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.
Please open the third door.
Used for the third item when counting with the native Japanese counter つ. Often for abstract or general items.
What is the third reason?
Formal or literary pattern meaning 'the third N'. Often used in titles or fixed phrases.
the third option
Used in contexts like rankings, numbers, or without a following noun. Often part of compound words.
He finished third.
To express the fraction 1/3.
Standard way to say 'one third'. The pattern is [denominator]分の[numerator].
I ate one third of the cake.
The base in baseball.
The standard term for third base in baseball.
There's a runner on third.
The third gear in a car or other vehicle.
Referring to the third person in grammar.
The grammatical term for third person.
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.
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.
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.