六

What it means

六 directly denotes the numeric value six in Japanese; it is the standard kanji used for counts, measurements, dates, and other situations where the quantity 6 is expressed in writing or speech.

Main meanings

• Used inside compounds to indicate position or order when paired with ordinal markers (for example with 第 (dai) to form 'sixth').
• Appears as part of time and quantity expressions to mark hours, people, objects, ages and similar counts.
• Serves as a morpheme in proper names and place names where it contributes a numeric element rather than a semantic concept.
• Interacts with counters and phonetic changes: different pronunciations or rendaku occur depending on the counter or compound.

How to use it

Common in everyday speech and writing for counting items, stating times, ages and quantities; in casual contexts speakers may use Arabic numerals or native counters, while kanji remains prevalent in formal documents, printed materials and names; reading and phonetic form change depending on whether it appears alone, with counters or inside Sino-Japanese compounds.