How to Write the Numbers 1 Through 5 in Japanese
The Japanese language uses three different kinds of script. Two are based on the sounds of whole syllables and are called hiragana and katakana. They also use Chinese characters which they call kanji. The numbers 1 to 5 are written in kanji so, really, you will soon know how to write the numbers in both Japanese and Chinese since they look the same even though they are pronounced differently in the two languages. The numbers are pronounced: "ichi", "ni", "san", "shi", and "go" - i.e. one, two, three, four, and five.Japanese numbers are formed by a sequence of strokes. Knowing how to write the numbers one to five in Japanese using kanji is a fun addition to your arsenal of general knowledge. Here is how to do it using the proper stroke order.
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Instructions
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Look at the example of the numbers one through five in Japanese. Notice that the first three numbers are easy to remember intuitively. See that one, "ichi", is formed by one stroke; two, "ni" is formed by two strokes; and three, "san" is formed by two strokes. Four, "shi", is the most different from anything an English speaker will recognize as a number if you exercise your imagination to see that five, "go", contains a squared off version of our number- the hat on the top, the little vertical line meeting a curve (here it is a square) facing right. Before attempting to write these numbers, become familiar with their shapes and their names.
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Write the number one, "ichi" using one horizontal line.
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Write the number two, "ni", using two strokes. First draw a short horizontal line. Then draw another horizontal line below the first one. The lower line should be about twice the length of the upper one.
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4
Write the number three, san, using three strokes. Start with a short horizontal line. Add a second short horizontal line beneath the first one. Make this line just a bit shorter than the first. Add a third slightly longer horizontal line at the bottom.
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5
Write the number four, "shi", using five strokes. First draw a short vertical line starting at the top left and going down. Second, draw a horizontal line that starts at the top of the first line and ends by curving down and to the right. Third, draw a short curved diagonal line starting about a third of the way right from the top left corner. Fourth, draw a short curved line like a capital "L" from the top line starting a third of the way to the left of the right corner. Finally, draw a horizontal line across the bottom so as to enclose the whole as in a curved rectangle.
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Write the number five, "go", using four strokes. First draw a short horizontal line that aims slightly up and to the right. Then, from the center of this line, draw a short diagonal line that goes down aiming slightly to the left. Draw a horizontal line through the last line you drew as if crossing a "t" but don't stop where you would to make a "t". Instead, curve the right end of this line down and almost perpendicular - make the corner slightly rounded. Bring this line down to the same level as the end of the second line you drew. Then draw the last line - a horizontal line that forms a platform beneath the rest of the number.
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Tips & Warnings
Pretend that you are a Japanese calligrapher, an artist that makes beautiful characters. Use black paint and a paint brush to draw some of these numbers. Then add flowers or a red moon to your picture.
