Mastering Big Numbers in Japanese

20 February 2025

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Introduction: Understanding Big Numbers in Japanese

Counting in Japanese can feel simple at first—learning numbers from 1 to 10 is straightforward. However, as you progress to thousands, millions, and beyond, things can get tricky due to Japan’s unique numerical grouping system based on units of ten thousand (万, man).

This guide will break down big numbers in Japanese, helping you master reading, writing, and pronouncing large numerical figures with confidence.

📌 New to Japanese numbers? Before diving into big numbers, start with the basics! Download the free guide:
👉 Counting to 100 in Japanese for an easy-to-follow reference on numbers 1 to 100 in kanji and hiragana.

The Japanese Numbering System

Two Ways to Count in Japanese

Japanese numbers can be read in two different ways:

1. Sino-Japanese (On’yomi, 音読み) – Derived from Chinese characters, this is used for counting large numbers.
2. Native Japanese (Kun’yomi, 訓読み) – An older, more traditional system, used primarily for counting small objects (up to 10).

For big numbers in Japanese, we exclusively use the Sino-Japanese system.

Counting Large Numbers in Japanese

The Basics: 1 to 10,000

Before tackling big numbers, let’s ensure you understand 1 to 10,000:

Number

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

1

一

いち

ichi

2

二

に

ni

3

三

さん

san

4

四

よん/し

yon/shi

5

五

ご

go

6

六

ろく

roku

7

七

なな/しち

nana/shichi

8

八

はち

hachi

9

九

きゅう/く

kyuu/ku

10

十

じゅう

juu

100

百

ひゃく

hyaku

1,000

千

せん

sen

10,000

万

まん

man

📌 Need more practice with small numbers?
Grab your free cheat sheet 👉 Counting to 100 in Japanese to master basic numbers before moving on to large ones.

The Secret to Big Numbers: Understanding 万 (Man)

In English, we count numbers in thousands (1,000 / 10,000 / 100,000).
In Japanese, numbers are grouped by ten thousand (万, man).

This means:

• 10,000 (ten thousand) is 一万 (ichi-man), NOT じゅうせん (juu-sen).
• 100,000 (one hundred thousand) is 十万 (juu-man).
• 1,000,000 (one million) is 百万 (hyaku-man).
• 10,000,000 (ten million) is 千万 (sen-man).

Breakdown of Large Numbers:

English Number

Japanese Number

Kanji

Romaji

10,000

一万

いちまん

ichi-man

20,000

二万

にまん

ni-man

50,000

五万

ごまん

go-man

100,000

十万

じゅうまん

juu-man

500,000

五十万

ごじゅうまん

go-juu-man

1,000,000

百万

ひゃくまん

hyaku-man

10,000,000

千万

せんまん

sen-man

How to Count Millions and Billions

Once you reach 100 million, Japanese introduces a new unit: 億 (oku).

English Number

Japanese Number

Kanji

Romaji

100,000,000

一億

いちおく

ichi-oku

500,000,000

五億

ごおく

go-oku

1,000,000,000

十億

じゅうおく

juu-oku

10,000,000,000

百億

ひゃくおく

hyaku-oku

100,000,000,000

千億

せんおく

sen-oku

For numbers even larger than one billion, the unit 兆 (chou) is introduced:

• 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) = 一兆 (itchou).
• 10,000,000,000,000 (ten trillion) = 十兆 (juu-chou).

Larger Numbers for Reference

English Number

Japanese Number

Kanji

Romaji

1 trillion

一兆

いっちょう

itchou

10 trillion

十兆

じゅっちょう

jucchou

100 trillion

百兆

ひゃくちょう

hyaku-chou

1 quadrillion

千兆

せんちょう

sen-chou

Common Mistakes When Using Big Numbers in Japanese

1. Forgetting that 10,000 = 万 (man)
   • ❌ じゅうせん (juu-sen) → ✅ いちまん (ichi-man)
2. Mispronouncing numbers with euphonic changes
   • 300 (三百) is さんびゃく (san-byaku), NOT さんひゃく (san-hyaku).
   • 8000 (八千) is はっせん (hassen), NOT はちせん (hachi-sen).
3. Mixing up million and billion
   • 1,000,000 (one million) is 百万 (hyaku-man), but
   • 1,000,000,000 (one billion) is 十億 (juu-oku).

How to Practice Big Numbers in Japanese

1. Use Real-World Examples

Try reading large numbers in Japanese from:

• Price tags on Japanese websites (e.g., ¥1,280,000 = 百二十八万)
• Population numbers in Japan (e.g., Tokyo’s population: 約1400万人 (about 14 million people))
• News headlines about finances and statistics.

2. Convert Large Numbers into Japanese

Take random large numbers and practice converting them:

• 2,750,000 → 二百七十五万 (ni-hyaku-nana-juu-go-man)
• 16,800,000 → 千六百八十万 (sen-roppyaku-hachi-juu-man)

3. Say Large Numbers Out Loud

Speaking numbers aloud helps solidify them in memory. Try reading phone numbers, dates, and big figures in Japanese.

Conclusion: Mastering Big Numbers in Japanese

While learning big numbers in Japanese may seem overwhelming at first, breaking them into manageable units of 10,000 makes them much easier to grasp. Understanding key concepts like man (万), oku (億), and chou (兆) will help you read and use large numbers fluently.

📌 Still learning basic numbers? Download this free guide 👉 Counting to 100 in Japanese to build a strong foundation before tackling large numbers!

By practicing real-world examples and reinforcing pronunciation, you’ll soon master Japanese numbers like a pro. 🚀🎌

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