The order of months, days, and numbers is fundamental.
Remembering this difference will help you use dates correctly.
For example, in English-speaking countries, people say:
When September 19th is read aloud, it is pronounced “September nineteenth.”
In writing, the formats are:
Japanese numbers are read in two ways: “cardinal numbers” (how many) and “ordinal numbers” (what order). A key characteristic is that pronunciation changes significantly depending on what is being counted, such as objects, people, or dates.
We have summarized the key points to make them easy to understand, whether you are teaching foreigners or organizing the information for yourself.
💡1. How to Read Basic Numbers (1–10) Japanese numbers are broadly divided into two reading systems: “On-yomi” (Chinese-derived readings) and “Kun-yomi” (native Japanese readings).
| Number | On-yomi (Chinese-derived) | Kun-yomi (Native Japanese) | Main Usage | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | イチ (ichi) | hitotsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 2 | ニ (ni) | futatsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 3 | サン (san) | mittsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 4 | シ / ヨン (shi / yon) | yottsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 5 | ゴ (go) | itsutsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 6 | ロク (roku) | muttsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 7 | シチ / ナナ (shichi / nana) | nanatsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 8 | ハチ (hachi) | yattsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 9 | ク / キュウ (ku / kyū) | kokonotsu | Quantities, age, etc. | | 10 | ジュウ (jū) | tō | Quantities, age, etc. |
2. Key Points When Teaching Foreigners Japanese numbers can be difficult for three main reasons:
① The counter and its pronunciation change depending on what is being counted In English, you simply say "one apple" or "one person." In Japanese, however, the counter changes depending on the object's shape or category.