300 (three hundred) in Japanese is 三百, read さんびゃく (sanbyaku). It combines the idea of three and hundred, but the pronunciation changes from the basic word hyaku. Learning that change is the most important part of saying the number correctly. You will also use different counters when describing yen, people, pages, and other things.
Quick answer:
300 = 三百 = さんびゃく (sanbyaku). Say san-byaku, with a b sound. “Three hundred yen” is 三百円 (さんびゃくえん, sanbyaku en).
How Do You Say 300 in Japanese?
Say さんびゃく (sanbyaku). The kanji spelling is 三百: 三 represents three, and 百 represents hundred. The written structure is simple, but the spoken form is not san hyaku. The initial sound of the hundred part becomes voiced, producing byaku.
Use: The number three hundred, before a suitable counter or on its own.
If someone asks for a number and the unit is already clear, sanbyaku can stand alone. In a complete expression, add the word that tells the listener what you mean: sanbyaku en for three hundred yen, sanbyaku nin for three hundred people, or sanbyaku pēji for three hundred pages.
Japanese does not insert an equivalent of English “and” inside this number. Three hundred and five is 三百五 (さんびゃくご, sanbyaku go). The words are built from the numerical parts in order, without adding to, the ordinary Japanese word that can mean “and.”
Ways to Write and Use Three Hundred
1. 三百 — Kanji
三百 is the standard kanji representation. It expresses three groups of one hundred. The reading さんびゃく applies when the two characters make this number together; it is not a matter of pronouncing each character in isolation and leaving the sounds unchanged.
Do not confuse 三百 with 三千, which is three thousand and is read sanzen. The characters 百 and 千 look different and represent different place values. Learning the number together with its written form will help you avoid mixing up a price or quantity.
2. さんびゃく — Hiragana
さんびゃく gives the pronunciation directly. The ゃ is small, so びゃ is a combined sound, bya. It is not the same as writing a full-sized や after び and pronouncing a separate bi-ya sequence.
3. 300 — Arabic Numerals
You will often see the familiar digits 300 in everyday Japanese writing. A price might be written 300円, and a document might contain 300ページ. Using digits does not change the spoken number: the normal reading is still sanbyaku.
The digits are especially convenient in tables, prices, and measurements. Kanji and Arabic numerals can therefore communicate the same numerical value in different writing styles. You do not need a different Japanese pronunciation simply because the page shows 300 instead of 三百.
4. 三百円 — Three Hundred Yen
三百円 is read さんびゃくえん (sanbyaku en). The Japanese word for yen is えん, pronounced en, without an initial English y sound. In a simple price statement, Sanbyaku en desu means “It is three hundred yen.”
Keep the unit because it removes ambiguity. A bare sanbyaku can mean three hundred of whatever is being discussed, while sanbyaku en explicitly names the amount of money. The grammar does not require a plural form corresponding to English “yens.”
300 in Japanese: Quick Comparison
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| Written form | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三百 / 300 | さんびゃく — sanbyaku | three hundred |
| 三百円 / 300円 | さんびゃくえん — sanbyaku en | three hundred yen |
| 三百人 / 300人 | さんびゃくにん — sanbyaku nin | three hundred people |
| 三百枚 / 300枚 | さんびゃくまい — sanbyaku mai | three hundred flat items |
| 三百ページ / 300ページ | さんびゃくページ — sanbyaku pēji | three hundred pages |
| 三百五 / 305 | さんびゃくご — sanbyaku go | three hundred and five |
| 三千 / 3000 | さんぜん — sanzen | three thousand |
How to Pronounce Sanbyaku
Break さんびゃく into san-bya-ku for practice. The bya moves directly from b through a short y-like glide into the vowel. Avoid inserting a separate full vowel between b and ya. The final ku is short and can sound light in natural speech.
Before the b sound, the nasal ん may sound somewhat like an m as your lips prepare for the next consonant. You may therefore hear something close to “sam-byaku.” The usual romanization sanbyaku still represents the word clearly. Do not add an extra syllable to make the letters sound individually.
Most importantly, remember byaku rather than hyaku in this particular number. The sound change is part of the normal reading of three hundred. Practice the complete word several times, then add a unit so it becomes useful in an actual sentence.
