Hello to all blog readers!

Numerals in Chinese Seems like a simple topic. Meanwhile, there are many subtleties that foreigners who have begun to learn Chinese or who are going on a trip to China should learn, because during the trip you will in any case have to conduct money transactions, which means dealing with numbers!

Learning numbers in Chinese is easy! Everything is very simple) But you can’t even imagine that numbers in Chinese are not just a tool for counting. You can even express your thoughts with them! If you're interested, read on!

Numbers in Chinese

In China, in addition to using Arabic numerals, to which we are accustomed, the numbers written in hieroglyphs are also used, which we will discuss in more detail below. What is it for? Yes, at least for signing contracts.

After all, numbers are much easier to imperceptibly correct than hieroglyphs. And in more official documents, special hieroglyphs are generally used, which differ significantly in appearance from the usual ones for greater reliability.

Well, yes, this is a completely different separate topic, more related to business Chinese.

Before you start learning the numbers themselves, or rather their pronunciation and writing in Chinese, you should know the features of numerals in Chinese.

Count up to 10 in Chinese

Now let's start learning numbers in Chinese. It is very easy. Easier than in Russian. The only thing to pronounce them more or less correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with the transcription and practice pronouncing the tones. If you have not done this, then we advise you to look into the Phonetics lesson.

0		零
1		一
2		二
3		三
4		四
5		五
6		六
7		七
8		八
9		九
10		十

Plus a few more important and necessary units:

100		百
1 000		千
10 000		万

Numbers in Chinese by hand

Learning numbers, and even so many at a time, is not so easy. Let's take a break, stretch our hands, and at the same time repeat what we have learned!

In Chinese, numbers (from one to ten) can be shown on the fingers. Here's how it's done:

Have you guessed why the number ten can be shown in two ways?)

A little rest? Then let's continue!

Dealing with plurals in Chinese

Now let's deal with some subtleties, because learning a few numbers does not mean learning how to use them correctly:

to say eleven and all subsequent digits, you just need to add the desired number to the tens:

11	10 + 1	shi + yī
15	10 + 5	shí + wǔ
20	2 + 10	er + shi
27	2 + 10 + 7	er + shí + qī

See how easy it is! It's much easier than in Russian, English, Korean and so on!

Attention, when you go to hundreds, you need to be very careful!

We had such a story when we first arrived in China. We went to the market to buy things. I don’t remember exactly what I bought, and it doesn’t matter. Our Chinese was close to zero, but we still traded to the last. And what, we were told to bargain, well, we bargained!

In the end, the seller sighed, pretending to agree with us and saying 一百八, which literally translates as one hundred and eight. We quickly agreed to celebrate, we give money, and he shakes his head - they say little. And then it turns out that 一百八 is 180, not 108.

It turns out that when the Chinese say 108, then between a hundred and eight they will definitely say zero. And if it doesn't exist, then... well, you understand.

So remember:

If after the word hundred you say five at once, as is customary in Russia, then you will be completely misunderstood. In Chinese, yī bǎi wǔ would mean 150, not 105.

To say 105, be sure to say zero before the five: yī bǎi líng wǔ.

105 = 1 + 100 + 0 + 5 = yī + bǎi + líng + wǔ

Another interesting thing: the Chinese do not just say 105, as we used to say. They will definitely say one hundred.

If you just say a hundred, then they will certainly understand you, making allowances for the fact that you are foreigners.

Here are some more examples for a clearer understanding:

203		二百零三
360	or	三百六十 / 三百六
548		五百四十八
110		一百一
1018		一千零一十八
1005		一千零五
10000		一万
10890		一万零八百九十

A little more about the features of numerals in Chinese

When we say a phone number, home, route, etc., the number 1 is read as 幺, the number 2 as 二.

All numbers speak one by one:

159 6678 9921

And here is the number of some services that you may need in China:

The number 2 also has two variants 二 and 两.

Let's take a closer look at their differences:

1. 两 can only be at the beginning, but 二 is at the beginning, at the end, and in the middle： 七十 二 个，八百二 十八，二 百，两 百
2. When you use these numerals with counter words, there are also differences. The following are counter words that are used with the numeral 两: 两: 个，把，块，棵，只，条 ⇒ 两个, 两条 etc But the following count words can be used with both 两 and 二 斤，里，尺，吨... ⇒ 两斤 or 二斤

Since we have decided to deal with this topic completely, we will have to touch on a little culture as well. without it, some points, including those related to numbers in China, will be difficult to clarify.

Which numbers do the Chinese like and which do they try to avoid?

1 - they love this number, because more often this number denotes the first: first place, first in class or at school, the first to discover something, etc.

6 - they love this number, because it is consonant with the hieroglyph 溜 (顺溜 - favorable, smooth, no problem)

8 - love this number, because it is consonant with the character 发 （发财 - get rich). You can often hear such a wish from the Chinese: 恭喜发财！ - I wish you great wealth!

