If you are choosing what to study first, choose this.
Numbers, dates and times decide more exam questions than any other category of vocabulary. They appear in every section of JFT-Basic โ a listening clip about a shift, a notice about a closure, a message about a deadline โ and the answer usually is the number.
They are also riddled with irregular readings, which is why so many candidates who โknow numbersโ still lose these questions.
The basics
1 ใใก, 2 ใซ, 3 ใใ, 4 ใ / ใใ, 5 ใ, 6 ใใ, 7 ใใก / ใชใช, 8 ใฏใก, 9 ใ / ใใ ใ, 10 ใใ ใ.
Then compounding: 11 ใใ ใใใก, 20 ใซใใ ใ, 100 ใฒใใ, 1,000 ใใ, 10,000 ใพใ.
Note 10,000. Japanese groups large numbers in units of ten thousand, not thousand. 10,000 is ใใกใพใ and 100,000 is ใใ ใใพใ. This trips up almost everyone dealing with prices and salaries.
Time: where the irregulars live
Hours (ใๆ): mostly regular, with 4ๆ ใใ, 7ๆ ใใกใ, 9ๆ ใใ. Not ใใใ, not ใชใชใ, not ใใ ใใ.
Minutes (ใๅ): heavy sound changes. 1ๅ ใใฃใทใ, 2ๅ ใซใตใ, 3ๅ ใใใทใ, 4ๅ ใใใทใ, 5ๅ ใใตใ, 6ๅ ใใฃใทใ, 7ๅ ใชใชใตใ, 8ๅ ใฏใฃใทใ, 9ๅ ใใ ใใตใ, 10ๅ ใใ ใฃใทใ.
These are the irregulars that decide listening questions. Drill them aloud until the wrong form sounds wrong.
Half past: ใๆๅ (ใใใฏใ).
Days of the month: the first ten are a special case
The days from 1st to 10th are almost entirely irregular and must be memorised as a block:
| 1ๆฅ ใคใใใก | 2ๆฅ ใตใคใ | 3ๆฅ ใฟใฃใ | 4ๆฅ ใใฃใ |
| 5ๆฅ ใใคใ | 6ๆฅ ใใใ | 7ๆฅ ใชใฎใ | 8ๆฅ ใใใ |
| 9ๆฅ ใใใฎใ | 10ๆฅ ใจใใ |
From the 11th it is mostly regular โ ใใ ใใใกใซใก โ with the exceptions 14ๆฅ ใใ ใใใฃใ, 20ๆฅ ใฏใคใ and 24ๆฅ ใซใใ ใใใฃใ.
20ๆฅ ใฏใคใ in particular appears constantly and looks like nothing else.
Days of the week
ๆๆๆฅ ใใคใใใณ (Mon), ็ซๆๆฅ ใใใใณ (Tue), ๆฐดๆๆฅ ใใใใใณ (Wed), ๆจๆๆฅ ใใใใใณ (Thu), ้ๆๆฅ ใใใใใณ (Fri), ๅๆๆฅ ใฉใใใณ (Sat), ๆฅๆๆฅ ใซใกใใใณ (Sun).
Reading questions about shop notices and rubbish collection days live entirely here.
Why this is the best use of your first month
Three reasons:
They are everywhere. Shifts, prices, opening hours, deadlines, appointments, rubbish days. Both exams are built from practical situations, and practical situations are made of numbers.
They are decisive. A question rarely turns on an adjective. It regularly turns on whether the meeting is at 9:50 or 10:00.
They are finite. Unlike vocabulary generally, this is a closed set. A week of proper work and you have them for good.
Drill them the right way
Aloud, and listening. These are recognised by ear under time pressure, once. Reading them on a page is not the same skill.
In whole phrases, as they actually occur: 9ใ50ใทใใพใงใซ. 8ใใค13ใซใกใใ. ใฉใใใณใซ.
With the deadline particles attached. ใพใงใซ (by) versus ใพใง (until) is the single most decisive grammar point in both exams, and it lives in exactly these sentences. See Japanese particles.
Then test it under pressure โ our free practice test has listening and reading items where a time or a date is the answer.