Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, numeric substitution is a common form of by which numbers are substituted for

homophonous A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning or in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (past tense of "rise"), or spelled differently, a ...

words and phrases. Numeric substitution may be done as

wordplay Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...

, but it is more commonly used to produce

abbreviation An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening (linguistics), shortening, contraction (grammar), contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened for ...

s and

mnemonic A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember. It makes use of e ...

devices.

Readings

In Japanese, each digit/number has at least one native Japanese (

kun'yomi is the way of reading kanji characters using the native Japanese word that matches the meaning of the Chinese character when it was introduced. This pronunciation is contrasted with ''on'yomi'', which is the reading based on the original Chi ...

), Sino-Japanese (

on'yomi , or the Sino-Japanese vocabulary, Sino-Japanese reading, is the reading of a kanji based on the historical Chinese pronunciation of the character. A single kanji might have multiple ''on'yomi'' pronunciations, reflecting the Chinese pronuncia ...

), and English-origin reading. Furthermore, variants of readings may be produced through abbreviation (i.e. rendering ''ichi'' as ''i''),

consonant voicing and devoicing In phonology, voicing (or sonorization) is a sound change where a voiceless consonant becomes voiced due to the influence of its phonological environment; shift in the opposite direction is referred to as devoicing or surdization. Most common ...

(i.e ''sa'' as ''za'' or ''go'' as ''ko''; see

Dakuten and handakuten The , colloquially , is a diacritic most often used in the Japanese kana syllabaries to indicate that the consonant of a mora should be pronounced voiced, for instance, on sounds that have undergone rendaku (sequential voicing). The , col ...

gemination In phonetics and phonology, gemination (; from Latin 'doubling', itself from '' gemini'' 'twins'), or consonant lengthening, is an articulation of a consonant for a longer period of time than that of a singleton consonant. It is distinct from ...

(i.e. ''roku'' as ''rokku''; see

sokuon The is a Japanese typographic symbols, Japanese symbol in the form of a small hiragana or katakana , as well as the various consonants represented by it. In less formal language, it is called or , meaning "small ". It serves multiple purposes ...

), vowel lengthening (i.e. ''ni'' as ''nii''; see

chōonpu The , also known as , , , or Katakana-Hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark by the Unicode Consortium, is a Japanese symbol that indicates a , or a long vowel of two morae in length. Its form is a horizontal or vertical line in the center of the te ...

), reading multiple digits (most commonly 10) as a single number, or the insertion or deletion of the nasal

mora Mora may refer to: People * José Maria Mora (1847–1926), Cuban-American photographer, often credited as "Mora" * Mora (singer) (born 1996), a Puerto Rican singer * Mora (surname), a Spanish name (includes a list of people with the name) Plac ...

''n'' (

んん, in hiragana or ン in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. ん is the only kana that does not end in a vowel sound (although in certain cases the vowel ending of kana, such as す, is unpronounced). The k ...

). Goroawase substitutions are well known as mnemonics, notably in the selection of memorable

telephone number A telephone number is the address of a Telecommunications, telecommunication endpoint, such as a telephone, in a telephone network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A telephone number typically consists of a Number, sequ ...

s used by companies and the memorization of numbers such as years in the study of history. Numeric substitutions may contain multiple types of readings and variations; for example, 0348, read as uses abbreviated English readings for zero and three, an on'yomi reading for four, and ends with a kun'yomi reading for eight.

Examples

* 11 can be read as "wan-wan", which is commonly used in Japan as an onomatopoeia for a dog barking. * 16 can be read as "hi-ro",

Hiro Hiro may refer to: People * Hiro (given name), includes lists of people with the given name * Hiro (photographer) (1930–2021), Japanese-born American photographer * Hiro (singer) (born 1991), French singer * Hiroko Shimabukuro (born 1984), Japa ...

being a common Japanese given name. 16 is also a common age for anime and manga

protagonists A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

(i.e.,

heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

). * 26 can be read as "fu-ro" (), meaning "bath".

