Counting numbers is an essential part of learning Chinese, as it helps you improve communication skills in everyday situations. Chinese numbers follow some unique rules that you need to pay attention to in order to use them correctly. In this article, Ni Hao Ma will guide you on how to say numbers in Chinese, from basic units to more complex number sequences.
How to count numbers in Chinese
Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. To learn and use it effectively, mastering Chinese numbers is an important first step. Below is a guide on how to read numbers from single digits to larger figures, along with some key points you need to keep in mind!
Counting Numbers in Chinese from 0 to 10
Counting from 0 to 10 in Chinese is quite simple. You can follow the table below for the basic numbers:
| Number | Chinese Character | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 零 | líng |
| 1 | 一 | yī |
| 2 | 二 | èr |
| 3 | 三 | sān |
| 4 | 四 | sì |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ |
| 6 | 六 | liù |
| 7 | 七 | qī |
| 8 | 八 | bā |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ |
| 10 | 十 | shí |
Counting Numbers in Chinese from 11 to 99
To form numbers from 11 to 19 in Chinese, you simply combine the number 10 (十 – shí) with the numbers 1 through 9. This makes counting in Chinese quite straightforward, as shown in the table below:
| Number | Chinese Character | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 十一 | shí yī |
| 12 | 十二 | shí èr |
| 13 | 十三 | shí sān |
| 14 | 十四 | shí sì |
| 15 | 十五 | shí wǔ |
| 16 | 十六 | shí liù |
| 17 | 十七 | shí qī |
| 18 | 十八 | shí bā |
| 19 | 十九 | shí jiǔ |
For round tens from 20 to 90, you don’t need to add the character 零 (líng) after 十 (shí). The structure is as follows:
Tens digit + 十 (shí)
Examples:
| Tens digit | Chinese Character | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 二十 | èr shí |
| 30 | 三十 | sān shí |
| 40 | 四十 | sì shí |
| 50 | 五十 | wǔ shí |
| 60 | 六十 | liù shí |
| 70 | 七十 | qī shí |
| 80 | 八十 | bā shí |
| 90 | 九十 | jiǔ shí |
For numbers between 21 and 99, the structure is:
Tens digit + 十 (shí) + Ones digit
Examples:
| Number | Chinese Character | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 二十一 | èr shí yī |
| 22 | 二十二 | èr shí èr |
| 23 | 二十三 | èr shí sān |
| 34 | 三十四 | sān shí sì |
| 44 | 四十四 | sì shí sì |
| 35 | 三十五 | sān shí wǔ |
| 66 | 六十六 | liù shí liù |
| 77 | 七十七 | qī shí qī |
| 88 | 八十八 | bā shí bā |
| 99 | 九十九 | jiǔ shí jiǔ |
Counting Numbers in Chinese from 100 to 999
When counting numbers in Chinese from 100 to 999, we use the terms for hundreds (百 – bǎi), tens (十 – shí), and ones (个 – ge). The general rule for numbers that include hundreds, tens, and ones is as follows:
Hundreds digit + 百 (bǎi) + Tens digit + 十 (shí) + Ones digit
Examples:
| Number | Chinese Characters | Pinyin (Pronunciation) |
|---|---|---|
| 123 | 一百二十三 | yī bǎi èr shí sān |
| 345 | 三百四十五 | sān bǎi sì shí wǔ |
| 567 | 五百六十七 | wǔ bǎi liù shí qī |
| 678 | 六百七十八 | liù bǎi qī shí bā |
| 789 | 七百八十九 | qī bǎi bā shí jiǔ |
| 234 | 二百三十四 | èr bǎi sān shí sì |
| 456 | 四百五十六 | sì bǎi wǔ shí liù |
| 890 | 八百九十 | bā bǎi jiǔ shí |
| 913 | 九百一十三 | jiǔ bǎi yī shí sān |
| 785 | 七百八十五 | qī bǎi bā shí wǔ |
| 632 | 六百三十二 | liù bǎi sān shí èr |
| 251 | 二百五十一 | èr bǎi wǔ shí yī |
| 384 | 三百八十四 | sān bǎi bā shí sì |
| 479 | 四百七十九 | sì bǎi qī shí jiǔ |
| 999 | 九百九十九 | jiǔ bǎi jiǔ shí jiǔ |
When the tens digit is 0, you add the character 零 (líng) to indicate the zero. The structure is as follows:
Hundreds digit + 百 (bǎi) + 零 (líng) + Ones digit
Examples:
| Number | Chinese Characters | Pinyin (Pronunciation) |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | 一百零一 | yī bǎi líng yī |
| 206 | 二百零六 | èr bǎi líng liù |
| 309 | 三百零九 | sān bǎi líng jiǔ |
| 402 | 四百零二 | sì bǎi líng èr |
| 508 | 五百零八 | wǔ bǎi líng bā |
| 604 | 六百零四 | liù bǎi líng sì |
| 707 | 七百零七 | qī bǎi líng qī |
| 809 | 八百零九 | bā bǎi líng jiǔ |
| 901 | 九百零一 | jiǔ bǎi líng yī |
When the ones digit is 0, you simply omit the ones digit when reading the number. The structure is as follows:
