Japanese Time, Numbers & Counters — Complete Guide for JLPT N5/N4
Numbers and time expressions appear in every real-world Japanese interaction: reading a schedule, understanding a salary, booking an appointment, reading a visa expiry date. JLPT N5 tests basic numbers and time; N4 extends to more complex date expressions, durations, and counters. This module covers everything from 1 to 10,000 and beyond.
Numbers in Japanese
Japanese numbers are logical and regular up to 9,999: 一(1)、二(2)、三(3)、四(4)、五(5)、六(6)、七(7)、八(8)、九(9)、十(10)、百(100)、千(1,000)、万(10,000). Above that: 二十 (20), 三十五 (35), 二百六十三 (263). There are no irregular number words unlike European languages.
However, some numbers have two readings: 4 is よん or し, 7 is なな or しち, 9 is きゅう or く. The choice depends on what follows: 4時 (よじ — 4 o'clock), 4月 (しがつ — April), 7時 (しちじ), 7月 (しちがつ). These must be memorised by context.
Telling Time
Hours use 〜時 (ji): 一時 (1:00), 二時 (2:00), 十二時 (12:00). Minutes use 〜分 (fun/pun): 五分 (5 minutes), 十五分 (15 minutes). Note the sound changes: 1分 is いっぷん, 3分 is さんぷん, 6分 is ろっぷん, 8分 is はっぷん, 10分 is じゅっぷん (or じっぷん).
AM/PM: 午前 (gozen — AM) and 午後 (gogo — PM). Half past: 〜時半 (ji-han): 三時半 (3:30). Quarter past has no special word — say 三時十五分 (3:15).
Dates and the Japanese Calendar
Months: 一月 (January) through 十二月 (December) — simply number + 月. Days of the month: irregular for 1–10 (ついたち, ふつか, みっか, よっか, いつか, むいか, なのか, ようか, ここのか, とおか), then regular (十一日, 十二日…). Days of the week: 月 (Mon), 火 (Tue), 水 (Wed), 木 (Thu), 金 (Fri), 土 (Sat), 日 (Sun) — each followed by 曜日 (yōbi).
Japan also uses its own imperial era calendar: the current era is 令和 (Reiwa), which began in May 2019. Official Japanese documents (residence cards, contracts, tax forms) use Reiwa years alongside western years. 2025 CE = 令和7年.
Counters (助数詞)
Japanese uses different counting words depending on what you are counting — these are called counters (助数詞, josūshi). Common N5/N4 counters: 〜個 (small objects), 〜本 (long thin objects — pens, bottles, umbrellas), 〜枚 (flat things — paper, tickets, shirts), 〜冊 (bound books), 〜台 (machines — cars, computers), 〜匹 (small animals), 〜頭 (large animals), 〜人 (people — ひとり, ふたり for 1 and 2), 〜階 (floors of a building). JLPT N4 tests counters regularly.
This module covers all time, date, number, and counter expressions needed for JLPT N5 and N4, with Bengali translations, sound-change rules, and quiz practice.