Count in Japanese: 1 to 10 and pronunciation shifts
Master numbers 1 through 10 in Japanese, navigating the critical alternate readings for 4 (よん / し), 7 (なな / しち), and 9 (きゅう / く).
Counting Baseline: Numbers 1 to 10
ichi, ni, san satsu no hon
One, two, three books.
Sino-Japanese Numbers (一, 二, 三...) vs Native Japanese Counters (一つ, 二つ, 三つ...)
Micro-Shift電話番号は ゼロ、九、ゼロ です。
Phone numbers, math, and specific counter units (-yen, -kai, -pun)The phone number is zero-nine-zero...
The Sino-Japanese series (いち, に, さん, し/よん, ご...) is used for reading raw digits and times.
Example Sentences
The two of them will go together.
One, two, three books.
Mental Model: The Dual Heritage of Japanese Numbers
Japanese counting incorporates two historical linguistic streams: 1. Sino-Japanese Roots (On'yomi / 音読み): The standard numbers imported from Chinese (いち, に, さん, etc.). 2. Native Japanese Roots (Wago / 和語): Ancient Japanese counting words (ひと, ふた, み, etc.).
Because of this dual heritage, counting from 1 to 10 is straightforward, but three specific numbers—4, 7, and 9—have alternate readings that every learner must navigate.
The Baseline 1 to 10 Table
- 1: 一 (ichi)
- 2: 二 (ni)
- 3: 三 (san)
- 4: 四 (yon) *(or し)*
- 5: 五 (go)
- 6: 六 (roku)
- 7: 七 (nana) *(or しち)*
- 8: 八 (hachi)
- 9: 九 (kyuu) *(or く)*
- 10: 十 (juu)
- 0: ゼロ (zero) *(or 零 (rei))*
Why the Shape-Shifters (4, 7, 9) Exist
Understanding why these three digits alternate will keep you from second-guessing yourself:
- 4: よん vs し:
- The reading し is phonetically identical to the word for death (死).
- Because of this homophone superstition, everyday counting, prices, phone numbers, and ages overwhelmingly favor よん.
- Fixed exception: Months strictly use し (四月 = April). Clock time drops the nasal: 四時 = 4 o'clock.
- 7: なな vs しち:
- Over the phone or in crowded train stations, しち sounds confusingly similar to いち (1) and はち (8).
- To prevent catastrophic misunderstandings, everyday counting and phone numbers use なな.
- Fixed exception: Clock time strictly uses 七時 = 7 o'clock, and July is 七月.
- 9: きゅう vs く:
- The reading く sounds identical to suffering or agony (苦).
- Everyday numbers and prices favor きゅう.
- Fixed exception: Clock time uses 九時 = 9 o'clock, and September is 九月.
Phone Numbers: The Hyphen Particle の
When reading a Japanese phone number out loud, pronounce each digit individually (using よん, なな, きゅう), and read every hyphen as the particle の:
090-1234-5678:- ゼロ・きゅう・ゼロ の いち・に・さん・よん の ご・ろく・なな・はち
Building on from ten
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| じゅういちjuuichi | 11 |
| じゅうにjuuni | 12 |
| じゅうさんjuusan | 13 |
| じゅうよんjuuyon | 14 |
| じゅうごjuugo | 15 |
| じゅうろくjuuroku | 16 |
| じゅうななjuunana | 17 |
| じゅうはちjuuhachi | 18 |
| じゅうきゅうjuukyuu | 19 |
| にじゅうnijuu | 20 |
| さんじゅうsanjuu | 30 |
| よんじゅうyonjuu | 40 |
| ごじゅうgojuu | 50 |
| ろくじゅうrokujuu | 60 |
| ななじゅうnanajuu | 70 |
| はちじゅうhachijuu | 80 |
| きゅうじゅうkyuujuu | 90 |
| ひゃくhyaku | 100 |
| せんsen | 1 000 |
| いちまんichiman | 10 000 |
In Dialogue
- Friend
連絡先を教えて！電話番号は何番？
Give me your contact info! What is your phone number?
Hana
Quick Check
Select the correct reading for ‘4 o’clock’ (四時).