Translation guide
The English word "number" covers several distinct concepts. This guide breaks them down into practical meanings and shows how to express each naturally in Japanese.
電話番号は何ですか？
What's your phone number?
Referring to a count or amount of something.
General word for 'number' as a count or quantity. Used in everyday speech.
参加者の数が増えた。
The number of participants increased.
星の数は数えきれない。
The number of stars is countless.
Refers to numerical figures or digits, often used when talking about statistics or written numbers.
Formal term for quantity or volume, used in business or technical contexts.
A numeral used to identify something, like a phone number or room number.
A single issue of a publication.
Suffix meaning 'issue number'. Attached to numbers.
A song or dance in a show.
General word for a musical piece or song.
The grammatical category of number (singular vs. plural).
Used in linguistic contexts. Note the reading differs from the 'quantity' meaning.
While 数 means 'number' as a quantity, it cannot be used for identification numbers like phone numbers. Use 番号 for those.
電話番号
phone number
数 refers to a conceptual count or amount, while 数字 refers to the written numerals themselves. For example, 'the number 7' as a digit is 数字, but 'a large number of people' uses 数.
数字の「7」
the number '7'
What does this number mean?
注文数量を確認してください。
Please confirm the order quantity.
Used for identification numbers: phone numbers, room numbers, ticket numbers, etc.
電話番号を教えてください。
Please tell me your phone number.
部屋番号は302です。
The room number is 302.
Loanword from English, often used in compound words like 'car number' or 'license number'.
車のナンバーを控えてください。
Please note down the car's license number.
最新号を買いました。
I bought the latest issue.
この雑誌の3月号は面白い。
The March issue of this magazine is interesting.
次の曲は新曲です。
The next number is a new song.
Refers to a program or act in a show, often used for TV/radio programs or stage performances.
この番組は人気があります。
This number (program) is popular.
日本語には文法上の数はありません。
Japanese does not have grammatical number.
a large number of people
その曲の番号は何ですか？
What's the number of that song?
In a karaoke context, you might ask for the song number.