十
じゅう · juu · JLPT N5 · noun
ten
🔟 juu sounds like juice: a ten-pack of juice boxes
The kanji 十 is two strokes crossing, like a plus sign or the Roman X for ten laid upright. Say juu with a long vowel, like juice without the s. Chinese-origin reading; the native reading is too, as in too-ka (the 10th day).
十 — single horizontal 一 + vertical 丨
十 originated as a simple vertical line in oracle bone script, representing the number ten, possibly from a knotted cord used for counting. Over time a horizontal stroke was added, giving the modern cross shape. It has consistently meant 'ten' or 'complete' throughout Chinese history.
(〜を) とお · (〜wo) too · JLPT N5 · noun
ten
🔟 too sounds like toe: count all your toes and you reach ten
とお is the native Japanese counting word for ten, the last of the hitotsu, futatsu... series, and the only one without a つ ending. The long o sound matches English toe, and ten toes is the full set.
十 — single horizontal 一 + vertical 丨
十 originated as a simple vertical line in oracle bone script, representing the number ten, possibly from a knotted cord used for counting. Over time a horizontal stroke was added, giving the modern cross shape. It has consistently meant 'ten' or 'complete' throughout Chinese history.