formation of numbers - Make 1998 using the least possible digits 8

Make the number 1998 using the minimum amount of digits 8.

Your allowed operations are +, -, *, /, ^, % (percent).

You need not use only integers 8: 88 and the likes are acceptable.

You must only use 8 as a digit, nothing else.

This puzzle comes from an old friend's school DMs. He said the best that could be done was 10, so I'm turning to the community to see if you can do it better.

Have fun.