百

• Reading: ひゃく
• Romaji: hyaku
• Kanji breakdown: 百 (hyaku) — hundred; composed of 一 (one) + 白 (white)
• Pronunciation: /ça.kɯ/

Meaning

Hundred; 100. A basic large number unit in Japanese.

Read as ひゃく, with sound changes in certain combinations: さんびゃく (300), ろっぴゃく (600), はっぴゃく (800). Very common in daily life, especially in prices — the 百円ショップ (hyaku-en shoppu, 100-yen shop) is a ubiquitous store type in Japan. Also used figuratively in 百点 (hyakuten, perfect score).

Examples

1. 百円ショップで買い物をしました。 I went shopping at the 100-yen shop.
2. この本は三百ページあります。 This book has three hundred pages.
3. テストで百点を取りたいです。 I want to get a perfect score on the test.

Usage Guide

Context: counting, prices, quantities

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 百 combines 一 (one) with 白 (white/pure), originally meaning 'one hundred' as the first complete large unit. Some scholars suggest 白 was used purely for its phonetic value.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal