The numbers are put together and read in the same order as English, just note that they have words not only for hundred and thousand, but also special words for ten thousand, hundred millions, and so fourth. 

Please note that some numbers have several pronunciations. We have not included all pronunciations, but you can look up them in the dictionary function to the right by writing or copying in the kanji and pressing the search button.

Go to the Flash Card Trainer to drill Basic Numbers, and then continue with Mixed Numbers.

Excercise

Try reading the following numbers, using the table above:

六　　　　　(ろく / roku)
十七　　　　(じゅうしち / juu shichi)
三十五　　　(さんじゅうご / san juu go)
四十一　　　(よんじゅういち / yon juu ichi)
百九十四　　(ひゃくきゅうじゅうよん / hyaku kyuu juu yon)
二十万百八　(にじゅうまんひゃくはち / ni juu man hyaku hachi)

The answers are, in order; six, seventeen, thirty five, forty one, one hundred ninety four and two hundred thousand one hundred eight.

Counting Things

The hard thing about Japanese numbers are not the actual numbers, but how they are used to count things. For each thing you count, you have to add a suffix (ending) to the word, describing what type of thing you are counting. Let's look at some examples.

General Counters

First of all, there is a way to count things in general. This can be used if you do not know the proper counter for what you are counting.

Counting people

In some other cases counting things should be done with special words. For instance when counting people. The word for people is hito (ひと / 人). When counting, the same kanji is used, but it is read にん (nin) - except for when saying one and two people.

Examples

Japanese: ふたり 　の　がいじん　です。 さんにん　の　きょうだい　です。 よにん　の　ともだち　です。 わたし　は　ひとり　です。
Romaji: futari no gaijin desu. sannin no kyoudai desu yonin no tomodachi desu. watashi wa hitori desu.	English: (There are) two foreigners. (There are) three brothers. (There are) four friends. I am alone.

Other counters

There are numerous other counters in Japanese. Here are just a few:

Examples

Balls, round or small things are counted using the counter こ (ko).

いっこ	ikko	One (round thing)
にこ	niko	Two (round thing)
さんこ	sanko	Three (round thing)
よんこ	yonko	Four (round thing

Making Sentences

Japanese numbers are usually put in the following places in the sentences. It can be placed before the possessive particle の (no). The counter can also be placed after the object marker を (o).

Examples

Japanese: 四人　の　けいさつ　を　みました。 けいさつ　を　四人　みました。 いっこ　の　りんご　を　たべました。 りんご　を　いっこ　たべました。
Romaji: yonin no keisatsu o mimashita. keisatsu o yonin mimashita. ikko no ringo o tabemashita. ringo o ikko tabemashita.	English: (I) saw four policemen. (I) saw four policemen. (I) ate one apple. (I) ate one apple.

Notes

• Go to the Flash Card Trainer to drill Basic Numbers, and then continue with Mixed Numbers
• Read more about numbers in the Language Reference's Numbers and Counters and for a more extensive description of different counters, see List of Counters.
• The word no "の" is used as a possessive marker in Japanese, but as you have seen here, it can also show a connection between things, such as in the example, "yonin no tomodachi", which would be something like "four-of-friends". Read more about the particle no in possessive form.

Comments (23)

In the examples of 'Making Sentences'. Written by Saynothing, on 09-10-2008 11:29 In the first example in japanese, isn't there a 'o'? But in the romanji there isn't...  And in the last example, isn't there a 'o', too? Then why is it 'ringo wo' ?

Arigato. Written by Bazzi, on 20-08-2008 04:01 Great lesson.