internal word boundaries which affect their pitch when pronounced, with pitch patterns being typically split up every power of 10.
The one thing that you do have to be careful of is sound changes that occur for certain multiples of 100 and 1000. To simplify things, we will first look at the multiples of 100 and 1000, then follow with a healthy sample of random numbers.
| 100s | 漢字 | Reading | Pitch | 1000s | 漢字 | Reading | Pitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 百 壱6百 | ヒャク イッピャク※ | LH(L) LHHH(L) | 1000 | 千 一千 | セン イッセン※ | HL LHHL |
| 200 | 二百 | ニヒャク↓ | LHH(L) | 2000 | 二千 | ニセン | LHL |
| 300 | 三百 | サンビャク | HLLL | 3000 | 三千 | サンゼン | LHHL |
| 400 | 四百 | よんヒャク シヒャク※ | HLLL LHH(L) | 4000 | 四千 | よんセン | LHHL |
| 500 | 五百 | ゴヒャク | LHH(L) | 5000 | 五千 | ゴセン | LHL |
| 600 | 六百 | ロッピャク | LHH(L) | 6000 | 六千 | ロクセン | LHHL |
| 700 | 七百 | ななヒャク シチヒャク※ | LHLL LHHH(L) | 7000 | 七千 | ななセン シチセン※ | LHHL LHHL |
| 800 | 八百 | ハッピャク | LHHH(L) | 8000 | 八千 | ハッセン | LHHL |
| 900 | 九百 | キュウヒャク | HLLL | 9000 | 九千 | キュウセン | LHHL |
※In accounting, 100 and 1000 are often written out and expressed as literally “one hundred” and “one thousand” to prevent error. In typical speech, 百 is ONLY read as ヒャク, and as for 1000, 千 and 一千 are used in a 7:3 ratio.
※シヒャク for 400, シチヒャク for 700, and シチセン for 7000 are nonexistent in the spoken language, but they may still be found in set phrases.
| Phrase | Reading | Meaning |
| 四百四病 | シヒャクシビョウ | Every type of illness Literally: 404 illness |
| 七百駅 | シチヒャクエキ | Shichihyaku Station |
Now that we have learned how larger numbers from 100-9999 are made, let’s look at more examples of the numbers in between! In this chart, only the predominant reading of the number will be shown. This is because although 7 and 9 may vary from speaker to speaker as the last digit, this variation is largely negligible.
Chart Note: Because pitch patterns are typically split up every power of 107, pitch notation will be omitted below.
| No. | 漢字 | Reading |
| 101 | 百一 | ヒャクイチ |
| 110 | 百十 | ヒャクジュウ |
| 357 | 三百五十七 | サンビャクゴジュウなな |
| 423 | 四百二十三 | よんヒャクニジュウサン |
| 480 | 四百八十 | よんヒャクハチジュウ |
| 568 | 五百六十八 | ゴヒャクロクジュウハチ |
| 677 | 六百七十七 | ロッピャクななジュウなな |
| 768 | 七百六十八 | ななヒャクロクジュウハチ |
| 812 | 八百十二 | ハッピャクジュウニ |
| 934 | 九百三十四 | キュウヒャクサンジュウよん |
| 3450 | 三千四百五十 | サンゼンよんヒャクゴジュウ |
| 4567 | 四千五百六十七 | よんセンゴヒャクロクジュウなな |
| 5492 | 五千四百九十二 | ゴセンよんヒャクキュウジュウニ |
| 6424 | 六千四百二十四 | ロクセンよんヒャクニジュウよん |
| 7777 | 七千七百七十七 | ななセンななヒャクななジュウなな |
| 8351 | 八千三百五十一 | ハッセンサンビャクゴジュウイチ |
| 9069 | 九千六十九 | キュウセンロクジュウキュウ |
| 9999 | 九千九百九十九 | キュウセンキュウヒャクキュウジュウキュウ |
There is no place-holding 0s in large numbers. This is the norm in both spoken and written Japanese, but in situations such as gambling, reading off prices in the stock market (株式市況), or betting like in horse racing (競馬), you may encounter place-holding 0s read as とんで (lit. “to skip”).
15. 一千〇二十四円
Price Reading: 一千とんで二十四円
1024 yen
Something you will also hear in these situations is 2 being read as ふた to avoid any confusion in the price being said.
