数百(すうひゃく)

すうひゃく
noun
several hundred; a few hundred
1. an indefinite quantity in the hundreds, roughly 200–900
A round approximation used when the exact number is unknown or unimportant, and the speaker wants to indicate a quantity somewhere in the hundreds. Corresponds to English "a few hundred" or "several hundred." Frequently attaches to counters to describe quantities of people, days, years, items, etc.
数百(すうひゃく)人(にん)が集(あつ)まった。
Several hundred people gathered.
この本(ほん)は数百(すうひゃく)年前(ねんまえ)に書(か)かれた。
This book was written several hundred years ago.
新(あたら)しい店(みせ)のオープンには、数百(すうひゃく)人(にん)の客(きゃく)が長(なが)い列(れつ)を作(つく)った。
At the new store's opening, several hundred customers formed a long line.
この会社(かいしゃ)は世界中(せかいじゅう)に数百(すうひゃく)店舗(てんぽ)を展開(てんかい)しており、毎年(まいとし)新(あたら)しい市場(しじょう)に進出(しんしゅつ)している。
This company operates several hundred stores worldwide and expands into new markets every year.

Composed of 数(すう) (several; a few) + 百(ひゃく) (hundred). The prefix 数(すう) can be attached to any large round number to create a vague estimate, and 数百(すうひゃく) is one of the most common members of this family.

RELATED VAGUE NUMBER EXPRESSIONS:

  • 数十(すうじゅう): several dozen (roughly 20–90)
  • 数百(すうひゃく): several hundred (roughly 200–900)
  • 数千(すうせん): several thousand
  • 数万(すうまん): several tens of thousands
  • 数十万(すうじゅうまん): several hundreds of thousands
  • 数百万(すうひゃくまん): several millions

These all work the same way: 数(すう) + round number = "several of that unit."

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 数百(すうひゃく)人(にん): several hundred people
  • 数百(すうひゃく)円(えん): several hundred yen
  • 数百(すうひゃく)年(ねん): several hundred years
  • 数百(すうひゃく)年前(ねんまえ): several hundred years ago
  • 数百(すうひゃく)倍(ばい): several hundred times (as many / as much)
  • 数百(すうひゃく)個(こ): several hundred items
  • 数百(すうひゃく)店舗(てんぽ): several hundred stores
  • 数百(すうひゃく)メートル(めーとる): several hundred meters

GRAMMATICAL BEHAVIOR:
数百(すうひゃく) functions as a numeral, so it attaches directly to counters without a particle — just like any number. It can also stand alone as a noun meaning "several hundred (of them)."

SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:

  • 何百(なんびゃく): hundreds of — more emotional, used when emphasizing a large amount ("hundreds and hundreds").
  • 百以上(ひゃくいじょう): more than a hundred — a precise lower bound instead of a vague range.
  • 百数十(ひゃくすうじゅう): a hundred and some tens — a fusion pattern meaning "a hundred plus several dozen."

NUANCE:
数百(すうひゃく) is a neutral, factual word. It does not imply "a lot" in an emotional sense the way 何百(なんびゃく) does; it simply means "an unspecified quantity somewhere in the hundreds."

general
Added 2026.4.12 5:11
23000/23368_suuhyaku