Prefixing `一` to numbers It seems to me that `` is exceptional in having it prefixed with ``. * As for ``, ``, ``, they work together with `` to describe the numbers from 1 to 9999, so they compete with one another, or are complimentary. There is no combination like: > , , , , * As for ``, ``, ``, ``, etc., they are multiplied by a number from 1 to 9999, expressed by the prefix using `` ``, `` ``, so when that prefix turns out to be 1, 10, 100, 1000, then they are combined, and there are combinations like: > , , , , , , , , etc. * and there is no combination among themselves such as > , , , , , , etc. However, `` is exceptional in that it is prefixed by `` just when itself is prefixed to the characters ``, ``, ``, ``, etc. > > > Why is `` prefixed with `` in this case? Why is it not like the following? > > >

I'm mostly guessing here, but I think it might be in order not to mistake them for and when spoken. While and only differ by a vowel, and are easy to distinguish.