Hundreds digit + 百 (bǎi) + Tens digit + 十 (shí)
Examples:
| Number | Chinese Characters | Pinyin (Pronunciation) |
|---|---|---|
| 110 | 一百一十 | yī bǎi yī shí |
| 230 | 二百三十 | èr bǎi sān shí |
| 450 | 四百五十 | sì bǎi wǔ shí |
| 670 | 六百七十 | liù bǎi qī shí |
| 890 | 八百九十 | bā bǎi jiǔ shí |
For round hundreds numbers, where both the tens and ones digits are 0, you only need to say the hundreds digit:
Round hundreds number + 百 (bǎi)
Examples:
| Number | Chinese Characters | Pinyin (Pronunciation) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 一百 | yī bǎi |
| 200 | 二百 | èr bǎi |
| 300 | 三百 | sān bǎi |
| 400 | 四百 | sì bǎi |
| 500 | 五百 | wǔ bǎi |
| 600 | 六百 | liù bǎi |
| 700 | 七百 | qī bǎi |
| 800 | 八百 | bā bǎi |
| 900 | 九百 | jiǔ bǎi |
Counting Numbers in Chinese from 1000 Onward
Numbers in Chinese from 1000 onward become a bit more complex, but with a solid understanding of the units and how they combine, you can easily grasp how to read and use them. The larger number units you’ll need to know include:
- 千 (qiān): Thousand
- 万 (wàn): Ten thousand
- 十万 (shí wàn): Hundred thousand
- 百万 (bǎi wàn): Million
- 千万 (qiān wàn): Ten million
- 亿 (yì): Hundred million
- 十亿 (shí yì): Billion
- 百亿 (bǎi yì): Ten billion
- 千亿 (qiān yì): Trillion
For numbers between 1000 and 9999, the structure in Chinese is as follows:
Thousands digit + 千 (qiān) + Hundreds digit + 百 (bǎi) + Tens digit + 十 (shí) + Ones digit.
Here are some examples:
| Number | Chinese Characters | Pinyin (Pronunciation) |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 一千 | yī qiān |
| 3500 | 三千五百 | sān qiān wǔ bǎi |
| 1234 | 一千二百三十四 | yī qiān èr bǎi sān shí sì |
| 2345 | 二千三百四十五 | èr qiān sān bǎi sì shí wǔ |
| 3456 | 三千四百五十六 | sān qiān sì bǎi wǔ shí liù |
| 4567 | 四千五百六十七 | sì qiān wǔ bǎi liù shí qī |
| 5678 | 五千六百七十八 | wǔ qiān liù bǎi qī shí bā |
| 6789 | 六千七百八十九 | liù qiān qī bǎi bā shí jiǔ |
| 7890 | 七千八百九十 | qī qiān bā bǎi jiǔ shí |
| 8901 | 八千九百零一 | bā qiān jiǔ bǎi líng yī |
| 9000 | 九千 | jiǔ qiān |
| 9012 | 九千零十二 | jiǔ qiān líng shí èr |
| 9999 | 九千九百九十九 | jiǔ qiān jiǔ bǎi jiǔ shí jiǔ |
If a number contains zeros, follow the same rules as for numbers from 100 to 999.
When it comes to numbers in Chinese from 10,000 and above, the numbers are grouped in sets of four digits. We start using larger units, and while the way of reading numbers becomes more complex, it still follows the same principle of breaking down the number into smaller parts.
Examples:
| Number | Chinese Characters | Pinyin (Pronunciation) |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 一万 | yī wàn |
| 15,000 | 一万五千 | yī wàn wǔ qiān |
| 15,231 | 一万五千二百三十一 | yī wàn wǔ qiān èr bǎi sān shí yī |
| 20,000 | 二万 | èr wàn |
| 30,000 | 三万 | sān wàn |
| 100,000 | 十万 | shí wàn |
| 123,456 | 一十二万三千四百五十六 | yī shí èr wàn sān qiān sì bǎi wǔ shí liù |
| 150,000 | 十五万 | shí wǔ wàn |
| 200,000 | 二十万 | èr shí wàn |
| 500,000 | 五十万 | wǔ shí wàn |
| 567,890 | 五十七万八千九百九十 | wǔ shí qī wàn bā qiān jiǔ bǎi jiǔ shí |
| 901,234 | 九十万一千二百三十四 | jiǔ shí wàn yī qiān èr bǎi sān shí sì |
| 1,000,000 | 一百万 | yī bǎi wàn |
| 2,000,000 | 二百万 | èr bǎi wàn |
| 4,567,890 | 四百五十六万七千八百九十 | sì bǎi wǔ shí liù wàn qī qiān bā bǎi jiǔ shí |
| 10,000,000 | 一千万 | yī qiān wàn |
| 15,000,000 | 一千五百万 | yī qiān wǔ bǎi wàn |
| 20,000,000 | 两千万 | liǎng qiān wàn |
| 91,345,000 | 九千一百三十四万五千 | jiǔ qiān yī bǎi sān shí sì wàn wǔ qiān |
| 100,000,000 | 一亿 | yī yì |
| 200,000,000 | 两亿 | liǎng yì |
| 987,654,321 | 九亿八千七百六十五万四千三百二十一 | jiǔ yì bā qiān qī bǎi liù shí wǔ wàn sì qiān sān bǎi èr shí yī |
| 1,000,000,000 | 十亿 | shí yì |
| 1,234,567,890 | 十二亿三千四百五十六万七千八百九十 | shí èr yì sān qiān sì bǎi wǔ shí liù wàn qī qiān bā bǎi jiǔ shí |
| 1,250,000,000 | 十二亿五千万 | shí èr yì wǔ qiān wàn |
| 3,000,000,000 | 三十亿 | sān shí yì |
Read more: Understanding The Meaning Of Numbers In Chinese Culture
Decimals and Fractions in Chinese
When it comes to numbers in Chinese, counting decimal numbers and fractions differs from counting whole numbers. Let’s break down how to handle both types of numbers.
