百 — Hundred

Meaning

The kanji 百 means one hundred — a fundamental number in everyday speech and written Japanese. Taught in Grade 1 of Japanese elementary school, it's one of the first numbers children learn to write. At just 6 strokes, it's compact and approachable, making it a natural starting point for beginners.

The character likely evolved from an ancient pictographic form related to 白 (white, bright), with an extra horizontal stroke added at the top. That stroke may have been added to distinguish the numeral from 白 — marking it as its own character meaning "one hundred." Through centuries of use across Chinese and Japanese writing, it settled into the clean six-stroke form we know today.

The number 100 carries real weight in Japanese culture. A perfect test score is 百点ひゃくてん (hyakuten). Reaching 100 years old — 百歳ひゃくさい (hyakusai) — is a celebrated milestone. Learn this one kanji and you'll find it everywhere: prices, scores, ages, and classic literature.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

The on'yomi readings for 百 are ヒャク (hyaku) and ビャク (byaku), both from historical Chinese pronunciation. ヒャク is the one you'll use almost every day.

ヒャク (hyaku) is the standard reading for counting and compounds. The reading shifts with certain numbers due to sound-change rules:

• 百円ひゃくえん (hyaku-en) — 100 yen, Japan's most-used coin
• 百点ひゃくてん (hyakuten) — a perfect score of 100 points
• 百科事典ひゃっかじてん (hyakkajiten) — encyclopedia (literally "hundred-subject dictionary")

ビャク (byaku) appears mainly in older or literary vocabulary, such as 百薬びゃくやく (byakuyaku), an archaic term meaning "all medicines." You won't need it for daily conversation, but you'll encounter it occasionally in classical texts.

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

百 has no standard kun'yomi in modern Japanese. The old native word for hundred is momo (もも) — long gone from daily speech, but it survives in poetry and certain place names. At N5 level, just know ヒャク. That's all you need.

Common Words & Compounds

百 shows up constantly — in prices, ages, scores, and even department stores. Here are the most useful compounds grouped by theme.

Numbers and Counting

• 百ひゃく (hyaku) — one hundred
• 二百にひゃく (nihyaku) — two hundred
• 三百さんびゃく (sanbyaku) — three hundred (ひゃく → びゃく)
• 六百ろっぴゃく (roppyaku) — six hundred (ひゃく → ぴゃく)
• 八百はっぴゃく (happyaku) — eight hundred

Money and Daily Life

• 百円ひゃくえん (hyaku-en) — 100 yen; also shorthand for 百円ショップ (100-yen shop)
• 百円玉ひゃくえんだま (hyakuendama) — 100-yen coin
• 数百円すうひゃくえん (suuhyakuen) — several hundred yen

Time and Age

• 百歳ひゃくさい (hyakusai) — 100 years old; a centenarian
• 百年ひゃくねん (hyakunen) — one hundred years; a century

Scores and Quantities

• 百点ひゃくてん (hyakuten) — 100 points; a perfect score
• 百パーセントひゃくパーセント (hyaku paasento) — 100 percent; absolutely certain

Culture and Vocabulary

• 百科事典ひゃっかじてん (hyakkajiten) — encyclopedia
• 百人一首ひゃくにんいっしゅ (Hyakunin Isshu) — the classic anthology of 100 poems by 100 poets
• 百貨店ひゃっかてん (hyakkaten) — department store (literally "hundred-goods store")

Example Sentences

Related Kanji

• 千 — Thousand (Kanji N5)
• 休 — Rest, Vacation, Break (Kanji N5)
• 三 — Three (Kanji N5)
• 十 — Ten (Kanji N5)
• 校 — School, Institution (Kanji N5)
• 二 — Two (Kanji N5)

Memory Tip

Put 百 next to 白 (white) and compare them. Nearly identical — 百 just has one extra stroke on top, like a lid on a jar. Picture that lid sealing in exactly one hundred things. The top stroke even looks like the number 1: one white-capped jar, one hundred marbles inside. Six strokes total. Write it a few times and it'll click.