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 What is the counter for ...?). It is also used for days of the month. See What are the Japanese days of the month? The Japanese numbers are used in a few other special cases. Twenty, hatachi, is used for the year of "coming of age" (see What are the special birthdays in Japan?). Thirty, miso, survives in the name of New Year's Eve, Ōmisoka (大晦日).[1] One hundred, momo, is used in names, such as that of singer Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) (see also How do Japanese names work?). The Chinese system is used for all other numbers, and is usually used with counter words.
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, ku | きゅう, く | 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, jūku | じゅうきゅう, じゅうく | 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, nijūku | にじゅうきゅう, にじゅうく | 二十九 | ||
30 | Thirty | misoji | みそじ | 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, sanjūku | さんじゅうきゅう, さんじゅうく | 三十九 | ||
40 | Forty | yosoji | よそじ | 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, yonjūku, shijūku | よんじゅうきゅう, しじゅうきゅう, よんじゅうく, しじゅうく | 四十九 | ||
50 | Fifty | isoji | いそじ | 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, gojūku | ごじゅうきゅう, ごじゅうく | 五十九 | ||
60 | Sixty | musoji | むそじ | 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, rokujūku | ろくじゅうきゅう, ろくじゅうく | 六十九 | ||
70 | Seventy | nanasoji | ななそじ | 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, nanajūku | ななじゅうきゅう, ななじゅうく | 七十九 | ||
80 | Eighty | yasoji | やそじ | 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, hachijūku | はちじゅうきゅう, はちじゅうく | 八十九 | ||
90 | Ninety | kokonosoji | ここのそじ | 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, kujūku | きゅうじゅうきゅう, くじゅうく | 九十九 | ||
100 | One hundred | momo | もも | Hyaku | ひゃく | 百 |
For large numbers, see How does Japanese write large and small numbers? For the special kanji numbers used on money, see What are the kanji numbers on bank notes?
See also the FAQ's Western to Kanji and Kanji to Western number converters.
Convert a number in English or arabic numerals into kanji:
Convert a kanji number into English and arabic numerals:
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