Count from one to twenty in Japanese.
Numbers 1–10:
一(ichi) 二(ni) 三(san) 四(shi/yon) 五(go)
六(roku) 七(shichi/nana) 八(hachi) 九(ku/kyū) 十(jū)
Numbers 11–20:
十一(jūichi) 十二(jūni) ... 十九(jūku) 二十(nijū)
Pattern: 11-19 = 十(jū) + digit. 20 = 二十(ni-jū = two-ten)
Note: 4 and 7 have two readings each — shi/yon and shichi/nana.
| Japanese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | One | 一つください。 |
| 五 | Five | 五分後に。 |
| 十 | Ten | 十円。 |
| 二十 | Twenty | 二十人の学生。 |
| 何 | What/How many? | 何人いますか？ |
| いくつ | How many? | りんごはいくつありますか？ |
| Word | Phonetic | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 四 | "yon" is preferred to avoid confusion with 死(shi) = death | |
| 七 | "nana" is often preferred. Both are correct | |
| 十 | Long "u" sound. "j" is like English "j" |
Counter words: Japanese uses counter words for different objects: 本(hon) for long objects, 枚(mai) for flat things, 匹(hiki) for small animals. 個(ko) is general. 三本のペン = three pens.
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