Learn basic Japanese number vocabulary and how to count from 20 to 100
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| 二十二 (ni-jū ni) |
| 三十三 (san-jū san) |
| 四十四 (yon-jū yon) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Japanese number vocabulary from 21 to 100. |
| Before we start, did you know that the number 39 can mean "thank you" in Japanese? Why is that? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| 二十一 (ni-jū ichi) |
| "twenty-one" |
| [SLOW] 二十一 (ni-jū ichi) |
| 二十一 (ni-jū ichi) |
| The word for “one” (一) is usually pronounced "ichi", but when counting things, it often changes with a small pause, like: |
| 21 years old → nijuu issai (not ichisai) |
| 21 bottles → nijuu ippon (not ichihon) |
| 21 times → nijuu ikkai (not ichikai) |
| We are in 21世紀 (21st century). |
| Lina comments on a skyscraper to Susan. |
| Lina: あのビルを見てください。二十一階建てですよ。 (Ano biru o mite kudasai. Ni-jū ikkai date desu yo.) |
| Susan: この街で一番高いですね。 (Kono machi de ichiban takai desu ne.) |
| 二十二 (ni-jū ni) |
| "twenty-two" |
| [SLOW] 二十二 (ni-jū ni) |
| 二十二 (ni-jū ni) |
| In Japanese number wordplay, 2 is read as “に”, and “にゃん” is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat’s meow. |
| So February 22nd (2/22) is celebrated as 猫の日（ねこのひ）= Cat Day in Japan! |
| → Because it sounds like にゃんにゃんにゃん. |
| Susan and Steve select a birthday present for Steve's friend. |
| Susan: このシャツはどうですか。前に二十二と書いてあります。 (Kono shatsu wa dō desu ka. Mae ni ni-ju ni to kaite arimasu.) |
| Steve: いいですね！二十二は彼女の好きな数字です。 (Ii desu ne! Ni-jū ni wa kanojo no suki na sūji desu.) |
| 三十三 (san-jū san) |
| "thirty-three" |
| [SLOW] 三十三 (san-jū san) |
| 三十三 (san-jū san) |
| Have you heard of 厄年（やくどし）? |
| It refers to the so-called “unlucky years” in Japan. |
| For example, age 33 for women and 42 for men are considered 厄年. |
| But don’t worry—it’s not all bad! Many people take this as a chance to reflect, reset, and bring in positive energy. |
| Visiting a shrine to pray for good fortune is a common tradition—and a great way to feel more hopeful and refreshed! |
| Oscar tells Tom about a book on photography. |
| Oscar: この写真ガイドは便利ですよ。三十三ページあります。 (Kono shashin gaido wa benri desu yo. San-jū san-pēji arimasu.) |
| Tom: いいですね。早く読めます。 (Ii desu ne. Hayaku yomemasu.) |
| 四十四 (yon-jū yon) |
| "forty-four" |
| [SLOW] 四十四 (yon-jū yon) |
| 四十四 (yon-jū yon) |
| In Japanese, 44 can be read as shi-juu-shi. |
| Since “shi” sounds like “death,” some people avoid it—just like 13 in Western cultures. |
| Oscar and Steve discuss the curriculum for an online photography course. |
| Oscar: クイズは何個作りましょうか。 (Kuizu wa nan-ko tsukurimashō ka.) |
| Steve: 今年は四十四個のクイズをします。 (Kotoshi wa yon-jū yon-ko no kuizu o shimasu.) |
| 五十五 (go-jū go) |
| "fifty-five" |
| [SLOW] 五十五 (go-jū go) |
| 五十五 (go-jū go) |
| Alright, here we go—55 jumps! Let's do this! |
| 縄跳びを55回跳びます。 |
| Susan and Lina chat about their TV service providers. |
| Susan: 私の新しいテレビはチャンネルが五十五個あります。 (Watashi no atarashii terebi wa chan'neru ga go-jū go-ko arimasu.) |
| Lina: すごいですね！ (Sugoi desu ne!) |
| 六十六 (roku-jū roku) |
| "sixty-six" |
| [SLOW] 六十六 (roku-jū roku) |
| 六十六 (roku-jū roku) |
| Speaking of 66, there’s the iconic Route 66 in America — a name that’s familiar even to many Japanese. |
| Tom tells Steve about his morning workout. |
| Tom: 今朝、六十六分走りました。 (Kesa, roku-jū roppun hashirimashita.) |
| Steve: すごいですね！ (Sugoi desu ne!) |
| 七十七 (nana-jū nana) |
