Numbers and time
Japanese counting has a reputation for complexity because of its counter system — different categories of objects require different counting words. However, the basic numbers themselves are straightforward, and there's a general-purpose counter (つ) that works for most situations when you don't know the specific counter.
Basic numbers
Japanese numbers are mostly regular, but note that 4, 7, and 9 each have two readings. The alternative readings (yon, nana, kyū) are used to avoid homophones with unlucky words — 4 (shi) sounds like "death", so yon is preferred in many contexts:
| Number | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🔊 一 | ichi |
| 2 | 🔊 二 | ni |
| 3 | 🔊 三 | san |
| 4 | 🔊 四 | shi/yon |
| 5 | 🔊 五 | go |
| 6 | 🔊 六 | roku |
| 7 | 🔊 七 | shichi/nana |
| 8 | 🔊 八 | hachi |
| 9 | 🔊 九 | ku/kyū |
| 10 | 🔊 十 | jū |
| 100 | 🔊 百 | hyaku |
| 1000 | 🔊 千 | sen |
| 10000 | 🔊 万 | man |
Building numbers:
- 11 = 🔊 十一 (jūichi)
- 25 = 🔊 二十五 (nijūgo)
- 100 = 🔊 百 (hyaku)
- 256 = 🔊 二百五十六 (nihyaku gojūroku)
Counters
Counters (classifiers) are required between numbers and nouns in Japanese. Different categories of objects use different counters: long thin things use 本 (hon), flat things use 枚 (mai), small animals use 匹 (hiki), etc. The general counter つ (tsu) uses a special set of numbers (hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu...) and works for most objects up to 10 if you don't know the specific counter:
| Counter | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜つ | General objects | 🔊 三つ (mittsu) |
| 〜人 (nin) | People | 🔊 三人 (sannin) |
| 〜本 (hon) | Long/cylindrical | 🔊 三本 (sanbon) |
| 〜枚 (mai) | Flat objects | 🔊 三枚 (sanmai) |
| 〜匹 (hiki) | Small animals | 🔊 三匹 (sanbiki) |
| 〜冊 (satsu) | Books | 🔊 三冊 (sansatsu) |
| 〜個 (ko) | General small objects | 🔊 三個 (sanko) |
Telling time
- 🔊 今何時ですか (Ima nanji desu ka) — What time is it now?
- 🔊 〜時 (ji) — o'clock
- 🔊 〜分 (fun/pun) — minutes
| Time | Japanese |
|---|---|
| 1:00 | 🔊 一時 (ichiji) |
| 2:30 | 🔊 二時半 (niji han) |
| 3:15 | 🔊 三時十五分 (sanji jūgofun) |
| 4:45 | 🔊 四時四十五分 (yoji yonjūgofun) |
Days of the week
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 🔊 月曜日 (getsuyōbi) | Monday |
| 🔊 火曜日 (kayōbi) | Tuesday |
| 🔊 水曜日 (suiyōbi) | Wednesday |
| 🔊 木曜日 (mokuyōbi) | Thursday |
| 🔊 金曜日 (kin'yōbi) | Friday |
| 🔊 土曜日 (doyōbi) | Saturday |
| 🔊 日曜日 (nichiyōbi) | Sunday |
Months
Month = number + 月 (gatsu):
- 🔊 一月 (ichigatsu) — January
- 🔊 二月 (nigatsu) — February
- 🔊 十二月 (jūnigatsu) — December
Dates
Dates use 日 (nichi) after the number, but the first 10 days of the month have special irregular readings that must be memorised. After the 10th, dates become more regular (with a few exceptions). The format is year-month-day in Japanese:
- 🔊 一日 (tsuitachi) — 1st
- 🔊 二日 (futsuka) — 2nd
- 🔊 三日 (mikka) — 3rd
Time words
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🔊 今日 (kyō) | today |
| 🔊 明日 (ashita) | tomorrow |
| 🔊 昨日 (kinō) | yesterday |
| 🔊 今 (ima) | now |
| 🔊 朝 (asa) | morning |
| 🔊 昼 (hiru) | noon |
| 🔊 夜 (yoru) | night |