Why are Japanese numbers the same as English!?!?

Question

Yet, their letters/words are very different!!

Answer 1

Japanese numbers, more properly called numerals, are not the same as what we use in the English speaking world. Both in the English speaking world and in Japan the numerals that are most commonly used are Arabic numerals. Arabic numerals are used because they are most easily used for calculation. Arabic numerals were introduced into Europe in the late middle ages because of their greater efficiency over the Roman numerals which were inherited from the Roman Empire. Roman numerals came along with the Latin Language which was used as an international language and the language of higher learning throughout Europe. Roman numerals, based on Roman letters, are very difficult to calculate with and the Roman system has the disadvantage of having no zero. In English we use the Roman alphabet, but 1,2,3,4... are modified Arab numerals. I think that the Japanese got Arabic numerals from the Europeans.

You must use the term numerals rather than numbers. Everyone, everywhere uses the the same numbers regardless of how we might symbolize them. Math works the same in either Roman, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Babylonian, or with toothpicks. It all represents the same values so the calculations are the same.

In the Japanese language, they have their own way of representing numbers. And, I believe they have two systems for doing this. One is formal, sort of like we spell out words for numbers e.g. two for "2". And an other with is simple sort of like in English speaking countries we use 1,2,3 etc. But most of the time they just use Arab numerals the same as we do. It is now and international system. See the website below for examples of the Japanese numbering (numeral) system.

So the answer to your question is that if you call them Japanese, they do not use the same numbers (numerals) as the English speaking world does--they have their own systems. As far as I know there are no English numerals except to spell out the names of the numbers in English. Both cultures English speaking and Japanese commonly use Arabic numerals.

Answer 2

The numerical system is a language all by itself.

To be more specific, there is no such thing as English or Japanese numbers....only Roman and Arabic.

Answer 3

Frankly, it's the calculator and computer age that have made Japanese people so keen on the 1 2 3 etc. Arabic numerals. So much so that they often use them in preference to the traditional kanji numerals! In shops, Arabic numerals (like ours) are normally used, but in restaurants it's a roughly even split between the ones that use Arabic numerals and the ones that use kanji numerals. But on a computer it's easier to hit one key and get 1 than it is to hit two keys and then space to get 一.

BTW, kanji numerals are from written Chinese. In the same way that our numerals are from Arabic. Obviously we all had counting systems BEFORE writing systems - just like we had a spoken language before we had writing!

Answer 4

Our numbers are easier to write and make more sense than the traditional Japanese numbering system, so they borrowed the English system.

Answer 5

These are the original Chinese characters used for numbers in Japan, even today they are still used, and can be seen everywhere.
一　１(ichi)
二　２ (ni)
三　３ (san)
四　４ (shi/ yon)
五　５ (go)
六　６ (roku)
七　７ (shichi/nana)
八　８ (hachi)
九　９ (kyu)
十　１０ (jiyu)
百　１００ (hyaku)
千　１０００ (sen)
万　１００００ (man)
億　１００，０００，０００ (oku)
These can be combined to form any number that could possibly be needed in regular life, but the standard (1 2 3 4 5...) figures we use are a lot more convenient and practical.

Answer 6

I think the numbers are the same in every language--but I might be mistaken.

Answer 7

the numaral systems never changes

Answer 8

Ask them.You might get a better answer.

Answer 9

they got tired of drawing symbols?

Answer 10

WELL.
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