16. 二百万円
Price Reading: ふたひゃくせんまんえん
2000000 yen
10000 & Beyond
10000+ is where Japanese number formation diverges from English. First, let’s look at the powers of 10 from 10^0 to 10^15.
| 10^ | 漢字 | Reading(s) | English (American) |
| 10^0 | 一 | イチ | one |
| 10^1 | 十 | ジュウ | ten |
| 10^2 | 百 | ヒャク | (one) hundred |
| 10^3 | (一)千 | （イッ）セン | (one) thousand |
| 10^4 | 一万 | イチマン | ten thousand |
| 10^5 | 十万 | ジュウマン | hundred thousand |
| 10^6 | 百万 | ヒャクマン | (one) million |
| 10^7 | 一千万 | センマン | ten million |
| 10^8 | 一億 | イチオク | hundred million |
| 10^9 | 十億 | ジュウオク | (one) billion |
| 10^10 | 百億 | ヒャクオク | ten billion |
| 10^11 | 一千億 | イッセンオク | hundred billion |
| 10^12 | 一兆 | イッチョウ | (one) trillion |
| 10^13 | 十兆 | ジュッチョウ ジッチョウ※ | ten trillion |
| 10^14 | 百兆 | ヒャクチョウ | hundred trillion |
| 10^15 | 一千兆 | イッセンチョウ | quadrillion |
※This is the traditional reading which is still preferred in news broadcasting.
Number units are marked by using a different word. From 0-1000, English and Japanese are the same. Meaning, they have separate words for 1-10, 100, and 1000. At 10^4 (10000), however, the languages diverge.
English is said to change units every three powers of ten in big numbers, only tacking on 10 and 100 to express powers in between each big unit – ex. 10000 (ten thousand), 100000 (hundred thousand). This system is known as the 千進法.
Japanese is said to change units every four powers of ten in big numbers, tacking on 10, 100, and 10000 to express powers in between each big unit – ex. 一千万 (lit. one thousand ten thousand = ten million). This system is known as the 万進法.
To convert a big number from English to Japanese, first write out the number without any commas, then reinsert them every four digits.
i. 36466234757205 → 36,4662,3475,7205
Then, you can replace the commas with the appropriate units.
ii. 36兆4662億3475万7205
When reading the number out back into English, you will need to reconvert the number back into the English numbering system. The only saving grace with big numbers is that the Japanese unit for trillion matches up perfectly.
iii. Thirty six trillion, four hundred sixty six billion, two hundred thirty four million, seven hundred fifty seven thousand, two hundred five.
17. 日本は人口規模を1億人に維持することを目指している。
Japan is aiming to maintain its population scale at 100 million people.
18. 中国語は、10億人に通じる言語のひとつです。
Chinese is one language that is understood by a billion people.
19. 美容整形の世界市場は1兆円に達しています。
The world cosmetic plastic surgery market has reached one trillion yen.
20. 人の腸内には、100兆匹以上の菌が棲んでいます。
There are over 100 trillion bacteria living inside the human intestines.
Spelling Numbers 数字の表記
Nowadays, spelling numbers is usually done so with Arabic numerals (アラビア数字): 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Because of how they are used in math to write out calculations, they are colloquially known as 算用文字. They may either appear as 全角 (full-width/two-byte) characters or as 半角 (half-width/one-byte) characters.
21a. １個５００円 (Full-Width)
21b. 1個500円 (Half-Width)
1 item, 500 yen
Even when Arabic numerals are used, larger units greater than 1000 are often written in Kanji (漢数字) to aid in readability. Inserting English-style commas to mark units (位取り) may still done every 3 digits despite not reflecting Japanese units. Although not so common, commas may also be inserted even when Kanji are being used as unit holders. In this method, the English and Japanese units are being used simultaneously.
22a.１０京２５３５兆( ０ )３５３億４６２０万４６２３ドル
22b. ＄１０２，５３５，０３５，３４６，２０４，６２３
22c. ＄ １０京２，５３５兆，( ０ )３５，３億４６，２０万４，６２３$102,535,035,346,204,623
Because zeroes are not spoken to the left of the decimal point, whether someone writes out the 0 in parentheses in a number like the one above is left to personal discretion.
