Numbers: 万 and 億 break the thousands habit
Count in 万 (10,000), not thousands: 十万 = 100,000, 百万 = 1,000,000
The 10,000 step
Spanish, French and English count in steps of a thousand: mil, un millón, mil millones. Japanese counts in steps of ten thousand: 万 (まん, 10⁴), 億 (おく, 10⁸), 兆 (ちょう, 10¹²). There is no word for 'million' in the Western sense; a million is 百万, literally 'a hundred ten-thousands'. Every large number you read, say or pay is filtered through this step, and the written commas, still placed every three digits in Japan, actively fight you.
The conversion table
| Figure | Western reading | Japanese | Think of it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | ten thousand (diez mil) | 一万 (いちまん) | one 万; the 一 is obligatory |
| 100,000 | a hundred thousand (cien mil) | 十万 (じゅうまん) | ten 万 |
| 1,000,000 | one million (un millón) | 百万 (ひゃくまん) | a hundred 万 |
| 10,000,000 | ten million | 千万 (せんまん) | a thousand 万 |
| 100,000,000 | a hundred million | 一億 (いちおく) | one 億 |
| 1,000,000,000 | one billion (mil millones) | 十億 (じゅうおく) | ten 億 |
| 1,000,000,000,000 | one trillion (un billón) | 一兆 (いっちょう) | one 兆 |
Method: from the right, cut the digits into groups of four, not three. 12,345,678 becomes 1234|5678 and is read 千二百三十四万五千六百七十八. Draw the bar on paper before you say anything.
The concrete cases
| Meaning | What you produce | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| It costs 3,000 yen | ✗ さんせんえん | ✓ さんぜんえん | Rendaku after 三: 三千 is さんぜん, 三百 is さんびゃく |
| 8,000 yen / 800 yen | ✗ はちせんえん / はちひゃくえん | ✓ はっせんえん / はっぴゃくえん | Sokuon and p-sound after 八 and 六: 六百 ろっぴゃく, 八百 はっぴゃく |
| 10,000 yen | ✗ 万円 (まんえん) | ✓ 一万円 (いちまんえん) | 一 is dropped before 百 and 千 but required before 万 and 億 |
| Rent of 250,000 yen | ✗ 二百五十千円 (doscientos cincuenta mil) | ✓ 二十五万円 (にじゅうごまんえん) | No 'thousand' slot exists above 万; regroup in fours: 25|0000 |
| Three million yen | ✗ 三ミリオン円 / 三千千円 | ✓ 三百万円 (さんびゃくまんえん) | million = 百万, and 三百 takes rendaku |
| Population 125 million | ✗ 百二十五ミリオン | ✓ 一億二千五百万人 | 125,000,000 = 1|2500|0000: one 億 plus 2,500 万 |
| Price tag ¥1,980 | ✗ reading ¥ as a currency word you say | ✓ 千九百八十円 (せんきゅうひゃくはちじゅうえん) | ¥ is written before the figure, 円 is spoken after it; look for 税込 (tax included) vs 税抜 (before tax) |
| Phone 090-1234-5678 | ✗ ゼロきゅうゼロ、千二百三十四… | ✓ ゼロきゅうゼロのいちにさんよんのごろくななはち | Phone numbers are read digit by digit, の at the hyphens; 4 is よん, 7 is なな, 9 is きゅう, 0 is ゼロ or れい |
| Room 704 / platform 4 | ✗ しちひゃくし号室 / しばん | ✓ ななひゃくよん号室 / よんばん | Avoid し and しち for lone digits: し sounds like 死 and しち like いち |
Small habits that save you money
- Say the 万 out loud the moment you see five or more digits; it stops the miles reflex before it starts.
- At the register, listen for ぜん, ぴゃく and まん as anchors and rebuild the number around them; the display will confirm it.
- Write big numbers with a bar every four digits in your own notes (1234|5678). Japanese banks and receipts keep three-digit commas, which is why even natives mutter the 万 when reading them.
Common mistakes
- Cut big numbers into groups of four from the right: 12,345,678 is 1234|5678, 千二百三十四万五千六百七十八.
- 百万 is a million and 十万 is a hundred thousand; there is no 'thousand' slot above 万.
- 一 is required before 万 and 億 (一万円, 一億) but dropped before 百 and 千.
- Sound changes: 三百 さんびゃく, 三千 さんぜん, 六百 ろっぴゃく, 八百 はっぴゃく, 八千 はっせん.
- Phone numbers are read digit by digit with の at the hyphens; use よん, なな, きゅう, ゼロ.
- Read ¥1,980 as 千九百八十円: the ¥ sign goes before, 円 is spoken after.
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