Counting in Chinese
Learning how to count in Chinese is essential for daily conversations, shopping, telling time, and more. Let's start with the basics of counting in Mandarin Chinese, starting from one to ten, and then expand to higher numbers.
Basic 1–10
| 一 | yī | One (1) |
| 二 | èr | Two (2) |
| 三 | sān | Three (3) |
| 四 | sì | Four (4) |
| 五 | wǔ | Five (5) |
| 六 | liù | Six (6) |
| 七 | qī | Seven (7) |
| 八 | bā | Eight (8) |
| 九 | jiǔ | Nine (9) |
| 十 | shí | Ten (10) |
Teens
For numbers between eleven and twenty, the pattern is simple. Start with "ten" (十) and then add the unit number.
| 十一 | shí yī | Eleven (11) |
| 十二 | shí èr | Twelve (12) |
| 十三 | shí sān | Thirteen (13) |
| 十四 | shí sì | Fourteen (14) |
| 十五 | shí wǔ | Fifteen (15) |
| 十六 | shí liù | Sixteen (16) |
Beyond Ten
The pattern for numbers beyond ten is straightforward. Start with the first digit and attach the symbol for the larger number, similar to how numbers are formed in many languages. However, an exception occurs with 2, where the character 二 (èr) changes to 兩 (liǎng) when used before 百 (hundred), 千 (thousand), and larger units.
| 二十 | èr shí | Twenty (20) |
| 三十 | sān shí | Thirty (30) |
| 五十 | wǔ shí | Fifty (50) |
| 一百 | yī bǎi | One hundred (100) |
| 兩百 | liǎng bǎi | Two hundred (200) |
| 一千 | yī qiān | One thousand (1,000) |
Powers of Ten
| 10 | 十 | shí | Ten |
| 100 | 百 | bǎi | Hundred |
| 1,000 | 千 | qiān | Thousand |
Unlike the Western three-zero grouping, the Chinese system follows a four-zero grouping, where each power of ten beyond 1,000 corresponds to a group of four zeros.
| 10,000 | 萬 | wàn | Ten thousand |
| 100,000 | 十萬 | shí wàn | One hundred thousand |
| 1,000,000 | 百萬 | bǎi wàn | One million |
| 10,000,000 | 千萬 | qiān wàn | Ten million |
| 100,000,000 | 億 | yì | One hundred million |
| 1,000,000,000 | 十億 | shí yì | One billion |
| 10^10 | 百億 | bǎi yì | Ten billion |
| 10^12 | 兆 | zhào | One trillion |
| 10^16 | 京 | jīng | Ten quadrillion |
| 10^20 | 垓 | gāi | One hundred quintillion |
| 10^24 | 秭 | zǐ | One septillion |
| 10^28 | 穰 | ráng | One octillion |
| 10^32 | 溝 | gōu | Ten nonillion |
| 10^36 | 澗 | jiàn | One undecillion |
| 10^40 | 正 | zhèng | One tredecillion |
| 10^44 | 載 | zài | One quattuordecillion |
| 10^48 | 極 | jí | One quindecillion |
Compound Numbers
When forming numbers with multiple non-zero digits, read each place value in order: thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones. Unlike English, there is no need for "and" between parts. If a zero appears between non-zero digits, it must be explicitly spoken as 零 (líng) to indicate a gap.
| 一百二十三 | yī bǎi èr shí sān | One hundred twenty-three (123) |
| 四百零五 | sì bǎi líng wǔ | Four hundred five (405) |
| 一千二百三十四 | yī qiān èr bǎi sān shí sì | One thousand two hundred thirty-four (1,234) |
| 五千零七十 | wǔ qiān líng qī shí | Five thousand seventy (5,070) |
| 兩萬三千六百 | liǎng wàn sān qiān liù bǎi | Twenty-three thousand six hundred (23,600) |
| 九十八萬七千零二 | jiǔ shí bā wàn qī qiān líng èr | Nine hundred eighty-seven thousand two (987,002) |
Banking Numerals
Chinese uses "banking numerals" in financial transactions and official documents, such as checks, contracts, invoices, and legal papers, to enhance security and prevent fraud. These intricate characters are difficult to alter, making them ideal for ensuring the integrity of important documents. Their primary purpose is to reduce the risk of forgery or tampering.
| Standard | Banking | Number |
| 一 | 壹 | One (1) |
| 二 | 貳 | Two (2) |
| 三 | 叁 | Three (3) |
| 四 | 肆 | Four (4) |
| 五 | 伍 | Five (5) |
| 六 | 陸 | Six (6) |
| 七 | 柒 | Seven (7) |
| 八 | 捌 | Eight (8) |
| 九 | 玖 | Nine (9) |
| 十 | 拾 | Ten (10) |
Here are some examples of how banking numerals are used in practice:
| 壹佰 | yī bǎi | One hundred | Used in a banking or financial document to prevent tampering. |
| 贰千五百 | èr qiān wǔ bǎi | Two thousand five hundred | Common in large financial sums. |
| 叁拾万 | sān shí wàn | Three hundred thousand | Used in contracts or agreements involving large sums. |
| 捌拾元 | bā shí yuán | Eighty yuan | Common in monetary amounts written in checks or receipts. |
Classifiers 量詞
Chinese has a vast number of classifiers (量詞, liàngcí), each tailored to specific types of nouns. However, 個 (gè) is commonly used as a general classifier when the proper classifier is unknown or not easily recalled. It is versatile and often People, objects, and abstract concepts in everyday conversation, though it is generally more precise to use a specific classifier when possible. Using the correct classifier will also demonstrate a strong familiarity with the Chinese language.
For more information, check out our lesson on Chinese Classifiers.