Up to this point, commas used as place holders have been avoided to prevent ambiguity for those who may be used to periods being used for the same purpose. In Japanese, however, commas may be used following English formatting, despite the differences in number formation, when Kanji are absent.
The traditional Kanji spellings that you have seen throughout this lesson may still be used, of course, especially in texts written vertically, set phrases, etc. They are also seen in everyday life on signs, menus, etc.
23. この正月を迎えて、謙信は、ことし三十三となった。
As of this first month, Kenshin had become thirty three as of this year.
24. 一万三千といえる兵数だ。
The number of soldiers, one can say, is 13,000.
25. 違反者は一万円以下の過料の対象となります。
Violators will be subject to a fine of 10,000 yen or less.
When Kanji are used, you may also see them used in the same way as Arabic numerals. In this method, only the Kanji for 1-9 are used with 0 being written as 〇. In this method, large units greater than 1000 are typically written with their Kanji to aid in readability.
26. 第一〇〇課
Chapter 100
27. 一二三四万五六七八円
¥1,234,5678
Phone Number 電話番号の読み方
In Japan, phone numbers typically take the form 012-345-679 with Japan’s country code being (+81). However, you may also see numbers with the formats 01-2345-6789 or even 0123-45-6789. Some numbers may even be 10-11 digits long.
The parts of a phone number can be broken down as follows:
| (+81) | 2-3 digits | 2-4 digits | 4 digits |
| Country Code | Area Code | Exchange Number | Subscriber Number |
For instance, the area code of Tokyo is (03), and a local number from here would take the format: +81 (03) ####-####.
Mobile phone numbers start with either (090), (080), or (070). So, if you’re calling someone’s cellphone, you’ll be used to the format: (090) ####-####.
Toll-free numbers typically start with (0120), (0531), or (0088), producing the format: (####) ###-####.
When reading out numbers, numbers are typically pronounced as follows:
| 1 | イチ | 2 | ニ― | 3 | サン |
| 4 | よん | 5 | ゴー | 6 | ロク |
| 7 | なな | 8 | ハチ | 9 | キュウ |
As for how 0 is read, ゼロ is most common these days, but many people including most newscasters will pronounce it as レイ. Lastly, hyphens are indicated with the particle の.
28. 電話番号は何番ですか。
What is your phone number?
29. 電話番号を教えてください。
Please tell me your phone number.
30. ０３－１２４５－６７８９です。
【ゼロ・レイ】サンの、イチ ニー よん ゴーの、ロク なな ハチ キュウです。
It’s 03-1245-6789.
Additionally, it is important to know of several emergency/special services that can be dialed with particular 3-digit numbers.
| No. | Reading | Emergency/Special Service |
| 110 | ヒャクとおバン | Police |
| 118 | ヒャクジュウハチバン | Maritime emergencies |
| 119 | ヒャクジュウキュウバン | Ambulance/fire brigade |
| 171 | ヒャクななジュウイチバン | Earthquake assistance |
| 100 | ヒャクバン | NTT Operator |
| 115 | ヒャクジュウゴバン | Telegram services |
| 117 | ヒャクジュウななバン | Speaking clock |
| 177 | ヒャクななジュウななバン | Weather forecast |
- The department chain 丸井・マルイ’s catchy logo spelling is “0101,” which utilizes the まる pronunciation of zero. ↩︎
- キュウ entered Japanese far later in time than ク, and it was only a little over a century ago that キュウ became the dominant reading, which is why ク appears in many set expressions. ↩︎
- Pitch leveling, the reduction of pitch fluctuation, still often occurs, especially in faster speech. For instance, although ニジュウよん would normally have a HLL-HL, it can be heard with a HLLLL intonation, as if it were one continuous word. ↩︎
- The moribund purely Sino-Japanese readings for 14, 40, 70, 90 that have all fallen out of use in the spoken language may be occasionally encountered in set expressions. They may also be seen in the written language, even in works from the early 1900s. ↩︎
- The switch to native numbers for 4, 7, and キュウ → ク for 9 became commonplace at the turn of the 20th century. ↩︎
- 壱 is a variant way to write 1 and was created to prevent counterfeiting. ↩︎
- Pitch leveling may occur when a low-pitched mora is sandwiched between two high-pitch morae, or when a word-final mora should be high but it is in a number that began with a high-pitched mora. ↩︎