How to Say "Thousand" in Japanese

千

sen[sẽ̞ɴ]

The Japanese word for thousand is 千 (sen).

千 is used as a cardinal number to represent the value 1000.

Meaning: cardinal number 1000 (num)

How does it change in a sentence?

The pronunciation of 千 can change depending on the number it is combined with.

sen

Japanese counting shifts to a new base at 千, as the language groups numbers by four digits called 万 'man' (ten thousand). This differs from English, which groups numbers by threes using 'thousand'.
The character 千 is a pictograph that originally represented a 'string' or 'bundle' of things. This visual representation of a collection helped the character symbolize a large quantity.
In traditional Japanese arts, the term 千 appears in the name of the most famous tea master, Sen no Rikyū. His surname 千 is written with the character for thousand.

千円で足りる？
Is one thousand yen enough?
This sentence demonstrates the use of 千 when referring to an amount of yen.
Tatoeba #8733219 by bunbuku, translation #73497 by CK
千円しか持ってません。
I have no more than one thousand yen.
This sentence shows how to use 千 to indicate a limit or a specific amount of yen held.
Tatoeba #155443 by KK_kaku_, translation #259095 by CK
五千円ずつ払いました。
We each paid five thousand.
This sentence illustrates how 千 is used when describing a repeated payment of five thousand.
Tatoeba #11548159 by small_snow, translation #8863211 by moxy
千円
One thousand yen
千人
One thousand people
千時間
One thousand hours
34 more sentences on Tatoeba

Yota and Yui are discussing the price of a book.

陽太 Yota

この本はいくらだった？
Kono hon wa ikura datta?
How much was this book?
結衣 Yui

ちょうど千円だったよ。
Choudo sen-en datta yo.
It was exactly one thousand yen.
陽太 Yota

意外と高いね。
Igai to takai ne.
That's surprisingly expensive.
結衣 Yui

でも、内容はすごくいいよ。
Demo, naiyou wa sugoku ii yo.
But the content is really good.

Sources

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