Counting in Hundreds
The hundreds have a few pronunciation changes. Learning them together helps you see that さんびゃく is part of a regular number system with some established sound patterns.
- 100 — 百 — ひゃく (hyaku)
- 200 — 二百 — にひゃく (nihyaku)
- 300 — 三百 — さんびゃく (sanbyaku)
- 400 — 四百 — よんひゃく (yonhyaku)
- 500 — 五百 — ごひゃく (gohyaku)
- 600 — 六百 — ろっぴゃく (roppyaku)
- 700 — 七百 — ななひゃく (nanahyaku)
- 800 — 八百 — はっぴゃく (happyaku)
- 900 — 九百 — きゅうひゃく (kyūhyaku)
Focus first on the three forms that depart from a simple number-plus-hyaku pattern: sanbyaku, roppyaku, and happyaku. Six hundred and eight hundred also contain a short consonant pause, represented by the small っ. Three hundred does not have that small っ.
Using Three Hundred with Counters
Japanese commonly uses counters to identify the kind of thing being counted. 人 (にん) counts people, 枚 (まい) counts many flat items, and ページ counts pages. The counter follows the number, so three hundred people is sanbyaku nin.
Different counters can have their own pronunciation patterns. Do not assume that every unit will behave exactly like 円 or 枚. Learn a complete expression for the item you need. For an initial set, sanbyaku en, sanbyaku nin, and sanbyaku mai give you three clear examples without adding another sound change to the counter.
To count books, for example, use the counter 冊 (さつ, satsu). The character 本 means “book” in a phrase such as この本, but as a counter it is used for long objects and has different readings. This shows why the kind of object matters. For “three hundred books,” use 三百冊 (さんびゃくさつ, sanbyaku satsu), rather than choosing a counter only from its English appearance.
Example Sentences
The sentences below include the usual written form and a kana reading. The audio reads the kana so you hear the intended pronunciation of the number and unit.
This is three hundred yen.
Use: 円 names the currency. The number is sanbyaku and the unit is en.
There are three hundred people at the venue.
Use: 人 is read nin when counting this number of people. います describes the presence of people.
This book has three hundred pages.
Use: ページ is a borrowed counter for pages. 本 means book here and is read hon.
Common Mistakes
Avoid san hyaku for three hundred; the normal form is sanbyaku. Keep the ゃ small in さんびゃく, and do not insert a small っ that belongs to other hundreds. Also distinguish 三百, three hundred, from 三千, three thousand.
Do not add English-style plural endings to Japanese units, and do not insert a word meaning “and” into numbers such as 三百五. When counting real objects, choose the counter for the item instead of attaching the same general word to everything. The number gives the amount; the counter tells the listener what kind of amount it is.
Frequently Asked Questions About 300 (Three Hundred) in Japanese
Tap a question below to see the answer.
How do you say 300 in Japanese?
Say さんびゃく (sanbyaku). It is written 三百 in kanji and 300 in Arabic numerals.
Why is it sanbyaku rather than sanhyaku?
The hundred part changes its initial sound in this number. The normal established reading is byaku after san, so learn 三百 as the complete word sanbyaku.
How do I write 300 in hiragana?
Write さんびゃく. The ゃ is small, making びゃ a combined bya sound. There is no small っ in this number.
How do you say 300 yen?
Say さんびゃくえん (sanbyaku en), written 三百円 or 300円. The Japanese currency word is pronounced en.
How do you say 300 people?
Say さんびゃくにん (sanbyaku nin), written 三百人 or 300人. 人 is the counter for people in this expression.
What is the difference between sanbyaku and sanzen?
Sanbyaku is three hundred, 三百. Sanzen is three thousand, 三千. The characters and the place values are different.
Summary
300 (three hundred) in Japanese is 三百, さんびゃく, sanbyaku. Remember the b sound in byaku and the small ゃ in the hiragana spelling. The same number is used whether the written form shows 三百 or 300.
Add the appropriate unit for a clear everyday expression: 三百円 for yen, 三百人 for people, and 三百ページ for pages. Practicing the full phrase will help you connect the pronunciation with a useful meaning.
