Numbers in Japanese
The complete English-language reference for the Japanese number system. 1 to 10 with audio, counters, big numbers, and the contexts that change how numbers are read.
1 to 10 (Sino-Japanese, on'yomi)
| # | Display | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 一 | いち | ichi | |
| 2 | 2 | 二 | に | ni | |
| 3 | 3 | 三 | さん | san | |
| 4 | 4 | 四 | よん/ し | yon/ shi yon is preferred when counting; shi survives in compounds | |
| 5 | 5 | 五 | ご | go | |
| 6 | 6 | 六 | ろく | roku | |
| 7 | 7 | 七 | なな/ しち | nana/ shichi nana is preferred when counting; shichi appears in months and time | |
| 8 | 8 | 八 | はち | hachi | |
| 9 | 9 | 九 | きゅう/ く | kyū/ ku kyū is preferred when counting; ku appears in months and time | |
| 10 | 10 | 十 | じゅう | jū |
The numbers 4, 7, and 9 each have two readings. yon, nana, and kyū are preferred when counting; shi, shichi, and ku appear in compound words, time, and month names. See reading variations for the context-by-context lookup.
Pick where to go next
Japanese has two number systems and dozens of counters. This site covers all of them.
The signature feature: a script toggle
The pill in the header switches every numeric table on the site between Arabic numerals, kanji, and hiragana. Pick the one your eyes are training on. The choice persists between pages and visits.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 1 to 10 in Japanese?
Sino-Japanese: ichi (1), ni (2), san (3), shi or yon (4), go (5), roku (6), shichi or nana (7), hachi (8), ku or kyū (9), jū (10). Native (Yamato): hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, yottsu, itsutsu, muttsu, nanatsu, yattsu, kokonotsu, tō. The Sino set is the default; the native set survives in counting general objects with 〜つ.
Why does 4 have two readings in Japanese?
The Sino reading shi (し) sounds identical to 死, the kanji for death, so the native reading yon (よん) is preferred when counting and in everyday contexts. Shi survives in the month name shi-gatsu (April) and in compound words. See /reading-variations for the context-by-context lookup.
What are Japanese counters?
Counter words (jōsūshi, 助数詞) attach to a number when counting things. The counter changes by category: 人 (nin) for people, 本 (hon) for long thin objects, 枚 (mai) for flat thin objects, 匹 (hiki) for small animals, 個 (ko) as a fallback for small compact objects. Linguists count over 500 in Japanese; native speakers actively use 30 to 50; learners need about 12.
How do you say 10,000 in Japanese?
10,000 is 一万 (ichi-man). Japanese groups large numbers by 10,000 instead of by 1,000, so 100,000 is 十万 (jū-man, "ten ten-thousands"), 1,000,000 is 百万 (hyaku-man, "hundred ten-thousands"), and 100,000,000 is 一億 (ichi-oku). See /big-numbers for the chunk visualiser.
Why is 4 considered unlucky in Japan?
The reading shi for 4 sounds like 死 (death). Hospitals and hotels often skip room 4, and gifts in sets of four are avoided. The number 9 has a milder unlucky association via ku (苦, suffering). 7 is the opposite: lucky, via the seven gods of fortune (七福神 shichi-fuku-jin).
How do you write numbers in Japanese?
Four ways: Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) are dominant in modern horizontal text, web, and mobile; kanji (一, 二, 三) are common in vertical text, formal documents, and traditional contexts; hiragana (いち, に, さん) appear in textbooks and as furigana; the formal daiji set (壱, 弐, 参) is required on bank cheques and contracts to prevent forgery. See /writing-numbers.
Learning a different language? Try Numbers in French, Days of the week in French, or Days of the week in Spanish.
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