七しち人にん

also: ななにん

し

ち

に

ん

JLPTN5

Meanings

1

noun

seven people

Simple counter for seven persons. Both readings しちにん and ななにん are used; ななにん is often preferred in speech to avoid confusion with 一人 (ひとり) or 四人 (よにん).

七しち人にんの侍さむらい
Seven Samurai

この部屋へやには七しち人にんいます。

There are seven people in this room.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に七しち人にんいるthere are seven people in a place
教きょう室しつに七しち人にんいます。
There are seven people in the classroom.
七しち人にんの〈人ひと〉seven [people/members/etc.]
七しち人にんの子こ供どもが公こう園えんで遊あそんでいる。
Seven children are playing in the park.

Grammar

一人ひとり・二に本ほん・三さん冊さつNumbers and countersN5

Kanji

七seven
人person

Related words

七ななつN5
七人 counts people specifically, while 七つ is the general counter used for most other objects, not people.

Word family

三さん七しち人にん参じん
notoginseng; Panax pseudoginseng

Written forms

七人
- しちにん
  Standard kanji spelling; both readings しちにん and ななにん are common.
- ななにん
  Alternate reading ななにん, equally common and often preferred in spoken Japanese.
７人
- しちにん
  Arabic numeral variant, common in horizontal writing and statistics.
- ななにん
  Arabic numeral variant with reading ななにん.
ななにん

Etymology

Compound of 七 (seven) and 人 (person). The reading しちにん uses the on'yomi of both characters, while ななにん uses the native Japanese numeral なな.