Japanese Numbers

Welcome to the sixth Japanese lesson about numbers. This time we will learn about cardinal and ordinal numbers, followed by grammar rules, then animal names, finally a conversation in Japanese to help you practice your daily phrases. Click on the sound icon to hear the words.

Cardinal and Ordinal - Japanese - Pronunciation
one 一 [ichi]
first 最初の [saisho no]
two ニ [ni]
second 2番目の [ni banme no]
three 三 [san]
third 3番目の [san banme no]
four 四 [yon]
fourth 4番目の [yon banme no]
five 五 [go]
fifth 5番目の [go banme no]
six 六 [roku]
sixth 6番目の [roku banme no]
seven 七 [nana]
seventh 7番目の [nana banme no]
eight 八 [hachi]
eighth 8番目の [hati banme no]
nine 九 [kyuu]
ninth 9番目の [kyuu banme no]
ten 十 [juu]
tenth 10番目の [juu banme no]
eleven 十一 [juu ichi]
eleventh 11番目の [juu ichi banme no]
twelve 十二 [juu ni]
twelfth 12番目の [juu ni banme no]
thirteen 十三 [juu san]
thirteenth 13番目の [juu san banme no]
fourteen 十四 [juu yon]
once 1回 [ik kai]
fifteen 十五 [juu go]
twice 2回 [ni kai]
sixteen 十六 [juu roku]
Monday 月曜日 [getsuyoubi]
seventeen 十七 [juu nana]
Tuesday 火曜日 [kayoubi]
eighteen 十八 [juu hachi]
Wednesday 水曜日 [suiyoubi]
nineteen 十九 [juu kyuu]
Thursday 木曜日 [mokuyoubi]
twenty 二十 [ni juu]
Friday 金曜日 [kinyoubi]
seventy one 七十一 [nana juu ichi]
Saturday 土曜日 [doyoubi]
one hundred 百 [hyaku]
Sunday 日曜日 [nichiyoubi]

Numbers Grammar Rules

Japanese cardinal numbers refer to the counting numbers, because they show quantity. For example: I speak two languages. Ordinal numbers on the other hand tell the order of things and their rank: my first language is Japanese. The examples below use numbers in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence.

Grammar + Rules - Japanese + Pronunciation
I have three dogs [number + noun] 私は犬を3匹飼っています。 [watashi wa inu o san biki kat te i masu]
my daughter has two cats [number + noun] 私の娘は猫を2匹飼っています。 [watashi no musume wa neko o ni hiki kat te i masu]
she speaks seven languages [verb + number] 彼女は7つの言語を話せます。 [kanojo wa nana tsu no gengo o hanase masu]
my brother has one son [number + singular noun] 私の兄弟には息子が一人います。 [watashi no kyoudai ni wa musuko ga hitori i masu]
this is my second lesson [ordinal number + noun] これは私の2回目のレッスンです。 [kore wa watashi no ni kai me no ressun desu]
did you read the third book? [ordinal number + noun] あなたは3冊目の本を読みましたか？ [anata wa san satsu me no hon o yomi mashi ta ka?]

We're not done yet! The following is a list of animals.

cow 牛 [ushi]

goat ヤギ [yagi]

donkey ロバ [roba]

horse 馬 [uma]

dog 犬 [inu]

cat 猫 [neko]

mouse ネズミ [nezumi]

bird 鳥 [tori]

Conversation in Japanese

Now we finally reach the last part, the practice of the daily conversations. These phrases are used to get to know new people, and break the ice.

English - Japanese - Pronunciation
Where are you from? どこの出身ですか？ [doko no shusshin desu ka?]
I'm from the U.S 米国から来ました。 [beikoku kara ki mashi ta]
I'm American 私はアメリカ人です。 [watashi wa amerika jin desu]
Where do you live? お住まいはどちらですか？ [o sumai wa dochira desu ka?]
I live in the U.S 米国に住んでいます。 [beikoku ni sun de i masu]
What do you do for a living? お仕事は何ですか？ [o shigoto wa nan desu ka?]
I'm a student 私は学生です。 [watashi wa gakusei desu]

Did you enjoy this lesson about numbers in Japanese? I hope so, if you have any problem with this lesson contact me with questions you have homepage. You can now check the next lesson below.