Japanese Numbers and Counting for Beginners
Japanese numbers are wonderfully regular once you learn 1–10, but counting things requires counters that change with the object.
About the author
Luke McLaughlin created Constructing Language after living in Japan and later learning Mandarin Chinese from scratch. The lessons, games, and guides are built from that first-hand learner experience and checked against native-speaker course work with Hiro for Japanese and Xiang for Mandarin Chinese.
- Lived in Japan and studied Japanese through immersion and structured self-study.
- Learned Mandarin Chinese from scratch as an adult learner.
- Created the Construction Method: audio-first sentence building, grammar graphics, and active recall.
- Built Japanese course material with Hiro and Mandarin course material with Xiang, both native-speaker collaborators.
Learn 1 to 10 first
Japanese numbers are highly regular. Once you know 1–10, larger numbers are built by combining them, so this is the highest-leverage vocabulary you can learn early.
- 一 (ichi) 1, 二 (ni) 2, 三 (san) 3, 四 (yon/shi) 4, 五 (go) 5.
- 六 (roku) 6, 七 (nana/shichi) 7, 八 (hachi) 8, 九 (kyuu) 9, 十 (juu) 10.
- Some numbers (4, 7, 9) have two readings — both are worth knowing.
Bigger numbers are built by combining
After ten, numbers follow a clear pattern: 11 is juu-ichi (10-1), 20 is ni-juu (2-10), 21 is ni-juu-ichi (2-10-1). Hundreds use 百 (hyaku) and thousands use 千 (sen). The logic is consistent, which makes large numbers easy once the pattern clicks.
Counters: the part that surprises beginners
To count objects, Japanese adds a counter word that depends on what you are counting — flat things, long things, people, small animals, and so on each have their own counter. You do not need them all at once; learn the most common ones first and add more over time.
- 〜つ (-tsu) — general counter for objects (hitotsu, futatsu…).
- 〜人 (-nin) — people (san-nin = three people).
- 〜本 (-hon) — long, thin objects (bottles, pens).
- 〜枚 (-mai) — flat, thin objects (paper, tickets).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you count from 1 to 10 in Japanese?
ichi (1), ni (2), san (3), yon/shi (4), go (5), roku (6), nana/shichi (7), hachi (8), kyuu (9), juu (10). Numbers 4, 7, and 9 have two common readings.
What are counters in Japanese?
Counters are words added when counting objects, and they change with the type of object — for example -nin for people, -hon for long thin objects, -mai for flat objects, and the general -tsu counter. Learn the most common ones first.
Are Japanese numbers hard to learn?
The numbers themselves are very regular and easy once you know 1–10. The trickier part is counters, which depend on what you're counting — but you can start with the general -tsu counter and add others gradually.