What does 万 mean in Japanese?
万 means “ten thousand.” You will see it in prices and large numbers, such as 一万円 (ichiman en, 10,000 yen).
Japanese groups large numbers by ten thousands, so 30,000 is 三万 (sanman), “three ten-thousands.”
Reading
On’yomi: マン (man), バン (ban)
Kun’yomi: —
Basic Information
| Kanji | 万 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | ten thousand |
| Stroke Count | 3 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
Larger numbers are also built on 万: 十万 is 100,000, 百万 is one million, and 千万 is ten million. 万 also appears in a few words that are not about counting, such as 万年筆 (fountain pen) and 万歳 (banzai, a cheer of celebration).
Common Words
- 一万（いちまん / ichiman） — ten thousand
- 十万（じゅうまん / juuman） — one hundred thousand
- 百万（ひゃくまん / hyakuman） — one million
- 何万（なんまん / nanman） — how many tens of thousands; tens of thousands
- 万年筆（まんねんひつ / mannenhitsu） — fountain pen
- 万歳（ばんざい / banzai） — hurray; banzai
Example Sentences
-
このかばんは二万円でした。
このかばんはにまんえんでした。 / Kono kaban wa niman en deshita.
This bag cost 20,000 yen.
-
このお祭りには毎年十万人が来ます。
このおまつりにはまいとしじゅうまんにんがきます。 / Kono omatsuri ni wa maitoshi juuman nin ga kimasu.
100,000 people come to this festival every year.
-
祖父は万年筆で手紙を書きます。
そふはまんねんひつでてがみをかきます。 / Sofu wa mannenhitsu de tegami o kakimasu.
My grandfather writes letters with a fountain pen.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
When reading a price, ask how many 万 it contains: 25,000 yen is 二万五千円 (niman gosen en). For the exact number 10,000, say 一万 (ichiman) rather than bare 万, even though 100 and 1,000 are simply 百 and 千.
Summary
Count large numbers in units of 万, and say 一万 when you mean exactly 10,000.
Want to study more JLPT N4 kanji by theme? See our JLPT N4 Kanji Study List.