5.3 Numbers 11 to 100

Now that you have a basic understanding of numbers from 0 to 10, you are well equipped to tackle larger numbers. In this module, we will guide you through the process of counting and expressing larger numbers with confidence. Let’s dive in and expand your counting skills!

Once you have learned how to count from 0 to 10 in Japanese, you can apply that knowledge to count from 11 to 99 using the following method.

 

Numbers 11 to 19

To form numbers 11 to 19, we simply add a unit number to 10 (十: じゅう: juu).

Exclamation Icon While we introduce kanji starting from Chapter 7 onwards, we have begun using basic kanji for numbers to familiarise you with these fundamental characters early on in the textbook. But don’t worry! They all have romaji readings.

Take, for example, 11, which is 十一 (じゅういち: juu-ichi), a simple combination of ‘十(じゅう: juu)’ and ‘一(いち: ichi)’.

Here are the numbers from 11 to 19, so you can see this method in action:

Kanji (Hiragana) English Romaji
十一(じゅういち) eleven juu-ichi
十二(じゅうに) twelve juu-ni
十三(じゅうさん) thirteen juu-san
十四(じゅうよん)or (じゅうし) fourteen juu-yon or juu-shi
十五(じゅうご) fifteen juu-go
十六(じゅうろく) sixteen juu-roku
十七(じゅうなな)or (じゅうしち) seventeen juu-nana or juu-shichi
十八(じゅうはち) eighteen juu-hachi
十九(じゅうきゅう) nineteen juu-kyu

Exclamation Icon Please note that when the number 9 is used at the end of a larger number, it is commonly pronounced as 九 (きゅう: kyuu). The numbers 4 and 7, however, can be either 四 (よん: yon) or (し: yo), and either 七 (なな: nana) or (しち: shichi) at the end of a larger number, respectively.

 

Numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90

Easy, isn’t it?

Now, let’s move on to double-digit numbers beyond 19. We will begin with multiples of 10, which are the numbers that end in 0, such as 20, 30, 40 and so on.

Forming these larger numbers is straightforward. We just need to say the first number followed by 十 (じゅう: juu), which means ten.

For example, 20 is 二十 (にじゅう: ni-juu), or ‘2’ and ‘10’.

Kanji (Hiragana) Romaji
20 二十(にじゅう) ni-juu
30 三十(さんじゅう) san-juu
40 四十(よんじゅう) yon-juu*
50 五十(ごじゅう) go-juu
60 六十(ろくじゅう) roku-juu
70 七十(ななじゅう) nana-juu*
80 八十(はちじゅう) hachi-juu
90 九十(きゅうじゅう) kyu-juu*
100 百(ひゃく) hyaku

Exclamation Icon Please note that when the numbers 4, 7 or 9 are used before 十 (じゅう: juu), they should be pronounced as 四 (よん: yon), 七 (なな: nana) and 九 (きゅう: kyuu), respectively.

 

Numbers 21 to 99

Last but not least, let’s explore how to form double-digit numbers that do not end in 0.

The concept is similar to the numbers from 11 to 19. Here are a few examples:

  • 21: 2-10-1 = 二十一 (にじゅういち: ni-juu-ichi)
  • 34: 3-10-4 = 三十四 (さんじゅうよん: san-juu-yon)
  • 47: 4-10-7 = 四十七 (よんじゅうなな: yon-juu-nana or よんじゅうしち: yon-juu-shichi)
  • 59: 5-10-9 = 五十九 (ごじゅうきゅう: go-juu-kyuu)

 

Number 100

The exception to note is 100, which is 百 (ひゃく: hyaku). Remember not to add 一 (いち: ichi) to 百 to denote 100; it’s simply 百. This is an important detail to memorise!

Exercise 1

In the video created by Bocchi & Pocchi, there is a review quiz at around the 3:15 mark. Additionally, the first half of the video covers how to count from 0 to 100, which you can also use for review.

 

Figures

1 Exclamation IconExclamation sign font awesome” by Dave Gandy. Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC by SA 3.0.

 

References

Bocchi & Pocchi. “Learn Japanese for Kids with Bocchi & Pocchi | Numbers 11-100.” YouTube video, 5:58. March 18, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqxI9FIH460.

 

 

 

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Japanese Introductory 1 Copyright © 2024 by Iori Hamada is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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