| "seventy-seven" |
| [SLOW] 七十七 (nana-jū nana) |
| 七十七 (nana-jū nana) |
| There are special celebration ages for longevity in Japan. |
| One of them is for age 77, called Kiju (喜寿). |
| Susan and Steve look for their friend's apartment in a large apartment complex. |
| Susan: 彼の部屋番号は何ですか。 (Kare no heya bangō wa nan desu ka.) |
| Steve: 七十七です。 (Nana-jū nana desu.) |
| 八十八 (hachi-jū hachi) |
| "eighty-eight" |
| [SLOW] 八十八 (hachi-jū hachi) |
| 八十八 (hachi-jū hachi) |
| Did you know there’s also a special celebration for turning 88? |
| It’s called Beiju (米寿) — the “rice celebration.” The first kanji, 米 (べい / こめ), means rice. |
| Why rice? |
| Because the character 米 actually looks like the numbers 8, 10, and 8 in kanji. |
| So… 8 + 10 + 8 = 88! |
| Yoko tells Kaname about her fast growing company. |
| Yoko: 私たちの会社は大きくなっています。今、八十八人の従業員がいます。 (Watashi-tachi no kaisha wa ōkiku natte imasu. Ima, hachi-jū hachi-nin no jūgyōin ga imasu.) |
| Kaname: それはすごいですね！ (Sore wa sugoi desu ne!) |
| 九十九 (kyū-jū kyū) |
| "ninety-nine" |
| [SLOW] 九十九 (kyū-jū kyū) |
| 九十九 (kyū-jū kyū) |
| And there’s a special celebration for turning 99, too! |
| It’s called Hakuju (白寿) — the “white celebration.” |
| Why “white”? |
| Because if you take the kanji for 100 (百) and remove the top stroke, you get 白, which means “white.” |
| So, 100 minus 1 = 99! |
| Susan chats about her friend's family with Lina. |
| Susan: 信じられますか。彼のおじいさんは九十九歳ですよ。 (Shinjiraremasu ka. Kare no o-jii-san wa kyū-jū kyū-sai desu yo.) |
| Lina: わあ！もっと若く見えますね。 (Wā! Motto wakaku miemasu ne.) |
| 百 (hyaku) |
| "one hundred" |
| [SLOW] 百 (hyaku) |
| 百 (hyaku) |
| Have you heard this Japanese proverb 百聞は一見に如かず? |
| It literally means "Hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once," meaning that seeing or experiencing something for yourself is much more valuable than just hearing about it many times. |
| Steve chats about his new teaching job with Jack. |
| Jack: 学校の大きさはどのくらいですか。 (Gakkō no ōkisa wa dono kurai desu ka.) |
| Steve: かなり小さいです。百人の学生がいます。 (Kanari chiisai desu. Hyaku-nin no gakusei ga imasu.) |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Japanese. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "twenty-one"? |
| 二十一 (ni-jū ichi) |
| 二十一 (ni-jū ichi) |
| And how to say "twenty-two"? |
| 二十二 (ni-jū ni) |
| 二十二 (ni-jū ni) |
| How about "thirty-three"? |
| 三十三 (san-jū san) |
| 三十三 (san-jū san) |
| Do you remember how to say "forty-four"? |
| 四十四 (yon-jū yon) |
| 四十四 (yon-jū yon) |
| And how to say "fifty-five"? |
| 五十五 (go-jū go) |
| 五十五 (go-jū go) |
| Let's try "sixty-six"! |
| 六十六 (roku-jū roku) |
| 六十六 (roku-jū roku) |
| What about "seventy-seven"? |
| 七十七 (nana-jū nana) |
| 七十七 (nana-jū nana) |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "eighty-eight"! |
| 八十八 (hachi-jū hachi) |
| 八十八 (hachi-jū hachi) |
| Another one! What about "ninety-nine"? |
| 九十九 (kyū-jū kyū) |
| 九十九 (kyū-jū kyū) |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "one hundred"? |
| 百 (hyaku) |
| 百 (hyaku) |
| Did you know that the number 39 can mean "thank you" in Japanese? How do you think this number says thanks? |
| In Japanese, the numbers 3 and 9 sound like "san-kyū," which closely resembles the English phrase "thank you." It's a playful way that people sometimes use numbers to say thanks in text messages and chats! |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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