Help 18,000 in a Western way

[LiXiQing]

Hi!
I know that 18000 in japanese is 一万八千 (いちまんはっせん)
Nevertheless, japanese language is very plastic and there are different ways to write the same numeral in japanese and it's not only due to different yomi.
The question: may I write 18000 in a western way 十八千 (じゅうはちせん) in lyrics for example?

 

[bentenmusume]

I mean, you _could_, just like you could choose to say/write the number "150,000" in English as "fifteen ten-thousands" instead of "one hundred and fifty thousand" if you wanted to.

It would sound somewhat weird and potentially confusing, though, as that's not how large numbers are typically counted in Japanese.

(Incidentally, note that the standard reading for 八千 is はっせん, not はちせん. You have it right in the first instance, but in the final line you've changed it to the latter.)

 

[Toritoribe]

I think the OP intended to say じゅうはち / せん which is equivalent to "eighteen thousand" in English, not じゅう / はっせん.

じゅうはちせん sounds rather odd to my ears. 十八の千（じゅうはちのせん） might be better as a poetic expression. It's still very confusing, though.

 

[bentenmusume]

I think the OP intended to say じゅうはち / せん which is equivalent to "eighteen thousand" in English, not じゅう / はっせん.

Ah, fair enough. I should have considered that there was a "method to the madness", so to speak.

But yes, I considered suggesting something like 十八の千 as a poetic expression, but was afraid it might still sound awkward.
Either way, I suppose it's probably best to obey the natural conventions of a particularly language when counting rather than trying to get creative, unless there's a very specific need to do so.