4d • General discussion
A Simple Guide to Using Japanese Numbers in Real Life (Course Preview)
Japanese numbers are easy to learn, but how you use them depends on the situation. Once you understand the basics, you’ll start noticing numbers everywhere—restaurants, shops, trains, and daily conversations.
Basic Numbers (1–10)
- 1 一（いち / ichi）
- 2 二（に / ni）
- 3 三（さん / san）
- 4 四（よん / yon）
- 5 五（ご / go）
- 6 六（ろく / roku）
- 7 七（なな / nana）
- 8 八（はち / hachi）
- 9 九（きゅう / kyū）
- 10 十（じゅう / jū）
Numbers in Real Life: Counters Matter
In Japanese, numbers often change depending on what you’re counting. These are called counters.
People
- 一人（ひとり / hitori）– one person
- 二人（ふたり / futari）– two people
- 三人（さんにん / san-nin）– three people
At restaurants, you’ll often hear:
- 何名様ですか？ (Nan-mei sama desu ka? – How many people?)
- 二人です。 (Futari desu. – Two people.)
Time
- 一時（いちじ / ichi-ji）– 1 o’clock
- 三時（さんじ / san-ji）– 3 o’clock
Money
- 100円（ひゃくえん / hyaku-en）
- 1,000円（せんえん / sen-en）
A Useful Tip
You don’t need to master all counters at once. Start with:
- 人（people）
- 円（money）
- 時（time）
Japanese people are very understanding, and using the correct number—even imperfectly—goes a long way.
Learning numbers isn’t just counting; it’s learning how Japanese is actually used in daily life.
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A Simple Guide to Using Japanese Numbers in Real Life (Course Preview)
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