Choosing a Custom License Plate Number in Japan with Number Wordplay: the 13 Lottery Numbers and Why 42 and 49 Are Missing
When buying a car in Japan, plenty of people choose a custom plate number (kibou number) based on a family birthday or a favourite word read through number wordplay (goro-awase). But some custom numbers can only be won in a lottery, and plates show numbers shorter than 4 digits padded with dots, like "··12", so the result may not look the way you pictured. This article explains how to read a Japanese number plate, the 13 lottery numbers common to the whole country, numbers such as 42 and 49 that are said not to be issued in sequence, and tips and cautions for choosing a number with wordplay.
The four parts of a Japanese number plate, and the part you can choose
A Japanese number plate shows four elements: a place name (the name of the transport branch office or similar that has jurisdiction over where the car is based), a classification number (3 digits), a hiragana character, and a large serial number of up to 4 digits. Under the custom number system, the part you can choose is the serial number. The place name is set by your address, and the classification number and hiragana by the type of vehicle and the order of issue.
| Element | Example | How it's decided |
|---|---|---|
| Place name | Shinagawa, Yokohama, Naniwa, etc. | Set by where the car is based (including local "gotochi" plates) |
| Classification number | 300, 500, 580, etc. | Set by the type of vehicle |
| Hiragana | sa, su, wa, etc. | Set by category (private, commercial, rental, etc.) and the order of issue |
| Serial number | ··12 / 46-49 | You can choose it with a custom number |
Some hiragana are never used: "o" (easily mistaken for "a"), "shi" (suggests 死, death), "he" (suggests 屁, a fart) and "n" (hard to pronounce). The hiragana also follow usage rules, for example "wa" and "re" are assigned to rental cars.
The dots in "··12" fill the empty digits
When the serial number has fewer than 4 digits, the empty digits are filled with dots. A 4-digit number is split into two pairs with a hyphen. Here's how numbers chosen for their wordplay look on the plate. In Japanese wordplay, each digit can be read in several ways (for example 4 as "yo" or "shi", 9 as "ku"), and the sounds are strung together into words.
| Number chosen | How it looks on the plate | Wordplay example |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | ···8 | hachi (also the "pa" of pan, bread) |
| 29 | ··29 | niku (meat), fuku (luck) |
| 315 | ·315 | saikou (the best) |
| 4649 | 46-49 | yoroshiku (nice to meet you) |
| 1122 | 11-22 | ii fuufu (good couple) |
| 2525 | 25-25 | niko niko (smiley) |
Because the hyphen splits the number into pairs, 4-digit wordplay comes across better to people reading the plate when the word breaks between the first and second halves. "46-49" looks split in the wrong place, while "11-22 (ii / fuufu)" and "25-25 (niko / niko)" break exactly where the words do. Enter a number in the "Plate & PIN" tab of the Japanese Number Wordplay Maker to see exactly how it will look on a plate.
13 lottery numbers apply nationwide
Ordinary custom numbers can be obtained just by applying, but numbers that attract a lot of demand go to a lottery. These 13 numbers are lottery numbers everywhere in Japan.
| Digits | Lottery numbers | How they look on the plate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 digit | 1, 7, 8 | ···1 / ···7 / ···8 |
| 2 digits | 88 | ··88 |
| 3 digits | 333, 555, 777, 888 | ·333 / ·555 / ·777 / ·888 |
| 4 digits | 1111, 3333, 5555, 7777, 8888 | 11-11 / 33-33 / 55-55 / 77-77 / 88-88 |
You can only get a lottery number if you win one of the draws held regularly after applying. If you lose, you reapply for the next draw. On top of these, some regions add other popular numbers to their lottery list. Even if your wordplay number isn't one of the 13, check on the custom number application service for your region whether it's a lottery number there.
