Japanese large numbers use units based on groups of four digits.

The idea

万 is 10,000 and 億 is 100,000,000, or 10,000 万. Split a figure from the right into four-digit groups: 1 / 2345 / 0000 becomes 一億二千三百四十五万. Read each nonzero group before its unit; omit an empty group.

Patterns to compare
FigureJapaneseReading
10,000一万いちまん
1,200,000百二十万ひゃくにじゅうまん
100,000,000一億いちおく
123,450,000一億二千三百四十五万いちおくにせんさんびゃくよんじゅうごまん

Examples

  • この町まちの人口じんこうは三万さんまん人にんです。The town has a population of 30,000.
  • この車くるまは百二十万ひゃくにじゅうまん円えんです。This car costs 1.2 million yen.
  • その博物館はくぶつかんは二百三十五万にひゃくさんじゅうごまん人にんを迎むかえました。The museum welcomed 2.35 million visitors.
  • そのプロジェクトの予算よさんは一億いちおく円えんです。The project budget is 100 million yen.
  • その会社かいしゃは二億三千万におくさんぜんまん個こを売うりました。The company sold 230 million units.
  • その基金ききんには一億二千三百四十五万いちおくにせんさんびゃくよんじゅうごまん円えんがあります。The fund holds 123,450,000 yen.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Commas usually group digits in threes, but Japanese units group them in fours. 120万 is 1,200,000, not 120,000.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 120万 in hiragana.

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    ひゃくにじゅうまん

    120万 is ひゃくにじゅうまん: 120 groups of 10,000 make 1,200,000.

  2. Write 100,000,000 using kanji numerals.

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    一億

    一億 is 100,000,000, or 10,000 times 10,000.

  3. Write 123,450,000 using kanji numerals.

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    一億二千三百四十五万

    一億二千三百四十五万 splits as 1 / 2345 / 0000; the final zero group is omitted.

Use it today

Split 230,000,000 into four-digit groups and read it aloud, then check it against the example.