四(よん)

よん
number
four
1. four
The number four. This reading (よん) is more commonly used in modern Japanese than し because し sounds like 死(し) (death). よん is generally preferred when counting and in most compound numbers.
四(よん)人(にん)で食事(しょくじ)しました。
We had a meal with four people.
りんごが四(よっ)つあります。
There are four apples.
Using よっつ counter
四(よん)十(じゅう)五(ご)分(ふん)です。
It's forty-five minutes.
一(いち)週間(しゅうかん)は七(なな)日(にち)で、一(いっ)か月(げつ)は四(よん)週間(しゅうかん)です。
One week has seven days, and one month has four weeks.
私(わたし)の家族(かぞく)は四(よ)人(にん)で、父(ちち)と母(はは)と姉(あね)と私(わたし)です。
My family has four people: my father, mother, older sister, and me.

Japanese has two main readings for four: よん and し.

READINGS:

  • よん: the most common reading, preferred in counting and compound numbers
  • し: used in set expressions, but avoided in many contexts because it sounds like 死(し) (death)
  • よ: appears in 四人(よにん) (four people) and some other counters

SET EXPRESSIONS USING し:

  • 四月(しがつ): April
  • 四季(しき): the four seasons
  • 四角(しかく): square, rectangle
  • 四国(しこく): Shikoku (island name)

COUNTING:

  • 四(よっ)つ: four (native Japanese counter)
  • 四十(よんじゅう): forty
  • 四百(よんひゃく): four hundred

CULTURAL NOTE:
The number four is considered unlucky (忌(い)み数(かず)) in Japan due to the し/死(し) association. Some buildings skip the fourth floor, and sets of four are avoided as gifts.

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Added 2026.1.7 21:21 · Revised 2026.3.29 16:57
00500/00767_yon