At first, you can express Japanese number 1 to 100 easily. That’s because they are expressed in the full decimal system. You will be able to count up to large numbers 1 to 100 in no time!
In contrast, the Japanese number pronunciation changes caused by the addition of counters. It’s tricky.
This video below explain Japanese number 1 to 100 with native pronaunce and English guide. You can learn in 9min. If you want to learn with number chart, please download PDF from here!
After you’ve mastered Japanese number 1 to 100, go on to the next blog to learn about larger numbers and Japanese counters to count days, hours,people…etc !
Table of contents
Basic counting Japanese number 1 to 10
In the beginning, let’s look at the basic, Japanese number 1 to 10. The ones you need to pay attention to are 4 and 7.There are two ways to pronounce it. And depending on how you count, you may use one or the other, or both.
Table.1 Japanese number 1 to 10 (Romaji,Hiragana, kanji)
Number | Roma-ji | Hiragana | Kanji |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ichi | いち | 一 |
2 | ni | に | 二 |
3 | san | さん | 三 |
4 | shi / yon | し / よん | 四 |
5 | go | ご | 五 |
6 | roku | ろく | 六 |
7 | shichi / nana | しち / なな | 七 |
8 | hachi | はち | 八 |
9 | kyū | きゅう | 九 |
10 | jū | じゅう | 十 |
If you are still learning hiragana, check out “Learn Hiragana“.
How to count by 100 in Japanese
Next,let’s try 11 to 20. Once you have this rule, you can easily count up to 99 using the same rule. Here , Look at the following picture and explanation .

11 can express as 10 plus 1.
20 can express as 2 times 10.
21 can express as 2 times 10, plus 1.
So,with the Japanese counting system, you can simply say 99( kyū jū kyū) using numbers from 1 to 10. And then, 100 is “ひゃく(hyaku)”
Useful PDF Japanese number 1 to 100 +α

Now you can count to 100.
Again, be careful about 40 (yon jyū) and 70 (nana jyū). This is the correct way to pronaounce it. And then, 100 is “hyaku”.
Lastly, I need your attention.100 to 900 is just that, a little difficult to pronounce. 100 is “hyaku”, but there are three patterns depending on the number: “hyaku”, “byaku”, and “pyaku”. So, the ones to watch out for are 300(san byaku), 600(roppyaku), and 800(happyaku).

Practice Japanese number 1 to 1000
Obviously,it is best way to learn Japanese with practicing. I strongly believe Practice and use is the fastest way to speaking!
In addition, Japanese numbers are very good hiragana practice. If you practice by writing them in a notebook, you can learn both hiragana and numbers. If you are not familiar with the Japanese character, try using a Japanese practice notebook.
Genkouyoushi Notebook: Large Japanese Kanji Practice Notebook
Count to million!
Next step! Get to 10,00,000 at once! Now,1USD is about 115~125 yen, you need a bigger number!So,you would use when shopping in Japan
See the article here.
Master Japanese counters
In fact, I agree that Japanese counter is complicated. Depending on what is counted, the counter changes and the pronunciation changes.
So,my advice is to start with what you use in your daily life and get used to it. Of course, if you are aiming for the JLPT, you will need to memorize this because it is a common question.
10 Basic counter for Beginners
This article mainly describes the counters, and a useful PDF is available for download.
Time in Japanese
Here, you can talk about your schedule and ask about it in Japanese.
Days of months in Japanese : Figure out Japanese calendar
Additionaly, you can learn months in Japanese, date and day in this airticle.
Thanks for the helpful content!
Thanks for the comment!