# Decimal places



## lammn

How do you say numbers with decimal in Japanese?

For example, how to read 42.194 キロ?
よんじゅうてんいちきゅうよんキロと読みますか。
Is there any trick one must pay attention to when reading decimal places?

Thanks for any help!


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## Noamoxkaltontli

Yes, that is the correct way to do it. 
The period is read as ten/てん and then each number is uttered separately. 
yon juu ni_ten ichi kyuu yon _ KILO.

Well if it was 42._500_ you could say: yon juu ni _han_. Heheh


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## lammn

Thanks, Noa!　

How about 42.505 kilo?
よんじゅうにてんご*ぜろ*ごキロ or よんじゅうにてんご*れい*ごキロ？


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## Ocham

To Noa,
No, we rarely say よんじゅう　に　はん for 42.5. Older people used to say
はん for 0.5.  For example, 10文半(to mon han) for shoes size or 10里半
(juu ri han) for distance. But these days はん in these cases is out of 
date.

To Lammn,
42.505 is read like よんじゅう　に　てん　ご　ゼロ　ご. 
れい(零 0) is a bit hard to recognize. So we more often use ゼロ for 0.
But when the figure begins with 0 like 0.012, we usually use れい for
each 0, and say れい　てん　れい　いち. We rarely say ゼロ　てん　ゼロ　いち.


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## lammn

Ocham said:


> 42.505 is read like よんじゅう　に　てん　ご　ゼロ　ご.
> れい(零 0) is a bit hard to recognize. So we more often use ゼロ for 0.
> But when the figure begins with 0 like 0.012, we usually use れい for
> each 0, and say れい　てん　れい　いち. We rarely say ゼロ　てん　ゼロ　いち.


 
Thank you, Ocham! 

But then it raises another question: how to read 0.0104, for example?
*れい*てん*れい*いち*ぜろ*よん？


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## Flaminius

Wow, this touches upon an interesting phenomenon.  I always thought that number 0 is almost always pronounced _zero_ in Modern Japanese.  Now, I seem to have found an exception.  When placed immediately before a decimal point, 0 is read _ree_!  

I think I'd read 0.0104 as; れいてんぜろいちぜろよん but I'd factor in certain variations for <0>'s below the decimal point.


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## lammn

I see. Thank you Flam! 

I hope that there will not be a question in JLPT like this:

0.0104は日本語でどう読みますか。
1．れいてんぜろいちぜろよん　2．れいてんれいいちぜろよん　3．れいてんれいいちれいよん　4．ぜろてんぜろいちぜろよん


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## masatom

Hello.

私は　0.0104　は　れいてんれいいちれいよん　と　読みます。

0.000001　は　れいてん　れいれいれいれいれいいち　と　読みます。

It is my habit. When I start with れい, I think it is more natural to use the same pronunciation.
So I'm surprised a bit to know that some natives use れいてんぜろいちぜろよん.
It is unnatural to my ear.

So I realize that you can use both れいand ぜろ. Both can be understandable.
It might be merely personal preference.

Thank you.


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## Noamoxkaltontli

> No, we rarely say よんじゅう　に　はん for 42.5. Older people used to say
> はん for 0.5. For example, 10文半(to mon han) for shoes size or 10里半
> (juu ri han) for distance. But these days はん in these cases is out of
> date.


To Ocham, 
Thank you!! I will try to correct this in my speech as well. 

To lammn, 
1.~ is いってん～by the way.

Ｑｕｅｓｔｉｏｎ：
is 10.~ じってん・じゅってん～？


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## Ocham

Ｑｕｅｓｔｉｏｎ：
is 10.~ じってん・じゅってん～？

It is formally and originally pronounced じってん, but these days
most of us read it じゅってん.

Other examples:
十指 じっし
十手 じって
十進法 じっしんほう
十中八九 じっちゅうはっく


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## lammn

Thanks to all of you!

Since there seems to be variations in pronunciation among even native speakers, I am wondering if 小数 is taught in Mathematics lessons in Japan? I am asking this because I assume one can learn the pronunciation during Mathematics lessons. 



Noamoxkaltontli said:


> To lammn,
> 1.~ is いってん～by the way.


 
Thanks! 怎麼我事前一點都不知道?


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## Noamoxkaltontli

I almost got that one with my limited chinese!
Well I was thinking about irregularities, and that was the first one that came to mind.


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## Flaminius

lammn said:


> Thanks to all of you!
> 
> Since there seems to be variations in pronunciation among even native speakers, I am wondering if 小数 is taught in Mathematics lessons in Japan? I am asking this because I assume one can learn the pronunciation during Mathematics lessons.


Of course decimals are taught in the primary education.  But their pronunciation isn't taught or I was sleeping when they covered that part.


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## lammn

Flaminius said:


> Of course decimals are taught in the primary education. But their pronunciation isn't taught *or I was sleeping* when they covered that part.


 
I guess so.


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