二十三
nijūsan[ɲ̟iʑɨːsã̠ɴ]
The Japanese word for twenty-three is 二十三 (nijūsan).
二十三 is the standard way to express the number twenty-three in Japanese.
Meaning: twenty-three (num)
What does it mean word for word?
The number is composed of the characters for twenty (二十) and three (三).
How do you pronounce it?
nijūsan
Did you know?
- If you were to write the number in a more formal or legal way, such as on a bank cheque, you would use 'daiji' or complex kanji characters to prevent fraud.
- Japanese has multiple counting systems, and while 二十三 is the standard, the native Japanese counting system (hitotsu, futatsu) typically only goes up to ten, making 二十三 a unique hybrid of Chinese-derived numbering.
- The number 二十三 can be written as 廿三 in some older or shorthand texts, where 廿 is a specialized ligature character meaning 'twenty'.
Examples in context
- 二十三枚のチケットがあります。nijusan-mai no chiketto ga arimasu.There are twenty-three tickets.
- 二十三歳になります。nijusan-sai ni narimasu.I will turn twenty-three years old.
Example conversation
At a birthday party, Hiroto and Misaki are talking about age.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さんは今、何歳ですか？Misaki-san wa ima, nan-sai desu ka?Misaki, how old are you now?
- 美咲 Misaki二十三です。nijusan desu.I am twenty-three.
- 大翔 Hiroto二十三歳なんですね！nijusan-sai nan desu ne!So you are twenty-three!
- 美咲 Misakiはい、そうです。hai, sou desu.Yes, that's right.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “twenty-three” translations and entries 二十三, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
