JLPT N5 · Vocabulary by topic
JLPT N5 Japanese Numbers and Counters
How to count to a billion in Japanese, plus the 10 essential counters every learner needs.
Why this list
Numbers at N5 are deceptively important. Japanese counters mean that the same number changes its reading depending on what you're counting (ichi-jikan, ippun, ichi-mai, hitori). Learning the 10 most common counters early saves you embarrassment in restaurants and at ticket counters.
The four irregular readings (4: yon vs shi; 7: nana vs shichi; 9: kyū vs ku; 0: rei vs zero) cause the most beginner confusion. Memorize which reading is preferred per counter rather than trying to derive a rule.
The 24 words
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | いち | ichi | one |
| 二 | に | ni | two |
| 三 | さん | san | three |
| 四 | よん/し | yon/shi | four |
| 五 | ご | go | five |
| 六 | ろく | roku | six |
| 七 | なな/しち | nana/shichi | seven |
| 八 | はち | hachi | eight |
| 九 | きゅう/く | kyū/ku | nine |
| 十 | じゅう | jū | ten |
| 百 | ひゃく | hyaku | hundred |
| 千 | せん | sen | thousand |
| 万 | まん | man | ten thousand |
| 一つ | ひとつ | hitotsu | one (generic) |
| 二つ | ふたつ | futatsu | two (generic) |
| 一人 | ひとり | hitori | one person |
| 二人 | ふたり | futari | two people |
| ~時 | ~じ | -ji | o'clock (counter) |
| ~分 | ~ふん/ぷん | -fun/-pun | minute (counter) |
| ~歳 | ~さい | -sai | years old (counter) |
| ~枚 | ~まい | -mai | flat objects (counter) |
| ~本 | ~ほん/ぽん/ぼん | -hon/-pon/-bon | long objects (counter) |
| ~階 | ~かい | -kai | floor of a building (counter) |
| ~回 | ~かい | -kai | times, occurrences (counter) |
Common questions
Why does 4 have two readings?+
Yon is the native Japanese reading; shi is the Sino-Japanese (and homophone with 死 — death). Most counters prefer yon to avoid the death overlap. Shi appears in compound words (四月 shigatsu, April; 四時 yoji has the unique reading yoji not shi-ji).
Do I need to learn all the counters?+
No. Learn 10 high-frequency ones (people, days, hours, minutes, ages, floors, generic things, flat objects, long objects, occurrences) and use the generic -tsu (hitotsu, futatsu) as a fallback when you forget the specific one.
How do I say 'twenty years old' in Japanese?+
Hatachi (二十歳). It's a unique reading you have to memorize — not nijū-sai. Every other age uses the regular -sai counter (25-sai, 30-sai, etc.).
Related
These 24 words are part of this site's themed N5 editorial selection. Inku's mobile app expands that into a 551-card N5 bundle with bundled pronunciation audio and FSRS spaced review. Download Inku.