千

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. これは千円です。▶ —
   This is 1000 yen.
2. 千年の歴史を持つ寺です。▶ —
   A temple with a thousand-year history.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Sen (千) = 1000. Pronunciation shifts: sen, nisen (2000), sanzen (3000, z shift), yonsen, gosen, rokusen, nanasen, hassen (8000, geminate), kyuusen. The 3000 and 8000 forms are traps. Familiar from currency — Japan's smallest banknote is the 1000-yen bill, alongside 5000 and 10,000. Cluster: sennen (millennium), Chiba (the prefecture east of Tokyo), Chiyoda-ku (the ward holding the Imperial Palace, the Diet, and government offices), senjafuda (the name-paper stickers attached at shrines and temples, an Edo-era custom). 千 functions in big-number metaphors: sensa banbetsu (千差万別, "thousand differences and ten-thousand distinctions" = a wide variety), senkyaku banrai (千客万来, many guests). Tokyo Disneyland, Narita Airport, and Makuhari Messe are all in Chiba.

Quick check

1. Tokyo ward containing the Imperial Palace, Diet, and ministries?

   • Chiyoda-ku
   • Chiba (a separate prefecture)
   • Shibuya-ku
   • Shinjuku-ku