To form the higher Chinese Numbers we need to learn a couple of new base words for:
- hundred (100)
- thousand (1,000)
- ten thousand (10,000)
Similarly to the numbers 1 to 9 which we learned here, the higher numbers are made of a few simple strokes. Here is the stroke order so you can practice them:
More Base Chinese Numbers: Hundred, Thousand, Ten Thousand
Writing Chinese Numbers 100, 1,000, 10,000 | ||||||||
Arabic | Chinese | Pinyin | Stroke Order | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 | bǎi | |||||||
1,000 | qiān | |||||||
10,000 | wàn |
How about One Million in Chinese?
There are no special symbols for 100,000 or one million, once again we apply some simple math:
Writing Chinese Numbers 100,000 and 1 Million | |||||||
Arabic | Multiply | Chinese Number | Pinyin | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100,000 |
10 X 10,000 = |
100,000 |
shíwàn | ||||
1,000,000 |
100 X 10,000 = |
1,000,000 |
bǎiwàn |
Forming the Larger Numbers in Chinese
Now we will apply the same rules for forming the larger numbers as the ones we used for forming the numbers 1 to 99.
For the numbers 1 to 99, the number 10 is our base or "stop" number. To form the larger numbers, we use the additional base or stop numbers we just learned (100, 1000, 10,000, 1,000,000) and apply the same rule:
If the number goes AFTER the stop number, you ADD it.
If the number goes BEFORE the stop number, you MULTIPLY it.
Let's build some numbers!
Forming the Larger Numbers in Chinese | ||||||
(5*100) = 500 |
wǔbǎi | |||||
(5*100)+(10+2) = 512 |
wǔbǎishíèr | |||||
(5*100)+(2*10) = 520 |
wǔbǎièrshí | |||||
(5*100)+(2*10)+2 = 522 |
wǔbǎièrshíèr | |||||
(6*1,000) = 6,000 |
liùqiān | |||||
(6*1,000)+(3*100) = 6,300 |
liùqiānsanbǎi | |||||
(5*10,000) = 50,000 | wǔwàn | |||||
(5*10,000) + (5*1,000) = 55,000 |
wǔwànwuqiān | |||||
(10*10,000) = 100,000 | shíwàn | |||||
(9*100*10,000) = 9,000,000 |
jiùbǎiwàn |
Chinese Numbers: Pay Special Attention:
- The number 10 and 1,000 are very similar, don't get confused:
10 1,000 - Although there is a Chinese character for the number ZERO, the circle or arabic equivalent is often used, you can see why:
Zero líng - The number zero needs to be called when it occurs in the middle of a number, for example:
0 808 babǎilíngba
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