八百
happyaku[ha̠p̚ʲpʲa̠kɯ̟]
The English phrase eight hundred is translated into Japanese as 八百 (happyaku).
八百 is the cardinal number 800.
Meaning: cardinal number 800 (num)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is happyaku.
Did you know?
- A vegetable seller or greengrocer in Japan is called a 八百屋 (yaoya). The name derives from the idea that these shops historically sold a vast variety of products, referencing the 'countless' nature of 八百.
- In the Shinto phrase 八百万の神, the characters for 800 (八百) and 10,000 (万) combine to mean 'eight million', though they literally translate to 'eight hundred ten thousand'.
- Because the number eight is visually wide at the bottom, it is considered an auspicious, expanding number in Japanese culture. This visual property helped turn the number 八百 into a symbol for vastness.
Examples in context
- 百、二百、三百、四百、五百、六百、七百、八百、九百、千。One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred, one thousand.This example is useful for practicing the sequence of hundreds in Japanese, showing where 八百 fits between seven hundred and nine hundred.Tatoeba #10079894 by h_aibe, translation #661562 by mervegorus
- 八百円は、高すぎます。Eight hundred yen is too expensive.
- この本は八百円です。Kono hon wa happyaku en desu.This book is eight hundred yen.
- 八百メートル走るのは大変です。Happyaku meetoru hashiru no wa taihen desu.Running eight hundred meters is hard.
Example conversation
Hiyori and Kenta are shopping for a gift.
- 陽葵 Himariこの本はいくらですか？Kono hon wa ikura desu ka?How much is this book?
- 健太 Kentaそれは八百円ですよ。Sore wa happyaku en desu yo.That one is eight hundred yen.
- 陽葵 Himari意外と安いですね。Igaito yasui desu ne.It's surprisingly cheap.
- 健太 Kentaそうですね。買いましょう。Sō desu ne. Kaimashō.I agree. Let's buy it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eight hundred” translations and entries 八百, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
