四よ人にん

よ

に

ん

Common wordJLPTN5

Meanings

1

four people

Standard counter for four persons. Used in everyday counting and descriptions.

家か族ぞくは四よ人にんです。
There are four people in my family.
四よ人にんで映えい画がを見みに行いった。
Four of us went to see a movie.

See all 21 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が四よ人にんいるthere are four people (present)
教きょう室しつに学がく生せいが四よ人にんいます。
There are four students in the classroom.
四よ人にんで〈動どう詞し〉to do something as a group of four
四よ人にんで旅りょ行こうに行いった。
We went on a trip as a group of four.

Grammar

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

Kanji

四four
人person

Don't confuse with

三さん人にんN5
三人 (さんにん) means 'three people,' while 四人 (よにん) means 'four people'; both are Sino-Japanese number+人 readings that learners can easily transpose or mispronounce.

Word family

四よ人にん組ぐみ
foursome; group of four people · Gang of Four

Written forms

四人
- よにん
  Standard kanji spelling for 'four people'.
- よたり
  rarely-used kana form
- よったり
  rarely-used kana form
４人
- よにん
  Numerical form commonly used in informal or space-constrained writing.
- よたり
  rarely-used kana form
- よったり
  rarely-used kana form
よたり
rarely-used kana form
よったり
rarely-used kana form

Etymology

Compound of 四 (yo, 'four') and 人 (nin, 'person'). The reading よにん is the standard modern form.