Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyororin
I do it the same as everything else - without converting in my head.
If you think of a number in English and then try to switch it over (Just like if you think of a word and then try to switch it over) it won`t work well.
I do have to pause for a second when hitting things over 億... But I think that`s more because the number itself is so big and I rarely use it in normal life.
It`s kind of strange because 100万 and a million are the same thing... But they exist as separate entities in my mind.
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I guess it's because I'm
such a numbers guy: undergrad degree was in abstract math.
It's my one major linguistic flaw. I don't know why. I guess because numerical symbols and base systems are just so inextricably linked to words in my head—I was doing two-digit multiplication in first grade (thanks, Dad!), so maybe it's that long history of connecting sounds with symbols.
If they're written in Japanese with kanji, I've got no problems. But when I see 1.000.000 I think "OK, 10.000 is man, so 100.000 is juuman, so 1.000.000 is hyakuman!" and finally I can vocalize it.
Then again, maybe it's because I rarely have had to say anything greater than a few hundred in Japanese ever. I really should make a program that generates flashcards of Japanese numbers and see if I can train to say them fast.