Public baths in Japan In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichke ...

have reduced entry fees on the 26th day of every month. * 29 can be read as "ni-ku" (), meaning "

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

Restaurants A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in app ...

and

grocery stores A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym f ...

have special offers on the 29th day of every month. *39 can be read as "san-kyū", referring to "thank you" in English. * 44 can be read as "yo-yo" and is thus a common slang term in the international competitive

yo-yo A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 440 BC. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in th ...

community, which has a strong Japanese presence. * 56, read as "ko-ro", is used in , an alternate spelling of the verb "korosu" (, to kill) used as

algospeak In social media, algospeak is the use of coded expressions to evade automated content moderation. It is used to discuss topics deemed sensitive to moderation algorithms while avoiding penalties such as shadow banning, downranking, or de-monetizatio ...

on the internet to avoid

wordfilter A wordfilter (sometimes referred to as just "filter" or "censor") is a script typically used on Internet forums or chat rooms that automatically scans users' posts or comments as they are submitted and automatically changes or censors particula ...

s. * 89 can be read as "ha-gu", which refers to "hug" in English. August 9th is National Hug Day in Japan. * 109 can be read as "tō-kyū". The

109 109 may refer to: * 109 (number), the integer following 108 and preceding 110 * AD 109, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century AD * 109 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 109 (department store), a department store in Shi ...

department store in

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

is often read as "ichi-maru-kyū", but the number 109 was selected as the alternative reading "tō-kyū" is a reference to

Tokyu Corporation The , a contraction of and formerly until 2 September 2019, is a Japanese ''keiretsu'' or conglomerate headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. While a multinational corporation, its main operation is , a wholly-owned subsidiary operating railways i ...

, the group that owns the building. * 428 can be read as "shi-bu-ya", referring to the

area of

, and "yo-tsu-ba" () meaning

four-leaf clover The four-leaf clover is a rare mutation of the common three-leaf clover that has four Leaflet (botany), leaflets instead of three. According to traditional sayings, such clovers bring good luck, a belief that dates back to at least the 17th cent ...

. * 526 can be read as "ko-ji-ro" in reference to Sasaki Kojiro, a samurai from the Edo period. * 634 can be read as "mu-sa-shi". The

Tokyo Skytree , also written as Tokyo Sky Tree, is a broadcasting and observation tower, located in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It has been the tallest tower in Japan since opening in 2012,

's height was intentionally set at 634 meters so it would sound like

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

, an old name for the area in which the building stands. *801 can be read as "ya-o-i" or

yaoi , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it from the equivale ...

, a genre of homoerotic manga typically aimed at women. * 893 can be read as "ya-ku-za" () or "

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

". It is traditionally a bad omen for a student to receive this candidate number for an

exam An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

. * 4649 can be read as "yo-ro-shi-ku" (), meaning "best regards".

Mnemonics

*1492, the year of Columbus' first voyage to America, can be read as "i-yo-ku-ni" and appended with "ga mieta" to form the phrase "Alright! I can see land!" (). Additionally, "i-yo-ku-ni" itself could simply be interpreted as "It's a good country" (). The alternative reading "i-shi-ku-ni" is also used to memorize the year, though it is not typically associated with a particular meaning. *23564, the length of a

sidereal day Sidereal time ("sidereal" pronounced ) is a system of timekeeping used especially by astronomers. Using sidereal time and the celestial coordinate system, it is easy to locate the positions of celestial objects in the night sky. Sidereal t ...

(23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds), can be read as "ni-san-go-ro-shi", which sounds similar to "nii-san koroshi" () or in English, " killing one's older brother". *3.14159265, the first nine digits of pi, can be read as "san-i-shi-i-ko-ku-ni-mu-kou" (), meaning "an obstetrician faces towards a foreign country". *42.195, the length of a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

course in kilometres, can be read as "shi-ni-i-ku-go" ( go), meaning "go to die, go".

