Numerals
To spell out numerals, one simply uses "数字の..." (sūji no...), and then states the name of the number. This is analogous to the English language practice of saying "the number nine" or "the number five", etc.
When a number can be named in multiple ways, one uses the most distinctive name. For example, 1 is spelled as "hito", since its more common reading "ichi" could be confused with "shichi", a reading of 7. 7, in turn, is spelled out as "nana", never "shichi", lest it be confused with 1 or 4 ("shi"). 4, in turn, is always spelled out "yon".
| Digit | Spelling | Digit | Spelling | Digit | Spelling | Digit | Spelling | Digit | Spelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 数字のひと Sūji no hito |
2 | 数字のに Sūji no ni |
3 | 数字のさん Sūji no san |
4 | 数字のよん Sūji no yon |
5 | 数字のご Sūji no go |
| 6 | 数字のろく Sūji no roku |
7 | 数字のなな Sūji no nana |
8 | 数字のはち Sūji no hachi |
9 | 数字のきゅう Sūji no kyū |
0 | 数字のまる Sūji no maru |
Read more about this topic: Japanese Phonetic Alphabet