Translation guide
In Japanese, ordinal numbers are formed by adding a suffix to a number. The most common suffix is 〜目 (me), but other suffixes like 〜番 (ban), 〜位 (i), and 〜号 (gō) are used in specific contexts. The choice depends on what is being counted and the situation.
Expressing the order of items in a sequence, like 'first time', 'second person', etc.
Attach 目 to a Japanese native number or counter to mean '-th'. This is the most common way to form ordinals for general counting.
Prefix 第 to a number (usually Sino-Japanese) to form ordinals like 'Chapter 1', 'the 2nd something'. Common in formal or written contexts.
Combines 番 (number) and 目 to emphasize the numbered position in a series. Often used with Sino-Japanese numbers.
Expressing rank in a competition, class standing, or hierarchical order.
Referring to numbered things like rooms, issues of a magazine, bus routes, etc.
Specifying which floor of a building.
Expressing the day of the month.
目 is a suffix for general ordinals (e.g., 三回目 = the third time). 第 is a prefix used in formal numbering (e.g., 第三章 = Chapter 3). They can be combined: 第三回目 = the third time (formal).
最初 means 'first' in the sense of 'the beginning' or 'at first', not as an ordinal number. Use 一番目 or 第一 for 'the first one'.
日本に来るのは三回目です。
This is my third time visiting Japan.
彼女はコンテストで一位になりました。
She won first place in the contest.
won third place
More formal or emphatic way to state rank, often used in official announcements.
第一位
first place
You are number 5.
Used for numbered designations like room numbers, magazine issues, or train names.
三号室
Room 3
週刊少年ジャンプ 2023年1号
Weekly Shonen Jump 2023 Issue 1
I'm waiting on the first floor.
the 15th
二番線に行ってください。
Please go to Track 2.