Posted by flint over 2 years ago
In this lesson we will learn the numbers for 100 and above.
To count from 100 to 199, simply say the hundreds unit 百「ひゃく」 followed by the remaining number.
For example,
To count from 200 to 999, follow the same process, just starting with how many hundreds there are.
Note on pronunciation
To count from 1000 to 1999, simply say the thousands unit 千「せん」 followed by the remaining number.
To count from 2000 to 9999, follow the same process, just starting with how many thousands there are.
Unlike English, Japanese has a unit for tens of thousands, 万「まん」.
And also, unlike the previous tens, hundreds and thousands units, 万 is always preceeded with the how many of tens of thousands there are (even for 10,000).
There are no special pronunciation rules for 万.
There is no special unit for hundreds of thousands, or for millions.To count these number, just continue to use the tens of thousands unit, 万.
At one hundred million, there is another new unit 億「おく」. This follows the same rules as 万 in that it is always preceeded by how many hundreds of millions there are.
Japanese commonly use arabic numerals (ie, the digits 1, 2, 3 etc) when writing numbers, especially when writing in horizontal script. In vertical script, like in novels and newspapers you are more likely to see Kanji used for numbers.
Large numbers may have the comma separator at every fourth digit, rather than every third digit. This can take a while to get used to, and is easy to misread. Sometimes Arabic numerals and Kanji are used together as well.
If you ever want to check the pronunciation of a number, you can search for any number in the dictionary using either arabic numerals or Kanji. And don't forget to practice your numbers in the practice games.
If you have a question or would like to make a comment on this list, please do so below. Your comment will appear in the forum for other users of the site to view and discuss.
Only registered users may post comments. You can register your free 楽しい Japanese account here.