(ひとけた)

ひとけた
noun
single digit
1. single digit; one digit
A number from 0-9, having only one digit. Also used to describe quantities or percentages in the single digits.
一桁(ひとけた)数字(すうじ)
A single-digit number.
参加者(さんかしゃ)一桁(ひとけた)だった。
The number of participants was in the single digits.
気温(きおん)一桁(ひとけた)まで()がった。
The temperature dropped to single digits.

一桁(ひとけた) means having only one digit (0-9).

RELATED TERMS:

  • 二桁(ふたけた): two digits (10-99)
  • 三桁(みけた): three digits (100-999)
  • 四桁(よんけた): four digits (1,000-9,999)
  • (けた)(ちが)う: to be on a completely different scale (lit. different digit count)

NUANCE:
Often implies a small or disappointingly low number, especially when used for things like attendance, sales, or scores.