JLPT N5 Numbers: Counting System, Reading, and Practice Questions

Numbers are an essential part of learning Japanese, and mastering them is crucial for JLPT N5. This post covers the complete counting system, readings, special rules, and practice examples to help beginners get comfortable with Japanese numbers in real life.

1. Basic Numbers 0–10

Number	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading / Pronunciation
0	零	れい	rei
1	一	いち	ichi
2	二	に	ni
3	三	さん	san
4	四	し / よん	shi / yon
5	五	ご	go
6	六	ろく	roku
7	七	しち / なな	shichi / nana
8	八	はち	hachi
9	九	きゅう / く	kyuu / ku
10	十	じゅう	juu

2. Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands

Once you know 1–10, numbers from 11–99 are created by combining tens and units.

• 11 = 十一 (じゅういち / juu-ichi)
• 25 = 二十五 (にじゅうご / ni-juu-go)
• 100 = 百 (ひゃく / hyaku)
• 200 = 二百 (にひゃく / ni-hyaku)
• 1,000 = 千 (せん / sen)
• 10,000 = 万 (まん / man)

3. Special Reading Rules

• 300 = 三百 (さんびゃく / sanbyaku)
• 600 = 六百 (ろっぴゃく / roppyaku)
• 800 = 八百 (はっぴゃく / happyaku)
• 3,000 = 三千 (さんぜん / sanzen)
• 8,000 = 八千 (はっせん / hassen)

4. Counters for Objects

Japanese uses counters depending on the type of object.

• つ = general counter (1つ, 2つ…)
• 人 (にん) = people (一人 / ひとり, 二人 / ふたり)
• 匹 (ひき) = small animals (犬一匹 / いぬいっぴき)
• 本 (ほん) = long objects (鉛筆一本 / えんぴついっぽん)
• 枚 (まい) = flat objects (紙一枚 / かみいちまい)

5. Practice Questions

Test your knowledge of numbers and counters:

1. Write “7 apples” using the correct counter.
2. How do you say “14 students” in Japanese?
3. Translate “3 pencils” into Japanese.
4. Say “Next week is Monday” using the correct numbers.
5. How do you write 1,000 in kanji?

6. Tips for Memorization

• Group numbers by tens to make them easier to remember.
• Use flashcards with Kanji and readings.
• Practice with real-life counting (money, objects, dates).
• Repeat the special readings (300, 600, 800, 3,000, 8,000) frequently.