Numbers & Particles は and の
Learning Objectives
- Read and write Kanji for numbers 1-10 and large units (100, 1000, 10000).
- Use the particle は (wa) to define the topic of a sentence.
- Use the particle の (no) to show possession and link nouns.
- Understand the cultural significance of numbers in Japan.
Now that you can read the phonetic scripts, it’s time to introduce Kanji—characters that represent meanings. We’ll start with the most basic building blocks: numbers. Additionally, we will learn how to connect these words into simple sentences using Particles, the “grammatical glue” of the Japanese language.
1. Kanji for Numbers (一 〜 十)
Japanese numbers from 1 to 10 are simple pictographs or symbols.
イチ (ichi)
ひと (hito)
- 一【いち】One
- 一つ【ひとつ】One thing
- 一月【いちがつ】January
ニ (ni)
ふた (futa)
- 二【に】Two
- 二つ【ふたつ】Two things
- 二月【にがつ】February
サン (san)
みっ (mit)
- 三【さん】Three
- 三つ【みっつ】Three things
- 三月【さんがつ】March
シ (shi)
よん (yon)
- 四【よん】Four
- 四つ【よっつ】Four things
- 四月【しがつ】April
ゴ (go)
いつ (itsu)
- 五【ご】Five
- 五つ【いつつ】Five things
- 五月【ごがつ】May
ロク (roku)
むっ (mut)
- 六【ろく】Six
- 六つ【むっつ】Six things
- 六月【ろくがつ】June
シチ (shichi)
なな (nana)
- 七【なな】Seven
- 七つ【ななつ】Seven things
- 七月【しちがつ】July
ハチ (hachi)
やっ (yat)
- 八【はち】Eight
- 八つ【やっつ】Eight things
- 八月【はちがつ】August
キュウ (kyuu)
ここの (kokono)
- 九【きゅう】Nine
- 九つ【ここのつ】Nine things
- 九月【くがつ】September
ジュウ (juu)
とお (too)
- 十【じゅう】Ten
- 十一【じゅういち】Eleven
- 二十【にじゅう】Twenty
2. Large Numbers (百, 千, 万)
Japanese counts large numbers in units of 10,000 (万).
ヒャク (hyaku)
—
- 百【ひゃく】One hundred
- 三百【さんびゃく】Three hundred
- 六百【ろっぴゃく】Six hundred
セン (sen)
ち (chi)
- 千【せん】One thousand
- 三千【さんぜん】Three thousand
- 八千【はっせん】Eight thousand
マン (man)
—
- 一万【いちまん】Ten thousand
- 十万【じゅうまん】One hundred thousand
- 百万【ひゃくまん】One million
3. The Topic Marker: は (wa)
The particle は (wa) identifies what the sentence is about. Think of it as “As for [topic]…”.
[!CAUTION] As a particle, the character は (ha) is always pronounced “wa”.
わたし は 学生 です。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student. (As for me, I am a student.)
これ は ペン です。
Kore wa pen desu.
This is a pen.
きょう は さんじゅうにち です。
Kyou wa sanjuu-nichi desu.
Today is the 30th.
4. The Possession Marker: の (no)
The particle の (no) connects two nouns, showing that the first noun possesses or modifies the second. It works like the English apostrophe-s (‘s).
わたし の 本
Watashi no hon
My book
先生 の 車
Sensei no kuruma
The teacher's car
日本 の カメラ
Nihon no kamera
A Japanese camera (Camera of Japan)
5. Cultural Note: Lucky and Unlucky Numbers
In Japan, numbers carry deep cultural meanings.
- Four (四): Often avoided because one of its readings, shi, sounds exactly like the word for Death (死). You’ll often see buildings without a 4th floor!
- Nine (九): Sometimes considered unlucky because its reading ku sounds like Suffering (苦).
- Seven (七): Considered lucky, much like in the West, and associated with the “Seven Lucky Gods” of Japanese mythology.
- Eight (八): Very lucky because the Kanji widens at the bottom, suggesting growing prosperity.
Practical Conversations
スミスさん、これ は あなた の 本 です か。
Sumisu-san, kore wa anata no hon desu ka.
Mr. Smith, is this your book?
いいえ、それ は わたし の 本 ではありません。
Iie, sore wa watashi no hon dewa arimasen.
No, that is not my book.
だれ の です か。
Dare no desu ka.
Whose is it?
それ は アンナさん の 本 です。
Sore wa Anna-san no hon desu.
That is Anna's book.
電話番号 は なん です か。
Denwa bangou wa nan desu ka.
What is your phone number?
ぜろ・きゅう・ぜろ の いち・に・さん・よん です。
Zero kyuu zero no ichi ni san yon desu.
It's 090-1234.
ありがとうございます。
Arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you very much.
Chapter Summary
- 1Kanji like 一, 二, 三 represent numerical values and meanings.
- 2The particle は (wa) marks the topic of the sentence. It is written as 'ha'.
- 3The particle の (no) shows possession or links nouns (Owner の Item).
- 4Numbers 4 and 9 are often avoided in Japan due to unlucky homophones.
- 5Japanese counts in units of 10,000 (万) for large numbers.
Knowledge Check
Test your understanding of numbers and basic particles!
Quiz
Which Kanji represents the number 'Three'?