Why 42, 49, 42-19 and 42-56 aren't issued
If you register a car without applying for a custom number, numbers are issued in sequence. When that happens, the following numbers, whose wordplay readings are unlucky, are said to be skipped. It's an example of number wordplay built into the plate system itself.
| Number | Unlucky wordplay reading |
|---|---|
| ··42 | shini (to die) |
| ··49 | shiku (suffering) |
| 42-19 | shini iku (going to die) |
| 42-56 | shini goro (a good time to die) |
These numbers are "not used for sequential issue"; it doesn't mean the numbers don't exist. Whether you can get one as a custom number is something to check with the application service. Conversely, when choosing a number with wordplay, it's worth checking once that your number doesn't spell out something unpleasant when read another way.
Steps for choosing a custom plate number with wordplay
- 1
Decide on a word or number
Choose what the number will be based on: a family birthday, a wedding anniversary, a favourite word and so on. For a birthday, turn the month and day into 4 digits, such as 22 November → 1122.
- 2
Generate wordplay candidates
If you already have the digits, use "Number → Wordplay"; if you have a Japanese word, use "Word → Number". For example, "yoiko" (good child) becomes 415 and "yasai" (vegetables) becomes 831.
- 3
Check how it looks on the plate
In the "Plate & PIN" tab, see whether it still reads well in the actual display, such as ·315 or 11-22.
- 4
Check whether it's a lottery number
Make sure it isn't one of the 13 nationwide lottery numbers, and look up the lottery numbers for the region you're applying in as well.
- 5
Apply through the custom number application service
Ask your dealer, or apply yourself through the custom number application service. Issue fees and the time until you can collect the plate vary by region and plate type, so check on the application screen.
Tips for finding good 4-digit wordplay are in How to make Japanese number wordplay, and ideas for turning birthdays and anniversaries into numbers are in Wordplay for birthdays and anniversaries.
Don't use your plate number as a PIN
A car's plate number can be seen by anyone in a car park or on the road. If you love your wordplay number so much that you also use the same 4 digits as your bank card or phone PIN, anyone who sees the plate might guess it. If the plate is based on a birthday, the birthday's 4 digits are unsuitable as a PIN for the same reason.
- Don't use the same 4 digits as your plate, or the plate with its halves swapped, as a PIN
- Don't use the birthday or anniversary the plate is based on as a PIN either
- Don't reuse the same wordplay number across the family
How to spot 4-digit PINs that are easy to guess is covered in Are wordplay PINs risky? Easy-to-guess 4-digit numbers and how to choose one.
FAQ
- Which custom plate numbers go to a lottery in Japan?
- The 13 nationwide lottery numbers are 1, 7, 8, 88, 333, 555, 777, 888, 1111, 3333, 5555, 7777 and 8888. Some regions add more lottery numbers, so check on the custom number application service for the region you're applying in.
- Why are there no plates with 42 or 49?
- ··42 can be read as "shini" (to die) and ··49 as "shiku" (suffering), so they're said not to be used when numbers are issued in sequence to people who didn't request one. For the same reason, 42-19 ("shini iku", going to die) and 42-56 ("shini goro", a good time to die) are also said not to be used.
- What are the dots in "··12" on a Japanese plate?
- They fill the empty digits of a number shorter than 4 digits. 1 is shown as "···1", 12 as "··12" and 123 as "·123", while 4-digit numbers are split into pairs with a hyphen, like "12-34".
- Which hiragana are never used on Japanese number plates?
- "o", "shi", "he" and "n" aren't used. The reasons given are that "o" is easily mistaken for "a", "shi" suggests 死 (death), "he" suggests 屁 (a fart), and "n" is hard to pronounce.
- How do I choose a custom plate number with wordplay?
- Turn a birthday or favourite word into a number of up to 4 digits, then check how it looks on the plate and whether it's a lottery number before applying. The Japanese Number Wordplay Maker lets you check wordplay candidates, how the number looks on a plate and whether it's a nationwide lottery number in one place.
Tools in this article
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