9 - they love this number, because it is consonant with the hieroglyph 久 - long, eternal. The phrase 长长久久 can also be found in wishes, for example, when they want to wish eternal love.

4 - do not like this figure and try to avoid it in every possible way. Sometimes even in some buildings you will not be able to find the 4th floor, but there will be two thirds. When you take a SIM card, then more often there are numbers with the number 4.

And all because it is consonant with the word 死 - death.

How do you express your thoughts with numbers?

As you have noticed, many words are consonant with numbers, so the Chinese use it with might and main. They can use numbers, for example, to confess their love - 520 我爱你. Sounds very similar, right? For example, what words can be replaced with numbers:

0	「你」
1	「一」
2	「爱」
3	「想」
4	「是、世」
5	「我」
6	「又」
7	「亲」
8	「辈、抱、被、怕、发」
9	「久、就」

Video on the topic "Numerals in Chinese":

Numerals are symbols used to represent numbers. , as well as the numerals of other languages, are divided into ordinal and quantitative. Quantitative numbers are used to indicate the amount of something, count. Ordinal numbers represent serial number something in a particular system. For example - house number, apartment number, bus route number - all this is indicated by ordinal numbers.

Like other symbols of writing, they are denoted by hieroglyphs. Such a designation is unusual for Europeans, since the numbers are presented in the form of symbols unusual for us. Composite numbers are formed by combining characters in a specific order.

The most main feature Chinese numerals lies in the fact that they do not decline by gender, number, or case.

The numerals of the Chinese language have a large capacity, which allows you to count up to trillions.

Chinese numerals have two notation styles - The usual form for use in Everyday life and the formal notation used on official store receipts, etc. The formal notation is the notation of a digit in the form of a complex hieroglyph. In everyday form, numbers are written in a simplified form.

Writing Chinese numerals

Numbers from 0 to 9

Digit: 0. Normal notation: 〇. The formal notation is 零. Reading - ling.

Digit: 1. Normal notation: 一. The formal notation is 壹. Reading - yī.

Digit: 2. Normal notation: 二. The formal notation is 貳. Reading - er.

Digit: 3. Normal notation: 三. The formal notation is 参. Reading is sān.

Numeral: 4. Conventional notation: 四. The formal notation is 肆. Reading - sì.

Digit: 5. Normal notation: 五. The formal notation is 伍. Reading - wu.

Numeral: 6. Normal notation: 六. The formal notation is 陆. Reading - liu.

Numeral: 7. Normal notation: 七. The formal notation is 柒. Reading - qī.

Numeral: 8. Normal notation: 八. The formal notation is 捌. Reading is bā.

Numeral: 9. Normal notation: 九. The formal notation is 玖. Reading - jiu.

Numeral: 10. Normal notation: 十. The formal notation is 拾. Reading - shi.

The numbers from 11 to 19 are formed by compound hieroglyphs. The hieroglyph 十 (shí. - ten) is placed in front. On the right, a character from 1 to 9 is added to it. Compound characters from 11 to 19 look like this:

Numeral: 11. Normal notation: 十一.

Numeral: 12. Normal notation: 十二.

Numeral: 13. Normal notation: 十三.

Numeral: 14. Normal notation: 十四.

Numeral: 15. Common notation: 十五.

Numeral: 16. Normal notation: 十六.

Numeral: 17. Normal notation: 十七.

Numeral: 18. Normal notation: 十八.

Numeral: 19. Normal notation: 十九.

Numbers from 20 to 99 are indicated in a similar way, but unlike the previous figures, the hieroglyph 10 is placed on the right in the second place after the number indicating the tens digit and indicates the digits of tens. The third from the right is a hieroglyph denoting a digit in unit digits. Thus, the numbers 20, 30 ..50..90 will be written in the form of two hieroglyphs. Numbers like 23, 35, 99 are written using three hieroglyphs.

The principle of writing ten digits from 20 to 90

Numeral: 20. Normal notation: 二十.

Numeral: 40. Normal notation: 四十.

Numeral: 50. Normal notation: 五十.

Numeral: 60. Normal notation: 六十.

Numeral: 70. Normal notation: 七十.

Numeral: 80. Normal notation: 八十.

Numeral: 90. Normal notation: 九十.

The principle of writing numbers from 21 to 99

Numeral: 23. Normal notation: 二十三. Hieroglyph 20 is written and hieroglyph 3 is added

Numeral: 52. Normal notation: 五十二. Hieroglyph 50 is written and hieroglyph 2 is added

Numeral: 99. Normal notation: 九十九. Hieroglyph 90 is written and hieroglyph 9 is added

When counting from 100 to 999, Chinese numerals are written in compound characters with the addition of the character for the number 100 -百 (bǎi). Notation in simple notation.
The principle of writing numbers denoting hundreds:

Numeral: 100. Regular notation: 百

Numeral: 200. Normal notation: 二百

Numeral: 500. Normal notation: 五百.

