Japanese Numbers 1 to 100: Full List

Counting in Japanese is wonderfully logical once you learn the first ten numbers. This full list of Japanese numbers from 1 to 100 gives you the kanji and the romaji reading for each key number, then shows how the system combines them to build everything in between. Learn the basics here and you will be able to say any number up to one hundred.

A few numbers have two common readings, which the list notes. Start by memorizing one to ten, and the rest will quickly fall into place.

Numbers are among the first things worth learning in any language because they appear everywhere: prices, phone numbers, addresses, times, dates, ages, and scores. The Japanese system is a joy for beginners because it is almost entirely regular. Once you can count to ten and understand how the pieces combine, you can produce any number up to one hundred without memorizing ninety separate words.

Numbers 1 to 10

These ten numbers are the foundation of the whole system, so learn them first.

1. 1 一 (ichi)
2. 2 二 (ni)
3. 3 三 (san)
4. 4 四 (shi or yon)
5. 5 五 (go)
6. 6 六 (roku)
7. 7 七 (shichi or nana)
8. 8 八 (hachi)
9. 9 九 (kyuu or ku)
10. 10 十 (juu)

Numbers 11 to 20

From eleven to nineteen, you simply say ten plus the next digit: 10 (juu) + 1 (ichi) becomes juuichi. Twenty is two tens, nijuu.

1. 11 十一 (juuichi)
2. 12 十二 (juuni)
3. 13 十三 (juusan)
4. 14 十四 (juuyon, also juushi)
5. 15 十五 (juugo)
6. 16 十六 (juuroku)
7. 17 十七 (juunana, also juushichi)
8. 18 十八 (juuhachi)
9. 19 十九 (juukyuu, also juuku)
10. 20 二十 (nijuu)

Counting by Tens to 100

The tens follow the same simple pattern: the digit plus ten. Forty is four tens, yonjuu; ninety is nine tens, kyuujuu. One hundred has its own character and reading, hyaku.

1. 30 三十 (sanjuu)
2. 40 四十 (yonjuu)
3. 50 五十 (gojuu)
4. 60 六十 (rokujuu)
5. 70 七十 (nanajuu)
6. 80 八十 (hachijuu)
7. 90 九十 (kyuujuu)
8. 100 百 (hyaku)

How to Build Any Number

Japanese numbers work like simple math, which makes them easy to construct once you know the parts.

• Tens plus ones. For a number like 42, say the tens then the ones: yonjuu (40) plus ni (2) becomes yonjuuni.
• Another example. 67 is rokujuu (60) plus nana (7), giving rokujuunana.
• And again. 88 is hachijuu (80) plus hachi (8), giving hachijuuhachi.
• Round tens stay simple. 50 is just gojuu, with no ones to add.

Which Reading to Use for 4, 7, and 9

Three numbers have two readings, and choosing the right one matters.

• 4 is often read yon rather than shi, partly because shi sounds like the word for death, so yon feels safer and clearer.
• 7 is commonly read nana rather than shichi, especially to avoid confusion with ichi.
• 9 is usually read kyuu rather than ku, since ku can sound like the word for suffering.
• Counting out loud. When counting steadily, many people use ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, kyuu, juu, but yon, nana, and kyuu are the safe defaults elsewhere.

The Number Zero

Zero has two common words. Rei (零) is the formal reading, while zero (ゼロ), borrowed from English, is used constantly in everyday life for things like phone numbers and scores. You will hear both, but zero is the more casual and frequent choice.

Why the System Is So Easy to Learn

Unlike English, which has irregular words such as eleven, twelve, and the -teen and -ty endings, Japanese numbers are built almost entirely from the first ten words using plain addition and multiplication. Twenty is literally two tens, and twenty-one is two tens plus one. There are no surprises in the structure, so the only real memorization is the base ten numbers plus a handful of special readings.

This logic continues well beyond one hundred. One hundred is hyaku, one thousand is sen, and ten thousand is man, and larger numbers are assembled the same tidy way. That means the effort you put into learning one to one hundred pays off immediately when you move on to bigger figures. Few languages reward beginners so quickly.

Counting Objects: A Useful Next Step

Once you are comfortable with the plain numbers, the natural next step is learning counter words. In Japanese, you usually add a small word after the number that depends on what you are counting, similar to saying two sheets of paper or three cups of coffee in English, but far more common. Different counters are used for flat objects, long thin objects, small animals, people, and more.

For example, people are counted with nin, as in three people (sannin), while small animals use hiki and flat objects use mai. Beginners do not need to master every counter at once. Learn the plain numbers first, as listed above, then pick up the most common counters gradually as you need them. The number system you have learned here is the foundation that makes all of those counters easy to use.

Tips for Learning Japanese Numbers

• Master one to ten first. Everything else is built from these.
• Practice the pattern. Say random two-digit numbers by combining tens and ones until it feels automatic.
• Learn yon, nana, and kyuu. These safer readings are what you will use most often.
• Count real things. Note that counting objects, people, and dates uses special counter words, which are a good next step after this list.

Final Thoughts

With this full list of Japanese numbers 1 to 100, you have the building blocks for counting in Japanese. Memorize one to ten, practice combining tens and ones, and remember the yon, nana, and kyuu readings, and you will be counting confidently in no time.