Practical guide
How to read Japanese prices
The Japanese Dollar (JPD) is a way to read a yen amount: divide it by 100. A price of ¥1,200 becomes 12 JPD. It is still ¥1,200, not US $12.
Read a price in three steps
- Find the amount in yen (¥ or 円, read en).
- If the price contains Japanese number units, expand them: 万 (man) means 10,000 and 億 (oku) means 100,000,000.
- Divide the yen amount by 100 to express it in JPD. This rule stays fixed.
| Written price | Amount in yen | JPD reading |
|---|---|---|
| ¥350 | ¥350 | 3.50 JPD |
| ¥1,200 | ¥1,200 | 12 JPD |
| 8万円 (hachiman en) | ¥80,000 | 800 JPD |
| 350万円 (sanbyaku gojūman en) | ¥3,500,000 | 35,000 JPD |
JPD versus JPY and USD
JPY is the currency code for the Japanese yen. JPD is a name for this reading convention, not an official currency code. One JPD always represents ¥100. A US dollar (USD), New Zealand dollar or euro has a changing exchange rate against the yen; none is permanently equal to one JPD. If you need to know what you would actually pay in your own currency, use a current exchange rate, not the JPD figure.
For more about how Japanese prices use ten-thousand and hundred-million units, see the guide to 万円 (man-en) and 億円 (oku-en). Or enter a yen price in the converter to see both its JPD reading and separate live currency conversions.