Lesson 21 · about 5 minutes
Numbers 1–10 and yen
ichi · ni · san · yon / shi · go · roku · nana / shichi · hachi · kyuu / ku · juu · en
いち・に・さん・よん・ご・ろく・なな・はち・きゅう・じゅう・えん
You'll learn numbers 1–10 and how to read a price in yen.
The words
| Romaji | Japanese | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ichi | いち | いち | 1 | |
| ni | に | に | 2 | |
| san | さん | さん | 3 | |
| yon / shi | よん / し | よん | 4 | |
| go | ご | ご | 5 | |
| roku | ろく | ろく | 6 | |
| nana / shichi | なな / しち | なな | 7 | |
| hachi | はち | はち | 8 | |
| kyuu / ku | きゅう / く | きゅう | 9 | |
| juu | じゅう | じゅう | 10 | |
| en | えん | えん | yen (¥) |
How they differ
Say the number, then えん (en) for a price: 「ひゃくえん」(hyaku en) "100 yen," 「さんえん」(san en) "3 yen."
For 4, 7, and 9 you'll hear two forms. In prices and counting, よん / なな / きゅう are the safest everyday picks. し / しち / く show up in set phrases (like しがつ for April, くじ for 9 o'clock).
Quick add-on (not a full lesson):
ひゃく (hyaku): 100
せん (sen): 1,000
So 「ごひゃくえん」(gohyaku en) = 500 yen, 「にせんえん」(nisen en) = 2,000 yen.
Say them as a rhythm: いち・に・さん・よん・ご・ろく・なな・はち・きゅう・じゅう. Stick えん on the end for money: number + えん = the price.
One line: number + えん = yen price.
Next: How to ask for something politely: 〜をください / お願いします (~ o kudasai / onegai shimasu).
See it in a sentence
ikura desu ka? hyaku en desu
いくら ですか? ひゃくえん です。
How much? It's 100 yen. (polite)
gohyaku en desu
ごひゃくえん です。
It's 500 yen. (polite)
nisen en kudasai
にせんえん ください。
2,000 yen, please. (polite)
san en desu
さんえん です。
It's 3 yen. (polite)
juu en desu
じゅうえん です。
It's 10 yen. (polite)
Watch out
よん (yon) vs し (shi) = both mean 4; prefer よん for prices なな (nana) vs しち (shichi) = both mean 7; prefer なな for prices きゅう (kyuu) vs く (ku) = both mean 9; prefer きゅう for prices
Try it
In your next story, find a price with えん (en) or a number from いち to じゅう. Say the full amount out loud in Japanese.
Check against the lesson cluster and say it out loud.