5.1. Small numbers


5.1.1. Small integers


Being completely decimal, the way of counting numbers ((ka)(zu) /ka' zu/ "kazu") in Japanese is much easier than in English, considering English has traces of non-decimal systems such as duodecimal (eleven and twelve), vigesimal (thirteen through nineteen), and centesimal (twenty through ninety).

NumberJapaneseDescription
0
Hiragana:(re)(i)
Phonemes:re'i
Romanization:rei
 The word (ze)(ro) /ze' ro/ "zero" also means zero. The word (ma)(ru) /ma ru/ "maru", which means a circle, is the same as oh in English and often used for zeros in phone numbers etc.
1
Hiragana:(i)(ti)
Phonemes:iti'
Romanization:ichi
 -
2
Hiragana:(ni)
Phonemes:ni'
Romanization:ni
 -
3
Hiragana:(sa)(n)
Phonemes:saN
Romanization:san
 -
4
Hiragana:(yo)(n)
Phonemes:yo'N
Romanization:yon
 Another word (si) /si'/ "shi" also means four, but you cannot combine it with units. It is less colloquial and less useful.
5
Hiragana:(go)
Phonemes:go'
Romanization:go
 -
6
Hiragana:(ro)(ku)
Phonemes:roku'
Romanization:roku
-
7
Hiragana:(na)(na)
Phonemes:na'na
Romanization:nana
 Another word (si)(ti) /si ti'/ "shichi" also means seven, but you cannot combine it with units. It is less colloquial and less useful.
8
Hiragana:(ha)(ti)
Phonemes:hati'
Romanization:hachi
 -
9
Hiragana:(ki)(small yu)(u)
Phonemes:kyu'u
Romanization:kyû
 Another word (ku) /ku'/ "ku" also means nine, but you cannot combine it with units. It is less colloquial and less useful.
10
Hiragana:(zi)(small yu)(u)
Phonemes:zyu'u
Romanization:jû
 -
11
Hiragana:(zi)(small yu)(u)(i)(ti)
Phonemes:zyuuiti'
Romanization:jûichi
10
(zi)(small yu)(u)		+1
(i)(ti)
12
Hiragana:(zi)(small yu)(u)(ni)
Phonemes:zyuuni'
Romanization:jûni
10
(zi)(small yu)(u)		+2
(ni)
.........
20
Hiragana:(ni)(zi)(small yu)(u)
Phonemes:ni'zyuu
Romanization:nijû
2
(ni)		×10
(zi)(small yu)(u)
21
Hiragana:(ni)(zi)(small yu)(u)(i)(ti)
Phonemes:ni'zyuuiti'
Romanization:nijûichi
2
(ni)		×10
(zi)(small yu)(u)		+1
(i)(ti)
.........
30
Hiragana:(sa)(n)(zi)(small yu)(u)
Phonemes:sa'Nzyuu
Romanization:sanjû
3
(sa)(n)		×10
(zi)(small yu)(u)
.........
100
Hiragana:(hi)(small ya)(ku)
Phonemes:hyaku'
Romanization:hyaku
 -
.........
1000
Hiragana:(se)(n)
Phonemes:se'N
Romanization:sen
 -

To read numbers in Japanese, just read pairs of digits (2, 3, ...) and units (10, 100, ...). For example, the number 452 is pronounced as (yo)(n) /yo' N/ "yon" (hi)(small ya)(ku) /hya ku'/ "hyaku" (go) /go'/ "go" (zi)(small yu)(u) /zyu' u/ "jû" (ni) /ni'/ "ni", which means 4 × 100 + 5 × 10 + 2.

If a digit is zero, omit both the digit and the unit. If a digit is one, just say only the unit.

Don't you think it is quite simple?

5.1.2. Phoneme modification


There is a rule to change pronunciations, and it is a little bit complicated. The phonemes of some combinations of a digit and a unit are modified for ease of pronunciation. This rule is applied only for units which begin with voiceless phonemes (/k/, /s/, /t/, /h/, and /p/). Note that units don't combine with the trailing digit. Pronouncing numbers without using this rule is still understandable.
The rule is listed below. I think using phonemes is easier to understand.

Last kana
of number		NumbersFirst kana
of unit		Combination
(ku)
/- ku/
"-ku" 		(ro)(ku) /ro ku'/ "roku",
(hi)(small ya)(ku) /hya ku'/*1 "hyaku" 		(ka), (ki), (ku), (ke), (ko)
/k-/
"k-" 		(small tu)(ka), (small tu)(ki), (small tu)(ku), (small tu)(ke), (small tu)(ko)
/- Q k-/
"-kk-"
(ha), (hi), (hu), (he), (ho)
/h-/
"h-", "f-" 		(small tu)(pa), (small tu)(pi), (small tu)(pu), (small tu)(pe), (small tu)(po)
/- Q p-/
"-pp-"
(ti)
/- ti/
"-chi"

