How to Say "Sixteen" in Japanese

十六

jūroku[d͡ʑɨːɾo̞kɯ̟]

Sixteen in Japanese is 十六 (jūroku).

十六 is the cardinal number 16.

Meaning: cardinal number 16 (num)

What does it mean word for word?

The number is composed of the kanji for ten (十) and six (六).

jūroku

The number 十六 is used in the term 十六夜 (izayoi), meaning the sixteenth night of the lunar month, which implies a feeling of hesitation or waiting.
The 'ten' component in the written form 十六 can be replaced by the 'daiji' character 拾 to prevent forgery or to add a layer of formal elegance.
Japanese folklore sometimes views numbers ending in six, like 十六, with caution because the sound of six roku is similar to the word for 'flow' or 'slip', implying a lack of stability.

桃子は、おはじきを「一つ、二つ、三つ、四つ、五つ、六つ、七つ、八つ、九つ、十」まで数えると黙り込んでしまいました。お母さんが「十一、十二、十三」と続けると嬉しそうに「十四、十五、十六」と数え続けました。
Momoko counted the marbles: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten" and then went silent. When her mother continued with "eleven, twelve, thirteen," she happily picked up with "fourteen, fifteen, sixteen."
This example shows someone counting up to the form 十六.
Tatoeba #9718152 by small_snow, translation #12597784 by urro
十六歳ですよ。
I am sixteen years old.
This sentence uses the form 十六 to state an age.
Tatoeba #8865844 by moxy, translation #258523 by CN
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 is a sequence of numbers including the form 十六.
Tatoeba #351750 by human600, translation #351742 by human600
彼の誕生日は十六日です。
His birthday is on the sixteenth.
あの映画はとてもおもしろかった！16歳のときに観ました。
That movie was really interesting! I watched it when I was sixteen.
十六歳です
I am sixteen years old
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

At a grocery store, two friends are checking a shopping list.

大翔 Hiroto

卵は十六個必要だね。
tamago wa juuroku ko hitsuyou da ne.
We need sixteen eggs, right?
結衣 Yui

えっ、十六個も？
e, juuroku ko mo?
What, sixteen?
大翔 Hiroto

うん、十六個買っておこう。
un, juuroku ko katte okou.
Yeah, let's buy sixteen.
結衣 Yui

わかった、カゴに入れておくね。
wakatta, kago ni irete oku ne.
Okay, I'll put them in the basket.

Sources

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