Popular culture examples

Anime, manga, and television

* 123 can be read as "hi-fu-mi", which the name of Hifumi Izanami in the music anime HYPNOSISMIC -D.R.B.-, as well as Hifumi Suu - a character from The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You who is heavily associated and in love with numbers - is derived from. ** Furthermore, her birthday is on 1/23, and Chapter 123 was her introductory chapter. * 152 can be read as "hi-ko-ni", meaning , and is part of the

license plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...

number of the Machine

itasha In Japan, an is a car decorated with images of characters from anime, manga, or video games (especially ''bishōjo'' games or ''eroge''). The decorations usually involve paint schemes and stickers. The cars are seen prominently in places suc ...

Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger is a Japanese tokusatsu comedy drama based on the Super Sentai Series. It is not part of the official line up in Toei Company's Super Sentai franchise, but is instead a self-parody geared towards adults as opposed to a general audience for the m ...

. * 18782 + 18782 = 37564 can be read as "i-ya-na-ya-tsu + i-ya-na-ya-tsu = mi-na-go-ro-shi" . ** In ''

Initial D is a Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 volumes. The ...

,'' Rin Hojo's R32

Nissan Skyline GT-R The is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was fol ...

has the license plate number "37-564", befitting his nickname of "

Shinigami () are that invite humans toward death in certain aspects of Shinto, Japanese religion and Culture of Japan, culture. have been described as monsters, helpers, and creatures of darkness. are used for tales and religions in Japanese culture. ...

". ** In

Taiko no Tatsujin is a Japanese video game series created by Namco. In the games, players simulate playing a taiko drum in time with music. The series has released games for the Arcade video game, arcade and for console and mobile platforms including PlayStation ...

, a rhythm game, there is a song called 万戈イム一一ノ十 (成仏2000, Joubutsu 2000) where the lyrics "trois sept cinq six quatre" (3-7-5-6-4 in French) is sung multiple times. * 25 can be read as "ni-ko", referring to the character Nico Yazawa from ''

Love Live! School Idol Project is a Japanese multimedia project co-developed by ASCII Media Works' ''Dengeki G's Magazine'', music label Lantis, and animation studio Sunrise. It is the first multimedia project in the ''Love Live!'' franchise. The project revolves aro ...

'', who wears a wristband with that number. Her brother, Cotaro Yazawa, also wears a shirt with that number. ** 25252 can be read as "ni-ko-ni-ko-ni", referring to Nico's catchphrase "Nico Nico Ni". * 29 can be read as "ni-ka", which is the name of a sun god in ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

'', and it represents the power of the protagonist * 315, or "sa-i-go", is used as a transformation code in '' Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Lost'' due to being pronounced similarly to " Psyga". * 39 can be read as "za-ku", referring to the

Zaku The is a fictional line of "Mobile Suits" or mecha (human-piloted giant robots) from ''Mobile Suit Gundam'', part of the fictional universe of the Universal Century, where they are the Principality of Zeon's most commonly fielded Mobile Suits. ...

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...

from the ''

Gundam is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ...

'' franchise. * 428, read as "yo-tsu-ba", can refer to the character Yotsuba Nakano from ''

The Quintessential Quintuplets is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Negi Haruba. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2017 to February 2020, with its chapters collected into fourteen volumes. The series follows th ...

'', who wears

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...

s with that number. * 4696 can be read as "yo-ru-ku-ra", which refers to the anime series "

Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night , abbreviated as , is an original anime television series produced by Doga Kobo for its 50th anniversary. Set in Shibuya, this series follows four Japanese girls, one of them is a illustrator, an idol, a music composer and a VTuber that fo ...

". * 4869 can be read as "shi-ya-ro-ku" (); when "ya" is written small, it becomes "sharoku" (), which resembles . This number is

Conan Edogawa , known in some major English adaptations as Jimmy Kudo, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the manga series ''Case Closed'', created by Gosho Aoyama. A high school detective, he is forced to ingest a poison after an encounter wi ...

