Now that you know the basics of Japanese numbers up to 99, let's expand your knowledge to numbers in the hundreds, thousands, and even ten-thousands! Japanese uses a logical, pattern-based system for large numbers, but there are a few pronunciation quirks and cultural notes to keep in mind.
Counting by Hundreds and Thousands
Hundreds: The word for 100 is ひゃく (hyaku). To form numbers like 200, 300, etc., simply add the number in front of "hyaku".
Thousands: The word for 1,000 is せん (sen). To form numbers like 2,000, 3,000, etc., add the number in front of "sen".
Ten-thousand: The word for 10,000 is まん (man). Japanese counts in units of 10,000, not 1,000!
| Number | Hiragana | Romaji | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | ひゃく | hyaku | 100 |
| 200 | にひゃく | nihyaku | 2 x 100 |
| 300 | さんびゃく | sanbyaku | 3 x 100 (note the sound change!) |
| 600 | ろっぴゃく | roppyaku | 6 x 100 (sound change!) |
| 800 | はっぴゃく | happyaku | 8 x 100 (sound change!) |
| 1,000 | せん | sen | 1,000 |
| 3,000 | さんぜん | sanzen | 3 x 1,000 (sound change!) |
| 8,000 | はっせん | hassen | 8 x 1,000 (sound change!) |
| 10,000 | いちまん | ichiman | 1 x 10,000 |
| 10,000 (alt) | まん | man | 10,000 |
📝 Notes and Fun Facts:
| Number | Hiragana | Romaji | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | ひゃくにじゅうさん | hyaku nijuu san | 100 + 20 + 3 |
| 1,234 | せんにひゃくさんじゅうよん | sen nihyaku sanjuu yon | 1,000 + 200 + 30 + 4 |
| 5,678 | ごせんろっぴゃくななじゅうはち | gosen roppyaku nanajuu hachi | 5,000 + 600 + 70 + 8 |
| 10,000 | いちまん | ichiman | 1 x 10,000 |
| 12,345 | いちまんにせんさんびゃくよんじゅうご | ichiman nisen sanbyaku yonjuu go | 10,000 + 2,000 + 300 + 40 + 5 |
🎯Practice Tip: Try writing out large numbers in Japanese and saying them aloud. Remember to group by 10,000s!