Lesson 3 Kanji: 第３課の漢字

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In the following definitions, on (Chinese-based) readings are represented by katakana, and by capital romaji letters; kun (native Japanese-based) readings are represented by hiragana, and by lower-case romaji letters. This is a common dictionary convention, and does not have any bearing on meaning.

Printed form:: 一
Readings:: イチ/イッ-; ICHI/IT-
Meaning:: one
Mnemonic:: A single straight holizontal line.
Usage Examples:: 一ばん (いちばん) No. 1; 一セント (いっセント) one cent

Printed form:: 二
Readings:: ニ; NI
Meaning:: two
Mnemonic:: Two horizontal straight lines.
Usage Examples:: 二ドル (にドル) two dollars

Printed form:: 三
Readings:: サン; SAN
Meaning:: three
Mnemonic:: Three straight horizontal lines.
Usage Examples:: 三セント (さんセント) three cents

Printed form:: 四
Readings:: シ/よ-/よん; SHI/yo-/yon
Meaning:: four
Mnemonic:: Number 八(eight) inside a box. It is cut in half. [shi] is a reading when conunting 1, 2, 3...
Usage Examples:: 四ドル (よんドル) four dollars; 四十四円 (よんじゅうよえん) 44 yen

Printed form:: 五
Readings:: ゴ; GO
Meaning:: five
Mnemonic:: Japanese people count numbers by folding fingers from thumb to little finger. The original character Ｘ (Roman numeral 10) symbolizes fingers crossing each other.
Usage Examples:: 二十五セント (にじゅうごセン) 25 cents

Printed form:: 六
Readings:: ロク; ROKU
Meaning:: six
Mnemonic:: A picture of a human with six essential parts: head, two arms, two legs, and main body(invisible).
Usage Examples:: 六十円 (ろくじゅうえん) 60 yen

Printed form:: 七
Readings:: シチ/なな-; SHICHI/nana-
Meaning:: seven
Mnemonic:: 七 appears in 切(to cut with sword). The horizontal line is cut with a vertical line.
Usage Examples:: 七ドル (/しちドル) seven dollars; 七十七 (/ななじゅうなな) 77

Printed form:: 八
Readings:: ハチ/ハッ; HACHI/hat-
Meaning:: eight
Mnemonic:: The two strokes are almost symmetrical. The number eight is an easy number to divide.
Usage Examples:: 八ドル八セント (/はっセント) 8 dollars and 8 cents

Printed form:: 九
Readings:: キュウ/ク; KYUU/KU
Meaning:: nine
Mnemonic:: A picture of an arm bending and stiffening the muscle. 九 has the meaning "draw together" to conclude the counting from 1 to 10.
Usage Examples:: 九ドル (きゅうドル) nine dollars; 十九 (/じゅうく) 19

Printed form:: 十
Readings:: ジュウ/ジュッ-/ジッ-; JUU/JUT-/JIT-
Meaning:: ten
Mnemonic:: A picture of many sticks bundled together with a string.
Usage Examples:: 四十セント (/よんじっセント) 40 cents

Printed form:: 百
Readings:: ヒャク(-ピャク/-ビャク); HYAKU(-PYAKU/-BYAKU)
Meaning:: hundred
Mnemonic:: The beginning number 一 and 白 "whilte". Imagine a bowl of rice containing a hundred of white rice grains.
Usage Examples:: 百ドル (ひゃくドル) 100 dollars; 三百 (さんびゃく) 300

Printed form:: 千
Readings:: セン(-ゼン); SEN(-ZEN)
Meaning:: thousand
Mnemonic:: The combination of 一(symbol of "number") and イ(person). What is abundant on earth is people.
Usage Examples:: 千ドル (せんドル) 1000 dollars; 三千六百 (さんぜんろっぴゃく) 3600

Printed form:: 万
Readings:: マン; MAN
Meaning:: ten thousand
Mnemonic:: The unit of ten thousand. The character came from an image of swastika, symbolizing "all" and "all possible directions".
Usage Examples:: 一万 (いちまん) 10000; 五百万 (ごひゃくまん) 5000000

Printed form:: 円
Readings:: エン; EN
Meaning:: yen
Mnemonic:: Money machine at a bank.
Usage Examples:: 千百円 (せんひゃくえん) 1100 yen; 一万九千円 (いちまんきゅうせんえん) 19000 yen

Printed form:: 何
Readings:: なに/なん-; nani/nan-
Meaning:: what; how many
Mnemonic:: Two persons イイ carrying a box 口. The sight draws attention of people and they ask "What is there inside?"
Usage Examples:: 何ですか (なんですか) what is it?; 何ばんですか (なんばんですか) what number is it?