How to Count in Japanese
The Japanese are known for their skills in mathematics. Lots of it has to do with how they are taught, but they also have a simple, straightforward, and logical counting system that emphasizes patterns and memorization. Here are some important reminders you should remember when you’re counting in Japanese.
Counting Rules in Japanese
Counting in Japanese is fairly straightforward. Like in Chinese, multiplication and addition are employed to provide the coherence and logic needed in the counting system. Unlike English or Chinese and other languages, however, Japanese has no rule for zero, but still counts on base ten.
To help Westerners understand Japanese, a system called romanji (romanized Japanese) is used to express Japanese characters with an extended alphabet. Romanji relies on pronunciation to spell out the Japanese word expressed in kanji, katakana, or hiragana.
Counting from One to Ten
The first ten numbers are the basis of the Japanese counting system. From these ten numbers, a Japanese speaker can form numbers of a higher value:
1: ichi
2: ni
3: san
4: shi
5: go
6: roku
7: shichi
8: hachi
9: kyu
10: ju
Counting from Eleven to Ninety-Nine
From the first ten numbers, you can start building up to bigger ones. The key to making the numbers from eleven to ninety-nine is to follow a logical order; you simply add ten (ju) to denote the tens place, and the number at the ones place:
11: ju-ichi
24: ni-ju-shi
31: san-ju-ichi
47: shi-ju-shichi
53: go-ju-san
66: roku-ju-roku
72: shichi-ju-ni
89: hachi-ju-kyu
95: kyu-ju go
Counting Hundreds, Thousands, and Millions
For larger numbers, the same rule from two-digit numbers applies. There are unique terms used for the hundreds, thousands, and millions places in Japanese:
100: hyaku
282: ni-hyaku-hachi-ju-ni
1000: sen
7256: shichi-sen-ni-hyaku-go-ju-roku
10,000: man
100,000: ju-man
One million: hyaku-man
Ten million: sen-man
One hundred million: oku
One trillion: choo
Counting is an essential skill, no matter what language you speak in. With these tips, you can get a hang of the patterns and logic that define the rules of counting in the Japanese language. If you want to know more information regarding Japan, read Japan - Your destination to the rising sun and as an additional learn how to make a japanese garden.