何千
nanzen
The English phrase "thousands" is translated into Japanese as 何千 (nanzen).
何千 refers to a large number of things or people consisting of several groups of one thousand. Unlike in English, where "thousands" can stand alone as a noun, in Japanese 何千 is typically used as an adjective or as part of a quantifier phrase that precedes a noun or a particle.
How does it change in a sentence?
There are different ways to use this quantifier depending on the structure of your sentence. To express "thousands of [noun]", you can use the form 何千という to quantify the noun. To add emphasis to the large scale of the number, the particle も is often added after 何千, resulting in the form 何千もの.
How do you pronounce it?
nanzen
Did you know?
- The concept of 'thousands' is central to the 'Senbazuru' tradition, where folding 千 (one thousand) origami cranes is believed to grant a wish or recovery from illness.
- Japanese numbers are grouped by four zeros (ten-thousands) rather than three (thousands), so while 何千 means 'thousands', the jump to the next major unit of measurement feels much closer in Japanese than it does in English.
- The character for 'thousand' 千 is used in the common Japanese surname 千代 (Chiyo), which translates to 'a thousand generations' or 'eternity'.
Examples in context
- 何千もの人々がそこにいた。Thousands of people were there.This sentence shows how to use 何千 to describe a large number of people.Tatoeba #187360 by KK_kaku_, translation #24497 by CK
- 費用は何千ドルにも達するだろう。The cost will run into thousands of dollars.This sentence uses 何千 to indicate a large sum of money.Tatoeba #85799 by KK_kaku_, translation #317914 by CM
- 日本には何千という島があります。Japan has thousands of islands.This sentence demonstrates the use of 何千 to quantify a large number of islands.Tatoeba #10610823 by small_snow, translation #10066844 by Amastan
- Sanzen (三千)Three thousand
- Gosen (五千)Five thousand
- Kyūsen (九千)Nine thousand
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are looking at a photo of a crowded festival.
- 結衣 Yui見て、何千人もの人が集まっているよ。Mite, nanzen-nin mono hito ga atsumatte iru yo.Look, thousands of people have gathered.
- 健太 Kentaすごいね。そんなにたくさんいるの？Sugoi ne. Sonna ni takusan iru no?That's amazing. There are that many?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、本当に何千人もいると思う。Un, hontō ni nanzen-nin mo iru to omou.Yeah, I think there are really thousands of them.
- 健太 Kenta一度行ってみたいな。Ichido itte mitai na.I want to go there once.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
