(ごせん)

ごせん
number
five thousand; 5,000
numberquantity
1. five thousand; 5,000
The number 5,000, formed as () (five) × (せん) (1,000). No sound change occurs.
五千(ごせん)(えん)(さつ)
A five-thousand-yen note.
I only walked five thousand steps today.
The temple isn't five thousand years old, but it apparently has over a thousand years of history.

Formed as () × (せん). Among the thousands, only three combinations change sound — worth memorizing as a set.

Sound changes in the thousands

Common expressions

  • 五千(ごせん)(えん)(さつ): five-thousand-yen note, which bears the portrait of 樋口(ひぐち)一葉(いちよう)
  • 五千(ごせん)(にん): five thousand people
  • 五千(ごせん)(): five thousand steps