How to Count in Japanese

Japanese For Dummies Audio Set

Learning numbers and counting in Japanese is simplified because the Japanese number system is quite logical. The entire number system is based on counting the number of tens and then adding the ones. For example, 11 is jū-ichi, which is 10 (jū) plus 1 (ichi). 21 is ni-jū-ichi, which is 2 (ni) times 10 (jū) plus 1 (ichi).

When you're counting numbers in order, you'll use this pronunciation.

1 to 99
ichi	1
ni	2
san	3
shi or yon	4
go	5
roku	6
shichi or nana	7
hachi	8
kyû	9
jû	10
jûichi	11
jûni	12
jûsan	13
jûshi or jûyon	14
jûgo	15
jûroku	16
jûshichi or jûnana	17
jûhachi	18
jûkyû or jûku	19
nijû	20
nijûichi	21
nijûni	22
nijûsan	23
sanjû	30
sanjûichi	31
sanjûni	32
yonjû	40
gojû	50
rokujû	60
nanajû	70
hachijû	80
kyûjû	90
kyûjûkyû	99

Counting larger numbers is just a question of adding the number of hundreds, thousands, and so on, in front of the same patterns as for numbers 1-99. For example, the number 150 is pronounced as hyakugoju, which is 1 hyaku plus 50 (gojū).

100 and higher
100	hyaku
101	hyakuichi
102	hyakuni
150	hyakugoju
500	gohyaku
999	kyû-hyaku-kyû-jû-kyû
1,000	sen

When the numbers are followed by a suffix, such as ji (o'clock) and mai (sheets of), the numbers might be read differently.

About This Article

About the book author:

Eriko Sato is a lecturer of Japanese language at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she received her PhD degree in linguistics. She also is the Founding Director of the Pre-College Japanese Language Program as well as the Executive Director of the Japan Center at the same university. When she started her graduate work in 1988, she decided to devote her career to Japanese-language education and research. She studied Japanese and English linguistics and foreign languages, including Chinese, French, and Korean, to prepare herself to be a teacher and researcher who understands students’ linguistic backgrounds and difficulties. She has written many articles for linguistic and education journals, and she has written three books on Japanese language: a textbook for young children, a textbook for college students, and a manual for Japanese/English translators.