何百(なんびゃく)

なんびゃく
expression
hundreds; several hundred; how many hundreds
1. hundreds (of); several hundred
An indefinite expression for an unspecified number in the hundreds. Typically used with も to emphasize how many there are.
何百(なんびゃく)人(にん)も集(あつ)まった。
Hundreds of people gathered.
何百(なんびゃく)年(ねん)も前(まえ)の建物(たてもの)だ。
It's a building from hundreds of years ago.
この図書館(としょかん)には何百(なんびゃく)冊(さつ)もの古(ふる)い本(ほん)が保管(ほかん)されている。
Hundreds of old books are kept in this library.

Combines 何(なに)/何(なん) (how many; what) + 百(ひゃく) (hundred). The 百(ひゃく) voices to びゃく after 何(なん). Almost always appears with a counter and the particle も to mean "hundreds of..."

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 何百(なんびゃく)人(にん)も: hundreds of people
  • 何百(なんびゃく)年(ねん)も前(まえ): hundreds of years ago
  • 何百(なんびゃく)回(かい)も: hundreds of times
  • 何百(なんびゃく)冊(さつ)も: hundreds of (books)
  • 何百(なんびゃく)万円(まんえん): several million yen (lit. "hundreds of ten-thousand yen")

QUESTION USE:
Without も, 何百(なんびゃく)〜? can also ask "how many hundreds?": 何百(なんびゃく)人(にん)来(き)たの？ — "How many hundreds of people came?" — but the "hundreds of" reading is more common.

SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:

  • 何千(なんぜん): thousands of
  • 何万(なんまん): tens of thousands of
  • 何十(なんじゅう): tens of, dozens of
general
Added 2026.6.4 12:14
28500/28714_nanbyaku