十七
jūnana[d͡ʑɨːna̠na̠]
The Japanese word for the cardinal number seventeen is 十七 (jūnana).
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
What does it mean word for word?
The number seventeen is composed of the characters for ten (十) and seven (七).
How do you pronounce it?
jūnana
Did you know?
- In Japan, the number seventeen is the hallmark of the 'haiku' poem, which must contain exactly seventeen syllables in a 5-7-5 structure.
- While the characters for seventeen are simple, legal documents use a complex system called 'daiji' to write the number so that it cannot be easily altered by adding a stroke.
- Unlike the number four, which is avoided because it sounds like 'death', the number seventeen carries no such negative superstition in Japanese culture.
Examples in context
- 十、十一、十二、十三、十四、十五、十六、十七、十八、十九、二十。Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.This sentence is useful for practicing counting from ten to twenty using 十七.Tatoeba #351750 by human600, translation #351742 by human600
- 十七歳です。juushichisai desu.I am seventeen years old.
- 十七個あります。juushichiko arimasu.There are seventeen pieces.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking about their ages.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんは何歳ですか？Yui-san wa nansai desu ka?How old are you, Yui?
- 結衣 Yui私は十七歳です。Watashi wa juunanasai desu.I am seventeen years old.
- 健太 Kentaそうなんですね。Sou nan desu ne.I see.
- 結衣 Yui健太さんは？Kenta-san wa?How about you, Kenta?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “seventeen” translations and entries 十七, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
