Review: Location Words
In Lesson 2, we learned the ko-so-a-do system for places. Let's review and expand on how to use them.
| Japanese | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| ここ | here | Near the speaker |
| そこ | there | Near the listener |
| あそこ | over there | Far from both |
| どこ | where? | Question word |
Examples
トイレはどこですか。
Toire wa doko desu ka.
Where is the bathroom?
トイレはあそこです。
Toire wa asoko desu.
The bathroom is over there.
Japanese Numbers 1-10
Japanese has two number systems: native Japanese (和語) and Sino-Japanese (漢語). The Sino-Japanese system is more commonly used for counting.
| Number | Kanji | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | いち (ichi) |
| 2 | 二 | に (ni) |
| 3 | 三 | さん (san) |
| 4 | 四 | よん/し (yon/shi) |
| 5 | 五 | ご (go) |
| 6 | 六 | ろく (roku) |
| 7 | 七 | なな/しち (nana/shichi) |
| 8 | 八 | はち (hachi) |
| 9 | 九 | きゅう/く (kyuu/ku) |
| 10 | 十 | じゅう (juu) |
Multiple Readings
4, 7, and 9 have two readings. Use よん (yon), なな (nana), きゅう (kyuu) in most cases. The alternatives し (shi), しち (shichi), く (ku) are used in specific contexts.
Larger Numbers
Japanese builds larger numbers by combining units:
| Number | Japanese | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | じゅういち | 10 + 1 |
| 20 | にじゅう | 2 × 10 |
| 35 | さんじゅうご | 3 × 10 + 5 |
| 100 | ひゃく | hundred |
| 300 | さんびゃく | 3 × 100 (sound change!) |
| 1,000 | せん | thousand |
| 10,000 | いちまん | ten thousand |
Prices with 円 (en)
The Japanese currency is Yen (円). To state prices, simply add 円 after the number.
Pattern
[number] 円です
[number] en desu
Shopping Examples
これはいくらですか。
Kore wa ikura desu ka.
How much is this?
500円です。
Go-hyaku en desu.
It's 500 yen.
このりんごは150円です。
Kono ringo wa hyaku go-juu en desu.
This apple is 150 yen.
Basic Counters
Japanese uses counters when counting objects. The general counter つ works for most things.
| Count | General (〜つ) |
|---|---|
| 1 | ひとつ (hitotsu) |
| 2 | ふたつ (futatsu) |
| 3 | みっつ (mittsu) |
| 4 | よっつ (yottsu) |
| 5 | いつつ (itsutsu) |
| How many? | いくつ (ikutsu) |
Using Counters
りんごをみっつください。
Ringo wo mittsu kudasai.
Three apples, please.
いくつですか。
Ikutsu desu ka.
How many?