百 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
百 simply means "hundred" (100). It's a workhorse kanji you'll see constantly — on price tags, in addresses, in counting, and in set phrases. Because Japanese counts in clean units (十 ten, 百 hundred, 千 thousand, 万 ten-thousand), once you lock in 百 you can read prices like 三百円 (300 yen) or 八百円 (800 yen) at a glance.
The shape is easy to remember: it's the kanji 白 (white) with one extra horizontal stroke (一, "one") sitting on top. So you can think of it as "one + white" = hundred.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| on'yomi | ヒャク | 百 (hundred), 百円 (100 yen), 百点 (100 points) |
| on'yomi | ビャク | 三百 (さんびゃく, 300) — sound change |
| kun'yomi | もも | rare; appears in some names/old words |
百 is almost always read with the on'yomi ヒャク, because numbers in Japanese use Chinese-derived readings. The kun'yomi もも is rare and you won't need it at N5 — just know it exists. The really important thing to master here isn't a second reading, but the sound changes that happen when ヒャク follows certain numbers.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 6. Write the top horizontal line (一) first, then build the 白 below it: the small left-falling stroke, the box frame, and finally the inner horizontal line.
- Radical: the radical is 白 (white). You already met 白 as its own kanji, so 百 is just 白 wearing a little "one" hat. Spotting that 白 inside 百 is a great memory hook — and it keeps you from confusing 百 with 白 or 自.
Common words using 百
The big lesson is in how 百 changes sound after certain numbers. Most hundreds are just number + ひゃく (二百 = にひゃく, 四百 = よんひゃく, 五百 = ごひゃく). But three of them shift:
- 三百 = さんびゃく — ひゃく becomes びゃく (the ビャク reading) after さん.
- 六百 = ろっぴゃく — ろく + ひゃく fuse into a small っ plus ぴゃく.
- 八百 = はっぴゃく — はち + ひゃく fuse into a small っ plus ぴゃく.
And one to simply memorize: 八百屋 = やおや ("greengrocer"). This is a special irregular reading — it is not read はっぴゃくや. Historically it suggested "a shop with countless (lots and lots of) vegetables," and the reading stuck as やおや. Treat it as its own vocabulary word.
Example sentences
このパンは百円です。
この パンは ひゃくえんです。
This bread is 100 yen.
百円 — the basic on'yomi ヒャク reading.
ヤッタンは六百円の本を買いました。
ヤッタンは ろっぴゃくえんの ほんを かいました。
Yattan bought a 600-yen book.
六百 = ろっぴゃく — note the small っ and the ぴゃく sound change.
モチは八百屋で野菜を買います。
モチは やおやで やさいを かいます。
Mochi buys vegetables at the greengrocer.
八百屋 = やおや — an irregular reading, not はっぴゃくや.
Quick recap
- 百 = hundred (100); 6 strokes; radical is 白 (white) with 一 on top.
- The everyday reading is the on'yomi ヒャク (百円 = ひゃくえん).
- Memorize the sound changes: 三百 = さんびゃく, 六百 = ろっぴゃく, 八百 = はっぴゃく.
- 八百屋 = やおや is irregular — learn it as its own word.
- The kun'yomi もも is rare and not needed at N5.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 百 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How is 百 normally read?
Almost always with the on'yomi ヒャク, because numbers use Chinese-derived readings. For example 百円 = ひゃくえん ('100 yen'). The kun'yomi もも is rare and not needed at N5.
Why does 百 sound different in 三百, 六百, and 八百?
These are common sound changes. 三百 becomes さんびゃく (びゃく), while 六百 and 八百 add a small っ and become ろっぴゃく and はっぴゃく (ぴゃく). Most other hundreds, like 二百 (にひゃく), are regular.
Why is 八百屋 read やおや and not はっぴゃくや?
八百屋 ('greengrocer') is an irregular reading you simply memorize. The 八百 here once meant 'countless / very many' vegetables, and the reading became やおや. It is a fixed vocabulary word.
How do I tell 百 apart from 白?
百 (hundred) is just 白 (white) with one extra horizontal line on top — think 'one + white = hundred.' If there's a line above the box, it's 百.