Hello all,

I realize this may be on the obscure side, but I have a question about really big numbers (specifically between 100,000 and 100,000,000).  Up to 99,999.  The rule is essentially the same:  a word for a single digit number followed by a magnitude indicator, and this repeats from the most significant digit all the way down to the one’s digit.  For example 25,243 should be something like

にまん　ごせん　にひゃく　よんじゅう　さん

where I am adding spaces to indicate the rule I described above.  For bigger numbers, まん continues to be used but now we append more than just a single digit number at the beginning.  This is where I wonder what the rule is.  I think an example would be best.  Which of the following is correct for 32o,000:

さんじゅうにまん　(translates to thirty two groups of ten thousand)

versus

さんじゅうまんいまん　(translates to thirty groups of ten thousand and two groups of ten thousand).

I can see arguments for both.  The first is more efficient, but the second could be translated as three groups of one hundred thousand and two groups of ten thousand, with the convention that じゅうまん just means one hundred thousand.  This would mean that the general rule I described above would continue to hold, but the larger magnitude indicators are just compounds of smaller ones.

I imagine that whichever of the above is correct also indicates how the rule generalizes.  I would be curious to know if such a generalization is not correct.

Thanks!

Dylan.