万 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
At its heart, 万 means ten thousand — 10,000. That sounds simple, but it's one of the most important kanji at N5, because Japanese counts large numbers in units of 万, not in thousands the way English does.
In English we group big numbers by thousands (ten thousand, hundred thousand, million). Japanese groups them by 万 instead:
- 10,000 = 一万 (いちまん)
- 100,000 = 十万 (じゅうまん) — literally "ten 万"
- 1,000,000 = 百万 (ひゃくまん) — literally "hundred 万"
So once you can read 万, you can read the prices on menus, rent on apartment listings, and the bills in your wallet (the 一万円 note is the big one!). It's a small kanji that does a lot of heavy lifting.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| on'yomi | マン | 一万 (10,000), 百万 (one million), 万年筆 (fountain pen), 万一 (just in case) |
| on'yomi | バン | 万歳 (hurrah), 万能 (almighty, all-purpose) |
| kun'yomi | よろず | 万 (よろず, "all kinds / myriad") — old/literary, rare |
The big takeaway: 万 is almost always read マン. The バン reading shows up only in a handful of fixed words — most famously 万歳 (ばんざい, "hurrah!"). The kun'yomi よろず is something you'll rarely meet at N5, so don't stress about it. Focus your energy on マン.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: just 3 — a short top horizontal line, then a stroke that goes down and curves, finished with the long sweeping stroke to the lower right. Top to bottom, left to right, as usual.
- Radical: the radical is 一 ("one"), the single horizontal line at the top. 万 is one of the simplest kanji you'll learn — three quick strokes and you're done.
Because it's so short, 万 is a great one to drill until it feels automatic. You'll be writing it any time you deal with money or large numbers.
Common words using 万
Notice that the first five words all use マン, and only 万歳 switches to バン. That ratio is typical: マン is the default, バン is the exception.
Example sentences
ヤッタンは新しい本に一万円を使いました。
ヤッタンは あたらしい ほんに いちまんえんを つかいました。
Yattan spent 10,000 yen on new books.
一万円 — the on'yomi マン reading, used for prices.
この絵は百万円もすると先生が言いました。
この えは ひゃくまんえんも すると せんせいが いいました。
Sensei said this painting costs as much as a million yen.
百万 (ひゃくまん) = one million — Japanese counts big numbers in units of 万 (マン).
試合に勝って、モチと弟は「万歳！」と叫びました。
しあいに かって、モチと おとうとは「ばんざい！」と さけびました。
After winning the match, Mochi and his little brother shouted Banzai!
万歳 (ばんざい) — one of the few words that uses the バン reading.
Quick recap
- 万 = ten thousand (10,000); just 3 strokes; radical is 一 ("one").
- Japanese counts in units of 万: 一万 = 10,000, 十万 = 100,000, 百万 = 1,000,000.
- Almost always read マン (一万円, 百万, 万年筆); バン appears in a few set words like 万歳.
- The kun'yomi よろず is old and rare — you won't need it often at N5.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 万 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 万 in 一万円?
It's read マン — 一万円 = いちまんえん, '10,000 yen'. マン is by far the most common reading of 万, used for almost all numbers and prices.
Why is 100,000 written 十万 and not with more zeros?
Japanese groups large numbers in units of 万 (10,000), not thousands. So 100,000 is 十万 (じゅうまん), literally 'ten 万', and 1,000,000 is 百万 (ひゃくまん), 'hundred 万'.
When is 万 read バン instead of マン?
Only in a small set of fixed words, most famously 万歳 (ばんざい, 'hurrah'). When in doubt, read 万 as マン — that's correct for the vast majority of words.
How many strokes does 万 have?
万 has just 3 strokes, and its radical is 一 ('one'). It's one of the simplest and most useful kanji at JLPT N5.