's phone

PIN A pin is a device, typically pointed, used for fastening objects or fabrics together. Pins can have the following sorts of body: *a shaft of a rigid inflexible material meant to be inserted in a slot, groove, or hole (as with pivots, hinges, an ...

and the name of an experimental drug in ''

Case Closed ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since January 1994; its chapters are collected in 10 ...

''. * 5, read as "go", can refer to the board game go. In both the manga

Hikaru no Go is a Japanese manga series based on the board game Go (game), Go, written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa. It was serialized in Shueis ...

and its anime adaptation, the go-playing protagonist Hikaru Shindo often wears T-shirts with the number 5 on the front. * 5106 can be read as "go-ji-ra", which is the Japanese name of ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

.'' * 551 can be read as "go-ka-i", which is the name of the 35th season of ''

Super Sentai The is a Japanese superhero team media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi. The shows are of the '' tokusatsu'' genre, featuring live action characters and colorfu ...

'', ''

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger is a Japanese Tokusatsu television series and the 35th entry in its long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series following '' Tensou Sentai Goseiger''. It follows a Pirate motif, joining '' Kamen Rider OO ...

'', as well, the code for the Gokai Galleon is 5501, which is similar to 551. * 56 can be read as "go-mu", meaning , referring to ''

'' protagonist

Monkey D. Luffy , also known as is a fictional character and the protagonist in the Japanese manga series '' One Piece'' created by Eiichiro Oda. Luffy made his debut as a young boy who acquires the properties of rubber after accidentally eating one of the ...

's elastic abilities. * 5710 can be read as "ko-na-ta" referring to the character Konata Izumi from the manga and anime Lucky Star. * 59 can be read as "go-ku" and is sometimes used in reference to

Goku Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as ''Son Gokū'' in Japan and the Monkey King in the West), a main character of the cl ...

from ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...

''. * 63 can be read as "mu-zan" or "miserable", which refers to Muzan Kibutsuji, the

main antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.''Demon Slayer''. The official ''Demon Slayer''

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account refers to June 3rd as "Muzan Day". * 723 can be read as "na-tsu-mi" or

Natsumi is a feminine Japanese given name which is occasionally used as a surname. Written forms Natsumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *夏美, "summer, beauty" *夏実, "summer, truth" *夏未, "summe ...

and is commonly used in ''

Sgt. Frog ''Sgt. Frog'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mine Yoshizaki. It was launched in '' Monthly Shōnen Ace'' in April 1999. The story follows the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders t ...

'' to symbolically refer to the character Natsumi Hinata. ** July 23rd (7/23) is the birthday of ''

Date A Live is a Japanese light novel series written by Kōshi Tachibana and illustrated by Tsunako. Fujimi Shobo published 22 volumes from March 2011 to March 2020 under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. Yen Press holds the license to publish the ...

'' character Natsumi Kyouno. * 819 can be read as "ha-i-kyū" (), meaning

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

. The community around the anime series ''

Haikyu!! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from February 2012 to July 2020, with its chapters collected in 45 volumes. The story f ...

'' considers 19 August (8/19) to be "Haikyu!! Day". * 861 can be read as "ha-ru-hi", referring to the character

Haruhi Suzumiya is a Japanese light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. It was first published in 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan with the novel ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', and has since been followed ...

as well as the franchise of the same name. * 86239 can be read as "hachi-roku-ni-san-kyū", used in ''

'' as the license plate number of a

Toyota 86 The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ are 2+2 sports cars jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, manufactured at Subaru's Gunma assembly plant. The 2+2 fastback coupé has a naturally aspirated boxer engine, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive ...

