(よんじゅう)

よんじゅう
number
forty
1. forty
The number forty. Formed by combining (よん) (four) and (じゅう) (ten). Note that よん is used instead of し.
四十(よんじゅう)(えん)です
It's forty yen.
(ちち)四十(よんじゅう)(さい)です
My father is forty years old.
Forty people participated.
We'll arrive in about forty minutes.
This book has forty pages, but I read ten pages every day.

四十(よんじゅう) is the number forty, combining (よん) (four) and (じゅう) (ten).

PRONUNCIATION:

  • よんじゅう: standard, preferred pronunciation
  • しじゅう: less common, sometimes heard
  • The reading よん is preferred over し because し sounds like () (death)

COUNTING PATTERN:
Tens follow a regular pattern: (じゅう) (10), 二十(にじゅう) (20), 三十(さんじゅう) (30), 四十(よんじゅう) (40), 五十(ごじゅう) (50)...

COMMON COUNTERS:

CULTURAL NOTE:
四十九日(しじゅうくにち) (49th day) is an important Buddhist memorial service held 49 days after someone's death. Here しじゅう is used.

RELATED NUMBERS: