Big numbers and numbers that identify

Japanese counts in tens of thousands

After ひゃく comes せん for a thousand, and then the break that surprises every learner: the next unit is not a million but まん, ten thousand. Ten thousand is いちまん, a hundred thousand is じゅうまん, and a million is ひゃくまん – a hundred ten-thousands. Above that comes おく, a hundred million. Written figures still group in threes, so the reading and the commas disagree, and this is why prices in the hundreds of thousands take practice.

Numbers that name rather than count

A telephone number is read digit by digit, with の where a hyphen would be, and ぜろ for nought. Room numbers, bus routes and platforms take ばん: にばん is number two. The question is なんばん, and the general word for a number as a label is ばんごう. None of these counts anything – they identify, which is why they never take a counter.

でんわばんごうはぜろきゅうぜろのいちにさんよんですThe telephone number is zero nine zero, one two three four.

いちまんえんさつでおねがいしますWith a ten-thousand-yen note, please.