. It translates to "thank you, Eight-Six". * 874 can be read as "ha-na-yo", in reference to the character Hanayo Koizumi from the

Love Live! is a Japanese multimedia project created by Hajime Yatate and Sakurako Kimino and co-produced by Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa through ASCII Media Works; Bandai Namco Music Live through music label Lantis (company), Lantis; and animation studi ...

series. * 89 years can be read as "ya-ku-sai". This is homophonous with the Japanese word for "calamity" (厄災 yakusai), being a fitting age for the '' JoJolion'' character Satoru Akefu, who has a calamity related ability. * 913 can be read as "ka-i-sa", as in '' Kamen Rider Kaixa'', hence it being the transformation activation code. ** An anagram of this is 193, read as "i-ku-sa" (as in '' Kamen Rider IXA''), which serves as the code to activate Rising Mode.

Music

* 10969 can be read as "wan-ō-ku-ro-ku", used by the rock band One Ok Rock. * 32, read as "sa-tsu", is often substituted into the name of

Vocaloid is a singing Speech synthesis, voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project between Yamaha Corporation and the Music Technology Group at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. The s ...

producer Satsuki (32ki), known for his song Mesmerizer, including in social media handles and the name of his YouTube channel. Similarly but unrelatedly, 23, read as "tsu-mi", is used in the name of fellow producer Tsumiki (23ki). * 345 can be read as "mi-yo-ko", used by Miyoko Nakamura, the bass player of the rock band Ling Tosite Sigure. * 373, read as "mi-na-mi", is used by Minami on her logo and social handles. * 39 can be read as "mi-ku", usually in reference to the

character

Hatsune Miku , officially code-named CV01, is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media. Its official mascot is depicted as a sixteen-year-old girl with long, turquoise twintails. Miku's personification has been marketed as a virt ...

. * 524-773 can be read as "ko-ni-shi na-na-mi" and is part of the self-introduction of

Hinatazaka46 is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was established as a subgroup of Sakurazaka46, Keyakizaka46 named Hiragana Keyakizaka46 on 30 November 2015, and was renamed and spun off into its own group on 11 February 2019. ...

member Nanami Konishi. * 610 can be read as "ro-ten" or "rotten", and is often used on merchandise of the rock band ROTTENGRAFFTY. * 712 can be read as "na-i-fu" (i.e.

knife A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least Stone Age, 2.5 million years ago, as e ...

), and is used in the

Shonen Knife Shonen Knife is a Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka in 1981. Influenced by 1960s girl groups, pop bands, the Beach Boys, and early punk rock bands such as the Ramones, the band crafts stripped-down songs with simple yet unconventional ...

album ''

712 __NOTOC__ Year 712 ( DCCXII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar, the 712th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 712th year of the 1st millennium, the 12th year of the 8th century, and the 3r ...

''. * 75, read as "na-ko", is used by

Nako Yabuki is a Japanese actress and former singer. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group HKT48 and the South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One, having finished sixth in the competition television show ''Produce 48''. As an actress, she i ...

in her

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

and Twitter handles. * 910 can be read as kyū-tō", used by the Jpop group C-ute. On June 29th 2013 the group received an official certification from the Japan Anniversary Council making September 10th (9/10), known as "°C-uteの日" ("°C-ute no Hi"; "°C-ute's Day"), a national day. * 96 can be read as "ku-ro" meaning "black". is a popular Japanese singer who covers songs on Niconico, and provides the singing voice of Tsukimi Eiko in ''

Ya Boy Kongming! is a Japanese manga series written by Yuto Yotsuba and illustrated by . The series was serialized on Kodansha's ' website from December 2019 to November 2021, before being transferred to ''Weekly Young Magazine''; its chapters have been co ...

''.

Video games

* 193, when read as "i-ku-san" and interpreted to mean "Iku

-san The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called , which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when talking to, or referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while ...

", can refer to

Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by Indie game, independent Japanese Doujin soft, soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. The team's sole member, ZUN (video game developer), Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, ha ...

character Iku Nagae, or IJN submarine ''I-19'' in ''

Kantai Collection , abbreviated as , is a Japanese free-to-play web browser game developed by Kadokawa Games and published by DMM.com. The central theme of the game is the representation of World War II warships Moe anthropomorphism, personified as teenage girls ...

