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.
Numbers in Japanese use two systems. The everyday Sino-Japanese set runs 一 ichi (1), 二 ni (2), 三 san (3), 四 yon / shi (4), 五 go (5), 六 roku (6), 七 nana / shichi (7), 八 hachi (8), 九 kyū / ku (9), 十 jū (10). Higher numbers combine these (二十 ni-jū for 20, 百 hyaku for 100, 千 sen for 1,000) and group by 10,000, so 10,000 is 一万 ichi-man. The older native (Yamato) set (hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu) survives for counting general objects.
How do you count in Japanese?
Counting takes a step that English does not have: you pick a series, then attach a counter word (助数詞 josūshi). Saying the bare number is usually not a valid count. "Three bottles of beer" is ビールを三本ください bīru o san-bon kudasai, from 三 san plus 本 hon, the counter for long thin objects, which turns into -bon after san. Change the category of thing and the counter changes with it.
The counters that carry ordinary conversation: 人 nin for people (irregular at hitori for one and futari for two), 本 hon for long thin objects, 枚 mai for flat thin ones, 匹 hiki for small animals, 杯 hai for drinks in a cup or glass, and 個 ko as the general-purpose counter for small compact objects.
The escape hatch is the older native (Yamato) series: 一つ hitotsu, 二つ futatsu, 三つ mittsu, on to 九つ kokonotsu at nine and 十 tō at ten (tō is the one that drops the つ). The 〜つ ending is itself the counter, so nothing else is needed, and it is the safe fallback for general objects when you do not know or cannot recall the specific counter. It runs 1 to 10 only; past ten you are back to the Sino series plus a counter, or the bare Sino number. Full tables on counters and native numbers.
Romanisation follows modified Hepburn per the NHK Broadcasting Pronunciation Dictionary convention used across this site. Reviewed 7 September 2026. How this site verifies its content.
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.
Japanese numbers 1 to 100 chart
Japanese numbers 1 to 100, full table with hiragana · Printable 1 to 100 chart (PDF)
Test yourself: the Japanese numbers quiz
Four modes (multiple choice, typed romaji, listen, counters) across four levels: 1 to 10, 1 to 100, counters, and a mixed set. Free, no signup, and your score stays in the browser. The fastest way to move from reading numbers to recalling them.
Print a worksheet for the classroom
Build a numbers worksheet in romaji, hiragana or kanji, from 1 to 10 up to the 万 man ranges above 10,000, with an answer key on its own page. Five exercise types, free, unlimited, no signup.
Featured per-number pages
Deep-dives on the numbers that English-speakers ask about most. Each page covers kanji, hiragana, romaji, counter-attached forms, cultural context, and sentence examples.
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.
How do you count in Japanese?
Counting in Japanese takes a step English does not: you pick a series, then attach a counter word. The Sino-Japanese series (ichi, ni, san) is used with a counter, so "three bottles of beer" is bīru o san-bon, from 三 (san) plus 本 (hon), the counter for long thin objects, which becomes -bon after san. The older native (Yamato) series (hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, on to kokonotsu at nine and tō at ten) carries its counter in the 〜つ ending, needs nothing else, and is the safe fallback for general objects from 1 to 10. Common counters are 人 nin for people (irregular at hitori and futari), 枚 mai for flat thin things, 匹 hiki for small animals, 杯 hai for drinks in a cup or glass, and 個 ko as the general-purpose counter for small compact objects.
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.
How this site verifies its content →Numbers in other languages
From the same team: a 1 to 100 chart, the worksheet generator and answer keys, in each of these languages.
- Numbers in French Français
- Numbers in Italian Italiano
- Numbers in Greek Ελληνικά
- Numbers in Chinese 中文
- Numbers in Korean 한국어
- Numbers in Arabic العربية