四よっつ

よ

っ

つ

○

Common word›JLPTN5›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

numeric

four; four things

The native Japanese numeral for counting four items, especially in the traditional hitotsu–tō counting system. Used for concrete objects, abstract items, and age (see sense 2).

りんごを四よっつください。

Please give me four apples.

この箱はこにはボタンが四よっつある。

There are four buttons on this box.

noun

four years old

Used for the age of four, especially for children. The reading よっつ is standard; よつ is archaic or poetic.

娘むすめは今年ことしで四よっつになります。
My daughter will be four this year.

noun

ten o'clock (old time system)

In the traditional Japanese temporal hour system, 四つ corresponded roughly to the modern 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. This usage is now historical and rarely encountered outside period contexts.

江え戸ど時じ代だいには、四よっつは午ご前ぜん十じゅう時じごろを指さした。
In the Edo period, 四つ referred to around ten in the morning.

noun

burakumin (derogatory)

derogatory

A derogatory term for burakumin, historically associated with the four-legged animal metaphor. This is a slur and should be avoided in modern speech; it is included here for recognition only.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉を四よっつに分わけるto divide something into four parts
ケーキを四よっつに分わけた。
I cut the cake into four pieces.
四よっつになるto turn four years old
息子むすこは来らい月げつ四よっつになる。
My son will turn four next month.
四よっつに組くむto grapple in a cross-grip hold (in sumo)
二人ふたりの力りき士しは四よっつに組くんだ。
The two sumo wrestlers grappled in a cross-grip hold.
〈物もの〉が四よっつあるthere are four (of something)
机つくえの上うえにみかんが四よっつある。
There are four oranges on the desk.

Grammar

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

Kanji

四four

Related words

四しN5sense 1
四つ is the native Japanese numeral used for counting concrete items (よっつ), while 四 is the Sino-Japanese numeral used in math, dates, and compound words.
四よん本ほん
四本 is used specifically to count long, cylindrical objects like bottles or pens, while 四つ is the general-purpose counter for four items of any shape.
フォア
四つ is the native Japanese counter meaning 'four items' used for everyday counting, whereas フォア is a katakana loanword rarely used to count ordinary objects.

Don't confuse with

四よつ身み sense 5
四つ (sumo sense) is simply the abbreviated form of 四つ身, the full technical term for the cross-grip hold, so learners may not realize they refer to the same thing.

Written forms

四つ
- よっつ
  Standard kanji spelling for the native Japanese numeral 'four things'.
- よつ
４つ
- よっつ
  Arabic numeral spelling, common in informal writing, lists, and horizontal text.
- よつ
よつ

Etymology

Native Japanese numeral from Old Japanese *yətu, related to the traditional hitotsu–tō counting system. The reading よっつ is the modern geminated form; よつ is an older variant. The derogatory sense likely derives from the four-legged animal metaphor, but the exact historical development is uncertain.