十二
jūni[d͡ʑɨːɲ̟i]
Twelve in Japanese is 十二, pronounced jūni.
十二 is the cardinal number 12. When counting specific objects like sheets of paper, you would say jūni mai for twelve sheets. To express a decimal such as 12.5, you say jū ni ten go.
Meaning: cardinal number 12 (num)
What does it mean word for word?
The number 十二 is composed of the characters for ten (十) and two (二).
How do you pronounce it?
jūni
Did you know?
- There is a Japanese idiom 十二分 which literally means 'twelve parts' but is used to mean 'more than enough' or 'fully'. It implies that twelve is the threshold where something becomes complete and abundant.
- In the traditional Japanese zodiac, the number 十二 is used to group the animals into the 十二支 or 'twelve earthly branches'. This system governs not only the zodiac animals but also the naming of hours and days in the old calendar.
- In certain traditional contexts, such as counting months or hours, the number twelve can be expressed through different phonetic readings that do not follow the standard 'jūni' pattern.
Examples in context
- その事故で十二人が負傷した。Twelve people were injured in the accident.This sentence shows how to use 十二 when referring to the number of people injured.Tatoeba #209921 by small_snow, translation #47184 by CK
- 二人には十二人の子供がいます。They have twelve children.This sentence shows how to use 十二 when counting children.Tatoeba #10037948 by small_snow, translation #305403 by CK
- 九千二百五十八億一千四百七十万三千六百九十二は、十二桁の数字です。Nine hundred twenty-five billion, eight hundred fourteen million, seven hundred three thousand, six hundred ninety-two is a twelve-digit number.This sentence demonstrates how 十二 is used to describe a twelve-digit number.Tatoeba #10219046 by small_snow, translation #10219021 by Objectivesea
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A classroom where a student is counting the items in a box.
- 大翔 Hirotoこの箱には十二個の卵が入っています。Kono hako ni wa juuniko no tamago ga haitte imasu.There are twelve eggs in this box.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、足りるかな？Jaa, tariru kana?Then, I wonder if that is enough?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、十二個あれば大丈夫です。Hai, juuniko areba daijoubu desu.Yes, if there are twelve, it will be fine.
- 陽葵 Himari分かりました、ありがとうございます。Wakarimashita, arigatou gozaimasu.I understand, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “twelve” translations and entries 十二, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
