Numbers (1–10 and Beyond) in Chinese 数字
shùzì
Numbers in Chinese is 数字 (shù zì).
Also searched for as: 1 to 10, counting, chinese numbers, one two three.
How old are you? What's your number? 20 essential numbers words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Chinese numbers are logical once you know one to ten: eleven is 十一 (shí yī), 'ten one', and twenty is 二十 (èr shí), 'two tens'. The challenges lie elsewhere: choosing between 二 (èr) and 两 (liǎng), counting in units of 万 (wàn), ten thousand, and reading phone and room numbers digit by digit. This list gives you the building blocks for ages, prices, times and dates.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 零 | líng | zero |
| 一 | yī | one |
| 二 | èr | two |
| 两 | liǎng | two (before a measure word) |
| 三 | sān | three |
| 四 | sì | four |
| 五 | wǔ | five |
| 六 | liù | six |
| 七 | qī | seven |
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 九 | jiǔ | nine |
| 十 | shí | ten |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred |
| 千 | qiān | thousand |
| 万 | wàn | ten thousand |
| 亿 | yì | hundred million |
| 第一 | dì yī | first |
| 半 | bàn | half |
| 号码 | hào mǎ | number (phone, room) |
| 电话号码 | diàn huà hào mǎ | phone number |
Usage tips
- When reading out phone numbers, room numbers and bus routes, many people say 幺 (yāo) instead of 一 (yī) for the digit 1, so it isn't confused with 七 (qī).
- Big numbers are grouped in fours, not threes: 10,000 is 一万 (yī wàn), 100,000 is 十万 (shí wàn) and a million is 一百万 (yī bǎi wàn).
- 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ), 'to die', so many people avoid 4 in phone and flat numbers, while 八 (bā) is considered lucky because it sounds like 发 (fā), as in getting rich.
Common mistakes
- Saying 二个人 for 'two people': before a measure word use 两 (liǎng), so 两个人 (liǎng ge rén). 二 (èr) is used when counting, in dates and inside numbers like 十二 (shí èr).
- Translating 'a hundred thousand' as 一百千: Chinese counts in 万, so say 十万 (shí wàn).
- Reading room 305 as a full number, 三百零五: for rooms and phones read the digits, 三零五 (sān líng wǔ).
Mini dialogue
- A你的电话号码是多少？Nǐ de diàn huà hào mǎ shì duō shao?What's your phone number?
- B幺三九，八八六二，零四五七。Yāo sān jiǔ, bā bā liù èr, líng sì wǔ qī.139 8862 0457.
- A你住几楼？Nǐ zhù jǐ lóu?Which floor do you live on?
- B我住八楼，八零二号。Wǒ zhù bā lóu, bā líng èr hào.I'm on the eighth floor, number 802.
- A好，我们三点半见！Hǎo, wǒ men sān diǎn bàn jiàn!OK, see you at half past three!
Example sentences
- 我的房间号是三零五。My room number is 305.
- 我有一个妹妹。I have one younger sister.
- 今天是二月十四号。Today is the fourteenth of February.
- 我要两杯咖啡。I'd like two coffees.
- 我们三点见面吧。Let's meet at three o'clock.
- 这个班有四十个学生。This class has forty students.
- 一个苹果五块钱。Apples are five yuan each.
- 我每天六点起床。I get up at six every day.
- 一个星期有七天。There are seven days in a week.
- 我住在八楼。I live on the eighth floor.
- 商店早上九点开门。The shop opens at nine in the morning.
- 我等了你十分钟。I waited ten minutes for you.
- 这本书一百块。This book costs a hundred yuan.
- 这台电脑要五千块。This computer costs five thousand yuan.
- 他一个月挣一万块。He earns ten thousand yuan a month.
- 中国有十四亿人。China has 1.4 billion people.
- 这是我第一次来上海。This is my first time in Shanghai.
- 我们十点半出发。We're setting off at half past ten.
- 你的房间号码是多少？What's your room number?
- 能给我你的电话号码吗？Can you give me your phone number?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Numbers speaking island has 8 everyday questions about numbers to prepare your own answers to.