Japanese Numbers in Kanji (1 to 10,000): Visual Mnemonics for 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十, 百, 千, 万 & 半
Learn all Japanese number kanjis from 1 to 10,000 (一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 百 千 万 半) with Shibashi's custom illustrations, On'yomi & Kun'yomi readings.
Learning Japanese numbers from 一 (1) to 万 (10,000) is the very first milestone of JLPT N5 — yet many learners still trip up on the Kun'yomi counter readings (ひと, ふた, み, よん, いつ, む, なな, や, ここの, とお) or mix up 千 (1,000) with 午 (Noon) and 万 (10,000) with 方 (Direction)!
Quick Comparison: 一 (One) vs. 二 (Two) vs. 三 (Three) vs. 四 (Four)
Here are all 14 number & quantity App Kanjis with their WaniKani bolded primary readings and Shibashi visual stories:
| Kanji & Meaning | Primary Readings (Bold = Primary) | Shibashi Visual Mnemonic Hook | Common Compound Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 — One | On: いち, いつ Kun: ひと |
Boy _hit-o_ (ひと) his knee and now it's _itchy_ (いち) = One | 一月 (ひとつき) — one month |
| 二 — Two | On: に Kun: ふた |
_Knee_ (に) connects Two parts of your _foot_ (ふた) = Two | 二つ (ふたつ) — two |
| 三 — Three | On: さん Kun: み |
A _mi_ni (み) _san_dwich (さん) has Three layers = Three | 三 (さん) — three |
| 四 — Four | On: し Kun: よん |
_Shee_p (し) doing a four-second _yawn_ (よん) = Four | 四 (し) — four |
| 五 — Five | On: ご Kun: いつ |
Number 5 drawn as a _go_lf (ご) cart (_it's-u_ いつ) = Five | 五つ (いつつ) — five |
| 六 — Six | On: ろく Kun: む |
Mr. Six _mo_ves (む) _rock_et-fast (ろく) = Six | 六 (ろく) — six |
| 七 — Seven | On: しち Kun: なな |
_She che_ated (しち) and got 7% — ba_nana_s (なな)! = Seven | 七つ (ななつ) — seven |
| 八 — Eight | On: はち Kun: や, よう |
Two separated slopes = Eight (はち / や) | 八 (はち) — eight |
| 九 — Nine | On: く, きゅう Kun: — |
Chef cooking gyoza = Nine (きゅう / く / ここの) | 九 (きゅう) — nine |
| 十 — Ten | On: じゅう Kun: とお |
Samurai 10/10 cross winning _jew_els (じゅう / とお) = Ten | 十 (じゅう) — 10, ten |
| 百 — Hundred | On: ひゃく Kun: もも |
One (一) over White (白) = Hundred (ひゃく) | 百 (ひゃく) — one hundred, hundred |
| 千 — Thousand | On: せん Kun: ち |
Fancy letter T for Thousand costing 1,000 _cen_ts (せん / ち) | 千 (せん) — thousand |
| 万 — Ten Thousand | On: まん, ばん Kun: — |
Ten Thousand fans watching a _man_ (まん) = 10,000 | 万 (まん) — ten thousand |
| 半 — Half | On: はん Kun: なか |
Mr. _han_dsome (はん) cutting logs in Half (なか) | 半 (はん) — half |
Illustrated Kanji Flashcards(Tap Readings for Audio)
Beyond the simple horizontal bars of 一 (1), 二 (2), and 三 (3), every number in Shibashi is a vivid picture: 四 (4) is a sheep doing a four-second yawn (し / よん); 五 (5) is a golf cart (ご / いつ); 六 (6) is Mr. Six moving rocket-fast (ろく / む); 七 (7) is a 7% test score that's bananas (しち / なな); 千 (1,000) is a fancy letter T for *Thousand* costing 1,000 _cen_ts (せん); and 半 (Half) is Mr. _han_dsome (はん) cutting logs in half!
Essential Japanese Vocabulary Words Using 一 / 二 / 三 / 四
Once you can recognize 一 (One) and 二 (Two) and 三 (Three) individually, lock them into your active reading vocabulary with these high-frequency Japanese words from the Shibashi app:
| Japanese Word | Hiragana Reading | English Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一月 | ひとつき | one month | JLPT |
| 一つ | ひとつ | one | JLPT |
| 一日 | いちにち | (1) one day, (2) first of month | JLPT |
| 二つ | ふたつ | two | JLPT |
| 二 | に | two | JLPT |
| 三 | さん | three | JLPT |
| 四 | し | four | JLPT |
| 五つ | いつつ | five | JLPT |
5-Second Memory Summary: How to Never Mix Up 一 & 二 & 三 Again
Use the visual stories below to lock in both the On'yomi (いち, に, さん...) and the native Kun'yomi (ひと, ふた, み...) in a single image.
