| sci.lang.japan FAQ / 12. Numbers, counting, and dates |
Japanese has two systems of counting, a native system now only used for small numbers, and a Chinese-based system used for most kinds of counting.
The Japanese system is used mostly for the numbers from one to ten, and is used without counter words (see 12.3. What is the counter for ...?). Twenty, hatachi, is also used for the year of "coming of age" (see 12.8. What are the special birthdays in Japan?), and one hundred, momo, is used in names, such as that of singer Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) (see also 9.3. How do Japanese names work?) but not otherwise. The Chinese system is used for all other numbers, and is usually used with counter words. See also 12.1. How does Japanese write large numbers?.
The number "four" has two representations in the Chinese system, either yon or shi. The word shi can also mean "death" (written "死"), so this pronunciation of the number is sometimes avoided. Both variants are listed below.
|
Arabic numeral |
English | Japanese system | Chinese system | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romaji | Kana | Romaji | Kana | Kanji | ||
| 0 | Zero | Zero, rei | ぜろ, れい | 〇, 零 | ||
| 1 | One | hitotsu | ひとつ | Ichi | いち | 一 |
| 2 | Two | futatsu | ふたつ | Ni | に | 二 |
| 3 | Three | mittsu | みっつ | San | さん | 三 |
| 4 | Four | yottsu | よっつ | Yon, shi | よん, し | 四 |
| 5 | Five | itsutsu | いつつ | Go | ご | 五 |
| 6 | Six | muttsu | むっつ | Roku | ろく | 六 |
| 7 | Seven | nanatsu | ななつ | Nana | なな | 七 |
| 8 | Eight | yattsu | やっつ | Hachi | はち | 八 |
| 9 | Nine | kokonotsu | ここのつ | Kyū | きゅう | 九 |
| 10 | Ten | tō | とお | Jū | じゅう | 十 |
| 11 | Eleven | Jūichi | じゅういち | 十一 | ||
| 12 | Twelve | Jūni | じゅうに | 十二 | ||
| 13 | Thirteen | Jūsan | じゅうさん | 十三 | ||
| 14 | Fourteen | Jūyon, jūshi | じゅうよん, じゅうし | 十四 | ||
| 15 | Fifteen | Jūgo | じゅうご | 十五 | ||
| 16 | Sixteen | Jūroku | じゅうろく | 十六 | ||
| 17 | Seventeen | Jūnana | じゅうなな | 十七 | ||
| 18 | Eighteen | Jūhachi | じゅうはち | 十八 | ||
| 19 | Nineteen | Jūkyū | じゅうきゅう | 十九 | ||
| 20 | Twenty | hatachi | はたち | Nijū | にじゅう | 二十 |
| 21 | Twenty-one | Nijūichi | にじゅういち | 二十一 | ||
| 22 | Twenty-two | Nijūni | にじゅうに | 二十二 | ||
| 23 | Twenty-three | Nijūsan | にじゅうさん | 二十三 | ||
| 24 | Twenty-four | Nijūyon, nijūshi | にじゅうよん, にじゅうし | 二十四 | ||
| 25 | Twenty-five | Nijūgo | にじゅうご | 二十五 | ||
| 26 | Twenty-six | Nijūroku | にじゅうろく | 二十六 | ||
| 27 | Twenty-seven | Nijūnana | にじゅうなな | 二十七 | ||
| 28 | Twenty-eight | Nijūhachi | にじゅうはち | 二十八 | ||
| 29 | Twenty-nine | Nijūkyū | にじゅうきゅう | 二十九 | ||
| 30 | Thirty | Sanjū | さんじゅう | 三十 | ||
| 31 | Thirty-one | Sanjūichi | さんじゅういち | 三十一 | ||
| 32 | Thirty-two | Sanjūni | さんじゅうに | 三十二 | ||
| 33 | Thirty-three | Sanjūsan | さんじゅうさん | 三十三 | ||
| 34 | Thirty-four | Sanjūyon, sanjūshi | さんじゅうよん, さんじゅうし | 三十四 | ||
| 35 | Thirty-five | Sanjūgo | さんじゅうご | 三十五 | ||
| 36 | Thirty-six | Sanjūroku | さんじゅうろく | 三十六 | ||
| 37 | Thirty-seven | Sanjūnana | さんじゅうなな | 三十七 | ||
| 38 | Thirty-eight | Sanjūhachi | さんじゅうはち | 三十八 | ||
| 39 | Thirty-nine | Sanjūkyū | さんじゅうきゅう | 三十九 | ||
| 40 | Forty | Yonjū, shijū | よんじゅう, しじゅう | 四十 | ||
| 41 | Forty-one | Yonjūichi, shijūichi | よんじゅういち, しじゅういち | 四十一 | ||
