Learning Chinese Numbers: A Guide to Pinyin and Characters

1-10

Basic numbers: 一 (yī), 二 (èr), 三 (sān), 四 (sì), 五 (wǔ), 六 (liù), 七 (qī), 八 (bā), 九 (jiǔ), 十 (shí)

You should memorize these characters and Pinyin. They are the foundation for all other numbers. Example: 4 = 四 (sì), 10 = 十 (shí).

11-19

Formation: 十 (shí) + ones digit

Numbers from 11 to 19 are formed by appending the digits 1-9 to 十 (shí, ten). For example: 11 is 十一 (shí yī, "ten-one") and 19 is 十九 (shí jiǔ, "ten-nine").

20-99

Formation: tens digit + 十 (shí) + [ones digit]

Tens numbers are formed by placing the digit for the tens before 十 (shí). For example: 20 is 二十 (èr shí, "two-ten"). Numbers like 21 or 99 simply append the ones digit at the end: 21 = 二十一 (èr shí yī, "two-ten-one"), 99 = 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ, "nine-ten-nine").

100

一百 (yì bǎi)

In Chinese, the number 100 is expressed as 一百 (yì bǎi).

0

Zero: 零 (líng)

零 (líng) is used for zero in numbers when a digit is omitted, e.g. 105 = 一百零五 (yì bǎi líng wǔ), 1,002 = 一千零二 (yì qiān líng èr). It never appears at the beginning or end of a number, but always only between other digits.

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100

一百 (yì bǎi)

One hundred is expressed as 一百 (yì bǎi). Then it continues following the same pattern: 二百 (èr bǎi) for 200, 三百 (sān bǎi) for 300, etc.

1,000

一千 (yì qiān)

The number 1,000 is expressed as 一千 (yì qiān). Thousand numbers in Chinese only go up to 9,000; from 10,000 onward, a new counting system begins with 万 (wàn).

10,000

一万 (yí wàn)

From 10,000 onward, Chinese uses the unit 万 (wàn). For 10,000, you don't say 10 x 1,000, but rather one wàn (一万).

1,000,000

一百万 (yì bǎi wàn)

One million is expressed as 一百万 (yì bǎi wàn), which means one hundred times ten thousand.

100,000,000

一亿 (yí yì)

The unit 亿 (yì) stands for 100 million. Example: 300,000,000 = 三亿 (sān yì).

1,000,000,000

十亿 (shí yì)

One billion is expressed as 十亿 (shí yì), which means ten times one hundred million.

• Measure words:
  In Chinese, you can't simply say "two books" but must use a measure word: 两本书 (liǎng běn shū).
• Two variants for "two":
  For quantities, 两 (liǎng) is usually used instead of 二 (èr): 两个人 (liǎng gè rén) = two people.
• Pronunciation & tones:
  Correct tones are crucial! Example: 四 (sì, 4th tone) vs. 十 (shí, 2nd tone).
• Zero in numbers:
  零 (líng) is used in numbers like 105 (一百零五) or 1,002 (一千零二), but never twice in a row. Even when multiple zeros appear in a number, 零 only appears once.
• Lucky & unlucky numbers:
  The number 8 (八 bā) is considered lucky, while 4 (四 sì) is often avoided (e.g., no room number 4 in hotels).

• Phone numbers:
  Each digit is spoken individually: 138 1234 5678 = yāo sān bā yī èr sān sì wǔ liù qī bā
• Prices & money:
  RMB (元 yuán)
  10元 = shí yuán
  5.50元 = wǔ kuài wǔ máo
• Dates & times:
  2024年 = èr líng èr sì nián
  8:30 = bā diǎn bàn
  Tip: For times, 一刻 (yí kè) means a quarter, e.g. 八点一刻 = 8:15.
• Quantities:
  一百多个人 (yì bǎi duō gè rén) = over 100 people
  几十 (jǐ shí) = dozens
• Basic arithmetic:
  2 + 2 = 4 → 二加二等于四 (èr jiā èr děngyú sì)
  5 - 3 = 2 → 五减三等于二 (wǔ jiǎn sān děngyú èr)
  3 × 4 = 12 → 三乘四等于十二 (sān chéng sì děngyú shí'èr)
  8 ÷ 2 = 4 → 八除以二等于四 (bā chú yǐ èr děngyú sì)
• Fractions & decimals:
  ¼ = 四分之一 (sì fēn zhī yī)
  ½ = 二分之一 (èr fēn zhī yī)
  0.5 = 零点五 (líng diǎn wǔ)

• The 10,000 system:
  In Chinese, large numbers are counted in groups of four. 10,000 is called 万 (wàn), 100 million is called 亿 (yì). Example: 120,000 = 12万 (shí èr wàn).
• Alternative number characters:
  For banking documents and contracts, special number characters are used to prevent fraud (e.g. 壹 (yī) for 1, 贰 (èr) for 2).
• Hand gestures for numbers:
  In China, there are specific hand gestures for numbers 1–10, which are especially used when shopping or at markets.
• Cultural significance of numbers:
  The number 8 (八 bā) represents luck and prosperity, while 4 (四 sì) is often avoided because it sounds like the word for "death." Other numbers also have special meanings in daily life.

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