Decimals in Chinese
In Chinese, decimal numbers are read in a similar way to regular numbers, but with the addition of the word “点 (diǎn)” to represent the decimal point (which is equivalent to a comma in some languages like English). The format for reading decimal numbers is as follows:
Whole number + 点 (diǎn) + Decimal digits
Examples:
| Decimal Number | Chinese Characters | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 零点一 | líng diǎn yī |
| 0.25 | 零点二五 | líng diǎn èr wǔ |
| 1.2 | 一点二 | yī diǎn èr |
| 7.56 | 七点五六 | qī diǎn wǔ liù |
| 12.345 | 十二点三四五 | shí èr diǎn sān sì wǔ |
| 10.5 | 十点五 | shí diǎn wǔ |
| 4.125 | 四点一二五 | sì diǎn yī èr wǔ |
| 0.02 | 零点零二 | líng diǎn líng èr |
| 100.5 | 一百点五 | yī bǎi diǎn wǔ |
| 0.007 | 零点零零七 | líng diǎn líng líng qī |
Note: When the decimal starts with 0, 零 (líng) is used to indicate the zero. For reading decimal numbers in Chinese, each digit is pronounced individually.
Fractions in Chinese
When reading fractions in Chinese, we use the phrase 分之 (fēn zhī) to represent the “over” or “divided by” part of the fraction. Unlike in some languages where the numerator is spoken before the denominator, in Chinese, the denominator comes first, followed by 分之 (fēn zhī), and then the numerator.
Denominator + 分之 (fēn zhī) + Numerator
Examples:
| Fraction | Chinese Characters | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 二分之一 | èr fēn zhī yī |
| 3/4 | 四分之三 | sì fēn zhī sān |
| 5/7 | 七分之五 | qī fēn zhī wǔ |
| 52/100 | 一百分之五十二 | yī bǎi fēn zhī wǔ shí èr |
| 123/500 | 五百分之一百二十三 | wǔ bǎi fēn zhī yī bǎi èr shí sān |
Some Key Points About Numbers in Chinese
Reading numbers in Chinese follows fairly clear rules, but there are some special cases and exceptions that you should be aware of:
The Number 0 (零 – líng)
零 (líng) is used to represent the position of the digit 0 in larger numbers when writing or reading. However, you don’t need to repeat it multiple times if there are consecutive zeros.
Examples:
- 106 (一百零六 – yī bǎi líng liù): One hundred and six.
- 1009 (一千零九 – yī qiān líng jiǔ): One thousand and nine.
- 10001 (一万零一 – yī wàn líng yī): Ten thousand and one.
The Number 1 (一 – yī)
When reading phone numbers or codes (like room numbers or account numbers), it’s common to use 幺 (yāo) instead of 一 (yī) to avoid confusion with other digits, especially the number 7 (七 – qī).
Example: 1123 could be read as 幺幺二三 (yāo yāo èr sān).
The Numbers 2 (二 – èr) and 两 (liǎng)
In Chinese, both 二 (èr) and 两 (liǎng) mean “two,” but they are used in different contexts:
- 二 (èr): Used for counting numbers, ordinal numbers, or mathematical operations.
Example: 二十 (èr shí) – Twenty. - 两 (liǎng): Used before nouns to indicate quantity, or in large numbers (hundreds and above).
Example: 两个人 (liǎng gè rén) – Two people, 两本书 (liǎng běn shū) – Two books, 两百 (liǎng bǎi) – Two hundred.
Conclusion
Learning how to count in Chinese is an essential step in mastering the language. From basic numbers to more complex ones, regular practice will help you remember them better and use the vocabulary more flexibly.
We hope that Ni Hao Ma has helped you understand how to read numbers in Chinese. If you’d like to learn more vocabulary and get one-on-one explanations from native speakers, sign up for an online Chinese class with Ni Hao Ma today!
