1. Basics of the
Japanese Language
Lunch-time sessions at PCC
By Peter Missen
Session 3
Numbers
2. Recap of previous session
Any questions about the previous session?
Formal greeting
hajimemashite - How do you do? (first time)
blah blah blah – information about yourself
douzo yoroshiku - Nice to meet you.
Share these?
3. Objectives for this session
Basic numbers
Numbers up to to 99
Bigger numbers, 100 onwards…
Useful sentences with numbers
– Age
– Prices
– Telephone numbers
Grammar – Counters
More sounds
4. Basic Numbers
rei/zero – Zero 零 / ゼロ
ichi – One 一
ni – Two 二
san – Three 三
shi/yon – Four 四
go – Five 五
roku – Six 六
shichi/nana – Seven 七
hachi – Eight 八
kyuu/ku – Nine 九
juu – Ten 十
5. Numbers up to 99
In Japanese number use is very straightforward
(unlike French!)
Pattern is: Number of tens TEN number of units
For example
19 = 10 9 juu kyuu
21 = 2 10 1 ni juu ichi
37 = 3 10 7 san juu nana
88 = 8 10 8 hachi juu hachi
95 = 9 10 5 kyuu juu go
6. Bigger Number basics
hyaku – hundred 百
sen – thousand 千
man – ten thousand 万
The ten thousand unit means numbers are not
conveniently grouped in 3s.
– For example: 1 million is 100 ten thousands.
7. Bigger Numbers example
57,248
go man nana sen ni hyaku yon juu hachi
– 5 ten thousands
– 7 thousands
– 2 hundreds
– 4 tens
– and eight…
五万七千二百四十八
8. Useful sentences - Age
To say your own age.
watashi wa “number” sai desu.
sai = counter for age
e.g. watashi wa nijuunana sai desu.
I am 27 years old.
私は二十七才です。
9. Useful sentences - Age
Question: nan sai desu ka. (How old?)
何歳ですか。 sai = counter for age
Reply: Number sai desu.
e.g. gojuusan sai desu. (53 years)
五十三才です。
( 才 is generally used as a substitute for 歳 .
But 才 is not a simplified kanji of 歳 .)
10. Useful sentences - prices
en – Yen 円 (symbol ¥)
Question: ikura desu ka (How much?)
いくらですか。
Example reply: 2,500 en desu. (2,500 yen)
ni sen go hyaku en desu.
二千五百円です。
11. Useful sentences – telephone number
Question: denwa bangou wa nan ban desu ka.
What is your telephone number?
電話番号は何番ですか。
– denwa = telephone (2 kanji: electricity + talk)
– bangou = number (2 kanji: number + order)
– ban = number
Example reply: 023-92841443
zero ni san no kyuu ni hachi yon ichi yon yon san desu.
ゼロ二三の九二八四一四四三です
。
12. Grammar - Counters
A grammar concept that is a bit more tricky than in
English
Format is: number/counter/thing
For example,
12/slender things/rose (12 roses)
Juuni hon bara.
十二本バラ。
13. Sample Counters
hon - slender things 本
mae - flat things 前
wa – birds 羽
nin – people 人
hiki - small animals 匹
paku - overnight stays 泊
kuchi – mouthfuls 口
hai – cups 杯
14. Making more hiragana sounds
g sounds - modify the k sounds
z sounds - modify the s sounds
d sounds - modify the t sounds
b sounds - modify the h sounds
p sounds - modify the h sounds
15. Making more hiragana sounds
ka + dashes = ga
sa + dashes = za
ta + dashes = da
ha + dashes = ba
ha + a circle = pa
16. Making more hiragana sounds
ga gi gu ge go が ぎ ぐ げ ご
za ji zu ze zo ざ じ ず ぜ ぞ
da ji zu de do だ ぢ づ で ど
ba bi bu be bo ば び ぶ べ ぼ
pa pi pu pe po ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ
17. Homework
Nothing compulsory
Suggestions
– Work out some numbers that mean something
to you.
– If the Yen:Pound exchange rate is 130:1 work
out the Japanese price for a few items.