How to Count from 1 to 10 in Japanese (Without Losing Your Sanity)

Alright, so you want to count from 1 to 10 in Japanese? Maybe you’re planning a trip to Japan and don’t want to embarrass yourself when ordering one (or let’s be real—five) bowls of ramen. Maybe you’re trying to impress your anime-loving friends. Or maybe you just love a good linguistic challenge. Whatever the reason, I got you!

Let’s break this down in a way that makes sense—without sounding like a dry language textbook. I promise no pop quizzes at the end (but I will judge if you skip to the bottom).

Step 1: The Basics – How to Say 1 to 10 in Japanese

First things first, here’s how you actually say the numbers 1 to 10:

Ichi (いち) – One
Ni (に) – Two
San (さん) – Three
Shi/Yon (し/よん) – Four
Go (ご) – Five
Roku (ろく) – Six
Shichi/Nana (しち/なな) – Seven
Hachi (はち) – Eight
Kyuu/Ku (きゅう/く) – Nine
Juu (じゅう) – Ten

Easy, right? Wrong.

Because Japanese, in all its beautiful complexity, decided to spice things up with multiple ways to say some numbers. But don’t panic—I’ll explain why that happens and how to sound like a pro.

Step 2: The Tricky Parts – Why Are There Two Ways to Say Some Numbers?

Ever heard of the phrase death by numbers? No? Well, now you have.

In Japan, certain numbers are considered unlucky because they sound like words related to death and suffering (yikes). Specifically:

4 (shi) sounds like 死 (shi – death), so people often use yon instead.
7 (shichi) sounds a bit like 死地 (shichi – place of death), so some prefer nana.
9 (ku) sounds like 苦 (ku – suffering), so kyuu is the safer bet.

Moral of the story? If you don’t want to accidentally summon bad vibes, use yon, nana, and kyuu when possible.

Step 3: The Fun Part – How to Actually Remember These Numbers

Let’s be honest—memorizing a bunch of words can be boring. But I have some memory tricks that might help:

🎶 Sing It!

Ever noticed how you remember embarrassing song lyrics from 10 years ago but forget what you had for lunch yesterday? That’s because music sticks. Try singing the numbers in a rhythm (ichi, ni, san—clap, clap!). Bonus points if you dance.

📖 Make Up a Story

Your brain loves stories, so let’s create one:

Ichi (1) – Imagine a single itchy mosquito.
Ni (2) – You slap it and suddenly, there are knee-high piles of mosquitoes (ew).
San (3) – In desperation, you summon Santa (why not?).
Shi/Yon (4) – Santa says “Nah, death vibes, I’m out.” (Shi sounds like death, remember?*).
Go (5) – So you go get bug spray.
Roku (6) – The can is locked, so you rock it back and forth.
Shichi/Nana (7) – It finally opens, and you shout “Sheesh!“
Hachi (8) – But oops, you hatched more mosquitoes (hachi sounds like hatch).
Kyuu/Ku (9) – You scream “Cue the fire!”
Juu (10) – The mosquitoes are gone. Just you left (Juu sounds like ‘you’!).

See? You’ll never forget these numbers now. You’re welcome.

Step 4: Actually Using These Numbers Like a Pro

Now that you kind of know the numbers, let’s put them to work. Here are some real-life situations where they come in handy:

Ordering food: “Ramen ichi kudasai!” (One ramen, please!)
Counting reps at the gym: “Ichi, ni, san… I’m tired“
Playing hide-and-seek: “Ichi, ni, san… ready or not, here I come!“
Reading anime subtitles and feeling like a genius when you recognize a number (Admit it, that’s half the reason you’re learning this).

Step 5: The Hidden Bonus Round – The Secret Counting System(s)

Oh, you thought you were done? Not even close.

Japanese has multiple ways to count depending on what you’re counting.

People? Use hitori, futari, sannin…
Flat objects? Use mai (as in, one ticket = ichi-mai).
Small animals? Use hiki (as in, one cat = ippiki).
Long, thin things? Use hon (as in, one pen = ippon).

Yeah, it’s wild. But for now, just focus on the basics—we’ll save the 10,000 ways to count for another time.

Wrapping Up – You’re Now a Number Ninja

If you made it this far, congratulations! You officially know how to count from 1 to 10 in Japanese—and more importantly, you understand why those numbers sometimes change.

Now, go forth and use your new powers wisely:

Impress your friends.
Order excessive amounts of sushi.
Count dramatically in anime fights.

Oh, and if you want to learn more cool Japanese stuff (like how to actually count past 10), stick around! There’s always something new to discover.

さようなら (Sayōnara) for now—but don’t forget to practice!