and

(zi)(small yu)(u)
/zyu' u/
"jû" 		(i)(ti) /i ti'/ "ichi",
(ha)(ti) /ha ti'/ "hachi",
(zi)(small yu)(u) /zyu' u/*1 "jû" 		(ka), (ki), (ku), (ke), (ko)
/k-/
"k-" 		(small tu)(ka), (small tu)(ki), (small tu)(ku), (small tu)(ke), (small tu)(ko)
/- Q k-/
"-kk-"
(sa), (si), (su), (se), (so)
/s-/
"s-", "sh-" 		(small tu)(sa), (small tu)(si), (small tu)(su), (small tu)(se), (small tu)(so)
/- Q s-/
"-ss-", "-ssh-"
(ta), (ti), (tu), (te), (to)
/t-/
"t-", "ch-", "ts-" 		(small tu)(ta), (small tu)(ti), (small tu)(tu), (small tu)(te), (small tu)(to)
/- Q t-/
"-tt-", "-tch-", "-tts-"
(ha), (hi), (hu), (he), (ho)
/h-/
"h-", "f-" 		(small tu)(pa), (small tu)(pi), (small tu)(pu), (small tu)(pe), (small tu)(po)
/- Q p-/
"-pp-"
(n)
/-N/
"- n"

except for

(yo)(n)
/yo N/
"yon" 		(sa)(n) /sa N/ "san",
(se)(n) /se'N/*1 "SE n",
(ma)(n) /ma' N/*2 "man" 		(ha), (hi), (hu), (he), (ho)
/h-/
"h-", "f-" 		(n)(ba), (n)(bi), (n)(bu), (n)(be), (n)(bo)
/- N b-/
"-mb-"
(sa)(n)
/sa N/
"san" 		(sa)(n) /sa N/ "san" (se)(n)
/se' N/
"sen" 		(se)(n)(ze)(n)
/sa N ze' N/
"sanzen"
(yo)(n)
/yo N/
"yon" 		(yo)(n) /yo' N/ "yon" (na), (ni), (nu), (ne), (no)
/n-/
"n-" 		(yo)(na), (yo)(ni), (yo)(nu), (yo)(ne), (yo)(no)
/yo n-/
"yon-"

*1: Even though they are not digits but units, they can combine with the trailing units when they are the last word in a group. See the chapters of large numbers and counters.
*2: Explained in the chapter of large numbers.


Number examples:
NumbersDigits and unitsDescription
156
Digits and units:100+5 × 10+6
Hiragana:(hi)(small ya)(ku)(go)(zi)(small yu)(u)(ro)(ku)
Phonemes:hyaku'gozyuu'roku'
Romanization:hyakugojûroku
 Omit the digit of 100.
7008
Digits and units:7 × 1000+8
Hiragana:(na)(na)(se)(n)(ha)(ti)
Phonemes:nanase'Nhati'
Romanization:nanasenhachi
 Omit the digits and units of 100 and 10.
392
Digits and units:3 × 100+9 × 10+2
Hiragana:(sa)(n)(bi)(small ya)(ku)(ki)(small yu)(u)(zi)(small yu)(u)(ni)
Phonemes:sa'Nbyakukyu'uzyuuni'
Romanization:sambyakukyûjûni
 /sa N/ × /hya ku'/ = /sa' N bya ku/
("san" × "hyaku" = "sambyaku")
213
Digits and units:2 × 100+10+3
Hiragana:(ni)(hi)(small ya)(ku)(zi)(small yu)(u)(sa)(n)
Phonemes:nihyaku'zyu'usa'N
Romanization:nihyakujûsan
 Not /... zyu Q sa' N/ ("...jussan")

5.1.3. Decimals


The way to read decimals ((si)(small yo)(u)(su)(u) /syo u su' u/ "shôsû") in Japanese is similar to English. The decimal delimeter in Japanese is a period (not Japanese period but European period). To read decimals in Japanese, read the integer part first. Then say (te)(n) /te' N/ "ten", which is the Japanese word for point, and say plain digit names after that. Omitting zero before a decimal point is not allowed in Japanese.

The phoneme modification rule is applied for the word (te)(n) /te' N/ "ten", so number 1.3 should be pronounced as (i)(small tu)(te)(n)(sa)(n) /i' Q te N sa N/ "itten san".

There is a detailed rule to make pronunciations rhythmical. You can skip this part. The digit immediately before a decimal point is paired with the decimal point, and the digits after the decimal point are paired every two digits. In those pairs, the digit 2 is pronounced as not (ni) /ni'/ "ni" but (ni)(long) /ni' i/ "nî", and the digit 5 is pronounced as not (go) /go'/ "go" but (go)(long) /go' o/ "gô". These different phonemes guarantee that all digits have two syllables, which means the same length of time for each digit, so you have a less chance to misunderstand.

For example, number 22.252 has two pronunciation pairs: '2.' and '25'. So its phoneme becomes (ni)(zi)(small yu)(u)(ni)(long)(te)(n)(ni)(long)(go)(long)(ni) /ni' zyu u ni' i te N ni i go' o ni'/ "nijû nîten nîgô ni". The last digit 2 is not paired, so its phoneme is not affected.

Native Japanese speakers are not aware of the rule, even though they actually use it. The reason why they read decimals with the rule is that the Japanese language has a strong preference for four-beat rhythm. Making pairs of digits and pronouncing each of them in four syllables satisfies the preference. Actually the rule is used not only for decimals but for all number sequences as well, such as phone numbers. In addition, most colloquial abbreviations of complex words also have four syllables. Please remember Japanese syllables have the same length of time.

Eight-beat rhythm is preferred as well as four-beat rhythm. You may have heard of (ha)(i)(ku) /ha i ku/ "haiku", a Japanese traditional poem style. A haiku contains three phrases, which have five, seven, and five syllables respectively, and one of which has a word related to a season. The first phrase is pronounced with three rests, the second is with one rest, and the third is also with three rests, so they make eight-beat rhythm.


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