| 42 | Forty-two | Yonjūni, shijūni | よんじゅうに, しじゅうに | 四十二 | ||
| 43 | Forty-three | Yonjūsan, shijūsan | よんじゅうさん, しじゅうさん | 四十三 | ||
| 44 | Forty-four | Yonjūyon, shijūshi | よんじゅうよん, しじゅうし | 四十四 | ||
| 45 | Forty-five | Yonjūgo, shijūgo | よんじゅうご, しじゅうご | 四十五 | ||
| 46 | Forty-six | Yonjūroku, shijūroku | よんじゅうろく, しじゅうろく | 四十六 | ||
| 47 | Forty-seven | Yonjūnana, shijūnana | よんじゅうなな, しじゅうなな | 四十七 | ||
| 48 | Forty-eight | Yonjūhachi, shijūhachi | よんじゅうはち, しじゅうはち | 四十八 | ||
| 49 | Forty-nine | Yonjūkyū, shijūkyū | よんじゅうきゅう, しじゅうきゅう | 四十九 | ||
| 50 | Fifty | Gojū | ごじゅう | 五十 | ||
| 51 | Fifty-one | Gojūichi | ごじゅういち | 五十一 | ||
| 52 | Fifty-two | Gojūni | ごじゅうに | 五十二 | ||
| 53 | Fifty-three | Gojūsan | ごじゅうさん | 五十三 | ||
| 54 | Fifty-four | Gojūyon, gojūshi | ごじゅうよん, ごじゅうし | 五十四 | ||
| 55 | Fifty-five | Gojūgo | ごじゅうご | 五十五 | ||
| 56 | Fifty-six | Gojūroku | ごじゅうろく | 五十六 | ||
| 57 | Fifty-seven | Gojūnana | ごじゅうなな | 五十七 | ||
| 58 | Fifty-eight | Gojūhachi | ごじゅうはち | 五十八 | ||
| 59 | Fifty-nine | Gojūkyū | ごじゅうきゅう | 五十九 | ||
| 60 | Sixty | Rokujū | ろくじゅう | 六十 | ||
| 61 | Sixty-one | Rokujūichi | ろくじゅういち | 六十一 | ||
| 62 | Sixty-two | Rokujūni | ろくじゅうに | 六十二 | ||
| 63 | Sixty-three | Rokujūsan | ろくじゅうさん | 六十三 | ||
| 64 | Sixty-four | Rokujūyon, rokujūshi | ろくじゅうよん, ろくじゅうし | 六十四 | ||
| 65 | Sixty-five | Rokujūgo | ろくじゅうご | 六十五 | ||
| 66 | Sixty-six | Rokujūroku | ろくじゅうろく | 六十六 | ||
| 67 | Sixty-seven | Rokujūnana | ろくじゅうなな | 六十七 | ||
| 68 | Sixty-eight | Rokujūhachi | ろくじゅうはち | 六十八 | ||
| 69 | Sixty-nine | Rokujūkyū | ろくじゅうきゅう | 六十九 | ||
| 70 | Seventy | Nanajū | ななじゅう | 七十 | ||
| 71 | Seventy-one | Nanajūichi | ななじゅういち | 七十一 | ||
| 72 | Seventy-two | Nanajūni | ななじゅうに | 七十二 | ||
| 73 | Seventy-three | Nanajūsan | ななじゅうさん | 七十三 | ||
| 74 | Seventy-four | Nanajūyon, nanajūshi | ななじゅうよん, ななじゅうし | 七十四 | ||
| 75 | Seventy-five | Nanajūgo | ななじゅうご | 七十五 | ||
| 76 | Seventy-six | Nanajūroku | ななじゅうろく | 七十六 | ||
| 77 | Seventy-seven | Nanajūnana | ななじゅうなな | 七十七 | ||
| 78 | Seventy-eight | Nanajūhachi | ななじゅうはち | 七十八 | ||
| 79 | Seventy-nine | Nanajūkyū | ななじゅうきゅう | 七十九 | ||
| 80 | Eighty | Hachijū | はちじゅう | 八十 | ||
| 81 | Eighty-one | Hachijūichi | はちじゅういち | 八十一 | ||
| 82 | Eighty-two | Hachijūni | はちじゅうに | 八十二 | ||
| 83 | Eighty-three | Hachijūsan | はちじゅうさん | 八十三 | ||
| 84 | Eighty-four | Hachijūyon, hachijūshi | はちじゅうよん, はちじゅうし | 八十四 | ||
| 85 | Eighty-five | Hachijūgo | はちじゅうご | 八十五 | ||
| 86 | Eighty-six | Hachijūroku | はちじゅうろく | 八十六 | ||
| 87 | Eighty-seven | Hachijūnana | はちじゅうなな | 八十七 | ||
| 88 | Eighty-eight | Hachijūhachi | はちじゅうはち | 八十八 | ||
| 89 | Eighty-nine | Hachijūkyū | はちじゅうきゅう | 八十九 | ||
| 90 | Ninety | Kyūjū | きゅうじゅう | 九十 | ||
| 91 | Ninety-one | Kyūjūichi | きゅうじゅういち | 九十一 | ||
| 92 | Ninety-two | Kyūjūni | きゅうじゅうに | 九十二 | ||
| 93 | Ninety-three | Kyūjūsan | きゅうじゅうさん | 九十三 | ||
| 94 | Ninety-four | Kyūjūyon, kyūjūshi | きゅうじゅうよん, きゅうじゅうし | 九十四 | ||
| 95 | Ninety-five | Kyūjūgo | きゅうじゅうご | 九十五 | ||
| 96 | Ninety-six | Kyūjūroku | きゅうじゅうろく | 九十六 | ||
| 97 | Ninety-seven | Kyūjūnana | きゅうじゅうなな | 九十七 | ||
| 98 | Ninety-eight | Kyūjūhachi | きゅうじゅうはち | 九十八 | ||
| 99 | Ninety-nine | Kyūjūkyū | きゅうじゅうきゅう | 九十九 | ||
| 100 | One hundred | Hyaku | ひゃく | 百 | ||
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