Counting in Japanese yen involves using specific counters for currency, along with the numbers themselves. Here's a breakdown of how to do it:
Basic Numbers in Japanese (1-10)
Before counting yen, you need to know the basic Japanese numbers:
| Number | Japanese |
|---|---|
| 1 | いち (ichi) |
| 2 | に (ni) |
| 3 | さん (san) |
| 4 | よん/し (yon/shi) |
| 5 | ご (go) |
| 6 | ろく (roku) |
| 7 | なな/しち (nana/shichi) |
| 8 | はち (hachi) |
| 9 | きゅう/く (kyuu/ku) |
| 10 | じゅう (juu) |
The Counter for Yen: ~円 (~en)
The counter for yen is 円 (えん, en), which is attached after the number.
Counting Yen (Examples)
Here are some examples of counting yen:
- 1 yen: いちえん (ichi-en)
- 2 yen: にえん (ni-en)
- 3 yen: さんえん (san-en)
- 4 yen: よえん (yo-en) – Note: Usually 'yon' is used here, not 'shi'
- 5 yen: ごえん (go-en)
- 6 yen: ろくえん (roku-en)
- 7 yen: ななえん (nana-en) – Note: Usually 'nana' is used here, not 'shichi'
- 8 yen: はちえん (hachi-en)
- 9 yen: きゅうえん (kyuu-en)
- 10 yen: じゅうえん (juu-en)
- 100 yen: ひゃくえん (hyaku-en)
- 1,000 yen: せんえん (sen-en)
- 10,000 yen: いちまんえん (ichi-man-en)
Larger Numbers and Counters
For larger amounts, you combine the numbers as you would in English, but with Japanese numbers and the en counter:
- 25 yen: にじゅうごえん (ni-juu-go-en) (2-10-5 yen)
- 150 yen: ひゃくごじゅうえん (hyaku-go-juu-en) (100-5-10 yen)
- 5,000 yen: ごせんえん (go-sen-en) (5-1,000 yen)
- 15,000 yen: いちまんごせんえん (ichi-man-go-sen-en) (1-10,000-5-1,000 yen)
Remember to pronounce each part clearly and combine them smoothly.