''. * 2424 can be read as ''

Puyo Puyo , previously known as ''Puyo Pop'' outside Japan, is a series of tile-matching video games created by Compile. Sega has owned the franchise since 1998, with games after 2001 being developed by Sonic Team. ''Puyo Puyo'' was created as a spin-of ...

''. This numerical correspondence has been used and referenced ever since the series' debut, and has also been used in various teasers for some of the games. The series celebrated its 24th anniversary in 2015. * 283 can be read as "tsu-ba-sa" (), meaning "

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

". This is used for the name of the 283 Production agency in '' THE iDOLM@STER: Shiny Colors''. * 315 can be read as "sa-i-kō" (), meaning "highest", "supreme", or "ultimate". This is used as the name for 315 Production in ''

The Idolmaster SideM is a Japanese multimedia spin-off series of ''The Idolmaster'', starting with a 2014 game and expanding to include music CDs, two anime series, a web radio show, printed manga, and a rhythm game. The series focuses on the male idols of 31 ...

'', where the idols under the label use "saikō" as a rallying chant. * 34 is a frequent target of goroawase in the mystery franchise '' When They Cry,'' often being the name of the culprit or an accomplice, such as Miyo () in ''

Higurashi When They Cry is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the ''When They Cry'' franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the fic ...

'', Sayo () in ''

Umineko When They Cry is a Japanese dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. Its first episode debuted at Comiket 72 for Windows in August 2007. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two days, ...

'', and Mitsuyo in ''

Ciconia When They Cry ''Ciconia When They Cry'' is an episodic video game, episodic visual novel game series in development by 07th Expansion, collectively considered the fifth entry in the ''When They Cry'' series, following ''Higurashi When They Cry'' and ''Umineko ...

''. * 346 can be read as "mi-shi-ro", meaning "beautiful castle". This is used for the name of 346 Production in ''THE iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls''. * 51 can be read as "go-ichi". These two numbers are the latter part of "SUDA51", the alias of

Goichi Suda , known by his alias Suda51, is a Japanese video game director, designer, and writer. Affiliated with Human Entertainment from 1994 to 1998, he founded Grasshopper Manufacture in 1998 with a number of other Human Entertainment staff to produce the ...

. * 573 can be read as "ko-na-mi" and is often used by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

; for example, it is used in Konami telephone numbers and as a high score in Konami games, as well as in promotional materials and sometimes as a character name. * .59 can be read as "ten-go-ku" (), meaning "

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

" (an example being the song ".59" in ''Beatmania IIDX 2nd Style'' and '' Dance Dance Revolution 4thMix''). * 616 can be read as "ro-i-ro", referring to lowiro, the developer and publisher of the rhythm game ''

Arcaea ''Arcaea'' is a rhythm video game developed and published by Lowiro (stylized as lowiro). The game was released on iOS and Android mobile platforms on 9 March 2017. A single-player version of the game was released for the Nintendo Switch on 18 May ...

''. * 765 can be read as "na-mu-ko" or

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...

. Derivatives of this number can be found in dozens of Namco-produced video games. It was also the central studio of ''

The Idolmaster is a Japanese media franchise that began in 2005 with a Life simulation game, raising simulation and Rhythm game, rhythm video game series created by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The series primarily centers on the career of a pr ...

'' and its sequels. ** After merging with

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...

, their goroawase number became 876 (ba-na-mu); the handle of

Bandai Namco Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

' Japanese

account is "@bnei876". * 86 can be read as "ha-ru" or HAL.

HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN, is a Japanese video game developer based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded on February 21, 1980 by Mitsuhiro Ikeda. The company started out developing games for home computers of the era, but has since establishe ...

often puts this number somewhere in the video games it creates as parts of secrets and

easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are Egg decorating, decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter ...

