Translation guide
How to express the ordinal 'third' in Japanese, including counters, fractions, and idiomatic uses.
To say something is the third item, person, or occurrence in a series.
The most common way to say 'third' in a sequence. Attach to a noun with の.
三番目のドアを開けてください。
Please open the third door.
Used for the third item when counting with the native Japanese counter つ. Often for abstract or general items.
三つ目の理由は何ですか。
What is the third reason?
Formal or literary pattern meaning 'the third N'. Often used in titles or fixed phrases.
第三の選択肢
the third option
Used in contexts like rankings, numbers, or without a following noun. Often part of compound words.
彼は三番でゴールした。
He finished third.
To express the fraction 1/3.
Standard way to say 'one third'. The pattern is [denominator]分の[numerator].
ケーキの三分の一を食べた。
I ate one third of the cake.
The base in baseball.
The standard term for third base in baseball.
ランナーが三塁にいる。
There's a runner on third.
The third gear in a car or other vehicle.
Commonly used for third gear, borrowed from English.
サードに入れてください。
Please shift into third.
More technical term for third gear.
三速にシフトする。
Shift into third gear.
Referring to the third person in grammar.
The grammatical term for third person.
英語の三人称単数には 's' が付く。
In English, third person singular takes an 's'.
A person or group besides the two primarily involved.
Standard term for a third party, often in legal or formal contexts.
第三者に情報を渡さないでください。
Please do not give information to a third party.
The musical interval of a third.
Used for the interval of a third in music theory.
この和音は長三度を含む。
This chord contains a major third.
三番目 is the general ordinal 'third' and can be used with most nouns. 三つ目 is used when counting with the つ counter, often for things without a specific counter or for abstract items. For example, 三つ目の角 (the third corner) is common, but 三番目の角 is also acceptable.