see how to read numbers in japanese even though they are in large quantities!
Hello students of this wonderful language!
Well, by the title you already know what we're going to deal with here, so let's get down to business!
Many students have difficulties with japanese numbers, even more if the numbers are large, such as:
234.567
But don't despair, there is a way to make this jumble of numbers more practical and easier.
Article Summary
How to read numbers in Japanese
Where to start?
Extremely Large Japanese Numbers
You don't need to memorize or anything like that, just pay attention to the graphic below.
Looking like this seems difficult, but as long as you know the base numbers, it will be very easy to find your way here.
How to read extremely large numbers in Japanese?
The biggest problem with Japanese numbers is: Where are the dots?
The Japanese number system is based on four decimal places, not just three as in the West. Thus, as we can see in the graph, the correct separation is:
0000.0000
What ends up confusing a lot is that the Japanese also use the dot in the same place as the Westerners, in other words:
000.000.000
How to solve this problem?
Simple, with the chart you don't need to focus on where the point is or isn't.
Where to start?
We will start with a small number.
224
Since you know that these three numbers are in ichi's house (one), then you can read it easily.
2- at hyaku's house
2- at juu's house
4- at ichi's house (remembering that this only reads the number, without any complement)
The final reading is:
nihyaku nijuu yon
Simple isn't it?
And with a bigger number?
522.536
Considering that this number has the dot in the "wrong" place, this number in Japanese would be:
52.2536
Four numbers are in ichi's house, and another two are in man's house. So we start at the man's house.
5- at juu's house
2- at ichi's house
gojuu niman
Just add the man at the end of the house.
2- at your home
5- at hyaku's house
3- at Juu's house
6- at ichi's house
nisen gohyaku sanjuu roku
Complete: gojuu niman nisen gohyaku sanjuu roku.
Ready, simple, fast and easy.
You don't need to worry if they find a huge number on a website or magazine, or if they find a number written in the Western way, meaning with the period after just three decimal places.
Once you understand, and I emphasize, understand and not memorize, it will be impossible to forget.
If you hear doubts, make the table mentally.
In extremely large Japanese numbers
Unless you work in a bank and do accounts with hundreds of thousands of yen or you work with something extremely bulky it is very difficult for you to use these large numbers, but I will use it as an example just to get it sticking right in your heads.
2. 4456.7463
Come on?
niok yonsen yonhyaku gojuu rokuman nanasen yonhyaku rokujuu san.
Long but totally effective!
exceptions
And finally, the exceptions.
Calm down, it's not like Portuguese, which always seems to have more exceptions than rules.
US japanese numbers there are only five exceptions.
300 – instead of being san hyaku, it should read as sanbyaku
600 – instead of being roku hyaku, it should read as roppyaku
800 – instead of being hachi hyaku, it should read as happyaku
3000 – instead of being san sen, it should read as sanzen
8000 – instead of being hachi sen, it should be read as hassen
Realize that even in these, there is no need to memorize anything. The ways in which they should be read are much more fluid when speaking than the ways that should be correct.
Over time, your tongue will thank you for “making it easy” for it, and your head will also find it easier to speak what is simpler and faster.
Until next time and good studies!