Writing the numbers in Chinese is simple as most characters are made of few strokes. Although the basic Chinese Number system is used widely, the Arabic system (what we are used to) has also been adopted due to convenience. Prices at the stores for example, are also quoted using the Arabic system.
Numbers in Chinese 1 to 10
Writing Chinese Numbers 1 to 10 | |||||||
Arabic | Chinese | Pinyin | Stroke Order | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | yi | ||||||
2 | èr | ||||||
3 | san | ||||||
4 | sì | ||||||
5 | wǔ | ||||||
6 | liù | ||||||
7 | qi | ||||||
8 | ba | ||||||
9 | jiǔ | ||||||
10 | shí |
Numbers in Chinese 11 to 19
Now that you have learned the numbers from 1 to 10, you should be able to count to 99! Let's see how that works. There are some easy basic rules to remember, it is all about adding and multiplying:
Your base is always the number 10 ( )
To form the numbers 11 to 19, we will ADD to 10
When the number comes AFTER TEN, you ADD it to ten.
Writing Chinese Numbers 11 to 19 | |||
Arabic | Add | Chinese Number | Pinyin |
---|---|---|---|
11 |
10 + 1 = |
11 |
shíyi |
12 |
10 + 2 = |
12 |
shíèr |
13 |
10 + 3 = |
13 |
shísan |
14 |
10 + 4 = |
14 |
shísì |
15 |
10 + 5 = |
15 |
shíwǔ |
16 |
10 + 6 = |
11 |
shíliù |
17 |
10 + 7 = |
17 |
shíqi |
18 |
10 + 8 = |
18 |
shíba |
19 |
10 + 9 = |
19 |
shíjiǔ |
Numbers in Chinese 20 to 90
Remember your base is always the number 10 ( )
To form the numbers 20 to 90, we will MULTIPLY times 10
When the number comes BEFORE TEN you multiply TIMES ten.
Writing Chinese Numbers 20 to 90 | |||
Arabic | Multiply | Chinese Number | Pinyin |
---|---|---|---|
20 |
2 X 10 = |
20 |
èrshí |
30 |
3 X 10 = |
30 |
sanshí |
40 |
4 X 10 = |
40 |
sìshí |
50 |
5 X 10 = |
50 |
wǔshí |
60 |
6 X 10 = |
60 |
liùshí |
70 |
7 X 10 = |
70 |
qishí |
80 |
8 X 10 = |
80 |
bashí |
90 |
9 X 10 = |
90 |
jiǔshí |
Numbers in Chinese - Counting to 99
Now is just a matter of simple math to form the rest of the numbers. Let's recap:
If the number goes AFTER ten, you add it to ten.
If the number goes BEFORE ten, you multiply times ten.
Using these two simple rules, you can get to any number up to 99.
Writing Chinese Numbers to 99 | ||||
10 + 3 = 13 | shísan | |||
3 * 10 = 30 | sanshí | |||
3 * 10 +3 = 33 | sanshísan |
Next: Counting to 1,000,000 and beyond!
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