, most notably in the ''Kirby'' series. * In ''

Pokémon Sword and Shield and are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first instalments in the 8th generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pok� ...

'', all Gym Leaders and some extra characters have a three-digit jersey number that relates to their name, role, or typing they specialize in. For example, Opal has the jersey number 910, which can be read as "kyu-to" or ''cute'', relating to her specialization in Fairy-type Pokémon. * 1121 can be read as , the Japanese pronunciation for the Pokémon

Eevee Eevee (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Created by Satoshi Tajiri and designed by Motofumi Fujiwara, it first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. It later appeared in a vari ...

; in 2018, 11/21 became known as in Japan.

Other

*15 can be read as "ichi-go" and is commonly used to refer to

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...

("ichigo"). It can also mean "strawberry face", a term used to describe equipping the front end of a Nissan Silvia (S15) onto another S-chassis car. * 23 can be read as "ni-san". Car manufacturer

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

frequently enters cars with the number 23 into

motorsports Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the po ...

events. * 230 can be read as "fu-mi-o", the given name of former Japanese prime minister

Fumio Kishida Fumio Kishida (born 29 July 1957) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2021 to 2024. He has been a member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet ...

. He uses this number in his X (formerly Twitter) handle "kishida230". * 2434 can be read as "ni-ji-san-ji", which refers to the

virtual YouTuber A or is an online entertainer who uses a virtual Avatar (computing), avatar generated using computer graphics. Real-time motion capture software or technology are often—but not always—used to capture movement. The digital trend originated i ...

agency

Nijisanji is a virtual YouTuber agency owned by Anycolor Inc. (formerly Ichikara Inc.). The agency was founded in 2018 with the purpose of promoting the use of Live2D models and live streaming as opposed to the 3D and clips format popularized by Kizuna ...

. Some Japanese members of the company use this number in their Twitter handles. *2525 can be read as "ni-ko-ni-ko" () and refers to

Niconico , known before 2012 as , is a Japanese video sharing service based in Tokyo, Japan. "Niconico" or "nikoniko" is the Japanese sound symbolism, Japanese ideophone for smiling. As of 2021, Niconico is the 34th most-visited website in Japan, accordi ...

, a Japanese

online video platform An online video platform (OVP) enables users to upload, convert, store, and play back video content on the Internet, often via a private server structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally upload video content vi ...

. Its "mylists", which function similarly to lists of

bookmarks A bookmark is used to keep one's place in a printed work. It can also refer to: * Bookmark (digital), a pointer in a web browser and other software * ''Bookmarks'' (album), 2013 album by Five for Fighting * ''Bookmarks'' (magazine), an American ...

(or YouTube playlists), are limited to 25 per user. *262 can be read as "ji-mu-ni", referring to the

Suzuki Jimny The is a series of four-wheel drive off-road vehicle, off-road Mini sport utility vehicle, mini SUVs, manufactured and marketed by Japanese automaker Suzuki since 1970. Originally belonging to the Kei car, kei class, Japan's light automobile t ...

sports utility vehicle. *386 can be read as "su-ba-ru". Japanese automaker

Subaru is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...

uses 386 in its parts numbers. *510, read as "go-tō", is used by

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is also one-half of the tag team Bishamon alongside Yoshi-Hashi. ...

in his Twitter handle. * 563 can be read as "ko-ro-san" (); amounts of 563 yen are commonly donated to virtual YouTuber Inugami Korone of

Hololive Production (; stylized in lowercase) is a virtual YouTuber agency owned by Japanese tech entertainment company Cover Corporation. In addition to acting as a multi-channel network, Hololive Production also handles licensing, merchandising, music product ...

, who is sometimes referred to as "Koro-san". **Hololive founder Motoaki "YAGOO" Tanigo's nickname is occasionally represented with the number 85 ("ya-go") or 850 ("ya-go-ō"). * 69 can be read as "ro-ki", as in Hi69 ("Hiroki"), one of the ring names of professional wrestler Hiroki Tanabe.