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formal numbers

Hidden Japanese #1

We are mostly all familiar with the typical numbers in Japanese: 一ニ三四五六七八九十 But did you know that these are not the only Japanese numbers?  I’m not talking about ひとつ , etc., I’m talking about an entirely different set of kanji for the on’yomi readings. These kanji exist because in the ancient Chinese culture, long before their language was exported and integrated into Japanese, the Chinese had a problem.  It was really easy to just add strokes to 1, 2, 3, and 10, to make it into another kanji.  So 100… Read More »Hidden Japanese #1