Pronunciation of 800 / 八百


A Japanese textbook labels the pronunciation of 800 / 八百 as はっ **ぴ** ゃく, but
elsewhere labels the pronunciation of 5,800 / 五千八百 as ごせんはっ **び** ゃく (emphases
added). Should the first syllable of 百 be ぴゃ or びゃ following 八, or does it
depend? How to determine which to use?




It should be always はっぴゃく [happyaku]. If they say はっびゃく [habbyaku], it’s a
typo.




It should be always はっぴゃく [happyaku]. If they say はっびゃく [habbyaku], it’s a
typo.