Write three-digit numbers 0t 101 to 999 is carried out by assembling hieroglyphs denoting numbers and designation of digits. It looks like this:

Numeral: 876. Common notation: 八百七十六.

Consists of: 八百 (eight hundred) 七十 (seven tens) 六 (six).

Numeral: 473. Common notation: 四百七十三.

Consists of: 四百 (four hundred) 七十 (seven tens) 三 (three).

The rest of the numbers are written according to this principle.

When counting from 1000 to 9999 numbers are written on the basis of the hieroglyph of the number 1000, which is inserted into the record of the number to indicate the thousands digit.

Numeral: 1000. Conventional notation: 千 (qiān).

Entries of thousands digits are carried out by adding to the character of the digit in the thousands place the character 千, which indicates the capacity of the number.

Numeral: 2000. Conventional notation: 二千 (two times 1000, two thousand).

Numeral: 3000. Conventional notation: 三千 (three times 1000, three thousand).

Write three digits 0t 1001 to 9999 is carried out by assembling hieroglyphs denoting numbers and the designation of thousands and hundreds of digits. It looks like this:

Number: 7865. Conventional notation: 七千八百六十五

(seven thousand eight hundred seven tens and five).

By this example from the above hieroglyphs of units, tens, hundreds, thousands, you can collect any four-digit number.

With a score from 10,000 to 99,999 a notation based on the hieroglyph denoting the number 10,000 is used. The notation of numbers in tens of thousands will look like this:

Digit: 10,000 Common notation: 万 (wàn)

Digit: 20,000 Common notation: 二万

Writing numbers from 10,001 to 99,999

Digit: 86532

8 tens of thousands, 6 thousand, 5 hundreds, 3 tens and 2.

With an account from 100,000 to 999,999 the notation is based on the hieroglyph denoting the number 100,000. The notation of the numbers hundreds of thousands will look like this:

Digit: 100,000 Common notation: 十万

Numeral: 500,000 Conventional notation: 五十万 (五十 five times 十万 one hundred thousand)

Writing numbers from 100,001 to 999,999 are carried out as follows:

Number: 734,876 Conventional notation: 七十三万四千八百七十六

七十三 73 tens 万 thousand, 四千 4 thousand, 八百 8 hundreds, 七十 7 tens and 6.

With an account from 1,000,000 to 9,999,999

Digit: 1,000,000 Common notation: 百万

Digit: 5,000,000 Conventional notation: 五百万 (五 five hundred times 万 ten thousand)

Carried out as follows:

Number: 7,854,329 Conventional notation: 七百八十五万四千三百二十九

七 seven 百 hundreds 八 8 tens 五 5 tens of thousands, 四千 4 thousand, 三百 3 hundreds, 二十 2 tens and 9.

With an account from 10,000,000 to 99,999,999 the entry is based on the hieroglyph for the number 10,000. The entry for the numbers of millions will look like this:

Digit: 10,000,000. Common notation: 一 千万

Digit: 25,000,000 Conventional notation: 二千五百万 (二千twenty 五 five hundred times 万 ten thousand)

Write numbers from 1,000,001 to 9,999,999 are carried out as follows:

Number: 65,341,891 Conventional notation: 六千五百三十四万一千八百九十一

六千 65 tens 五百 hundred thousand, 三十四 34 tens 万 thousand, 一千 one thousand, 八百 eight hundred, 九十 9 tens, and 一 1.

Recording the count of higher digits produced in a similar way. The entries for the numbers one hundred million and one billion are:

Digit: 100.000.000 Conventional notation: 一亿 (1 hundred million)

Digit: 1.000.000.000 Conventional notation: 十亿 (10 hundred million)

The entries of numbers using hieroglyphs are given in the form of a simplified entry. The financial form of the record has even more complex shape hieroglyphs representing numbers.

Chinese numerals in hieroglyphs

There are several wayshow to write chinese numerals. For example, if you have a long number in front of you, to write it in the form of hieroglyphs, you need to determine the millionth or billionth digits. Next, you need to divide it into groups of 4 digits. The division of digits must start from the end of the number (from the least significant digit).

52 256 325 476

We divide the number from the least significant digit into groups of 4 digits. We get:

522 5632 5467. 522 can be written as 522 * 100,000,000 (一亿)

五百二十二亿 5 hundred 2 tens 2 hundreds million.

五千六百三十二万 five thousand six hundred three tens and two tens of thousands

五千四百六十七 5 thousand 4 hundreds 6 tens and 7

We compose the received hieroglyphs from the highest digits to the lowest ones and get the number written in the form of hieroglyphs.

五百二十二 亿 五千六百三十二万五千四百六十七 - This is how the number 52 256 325 476 will look like

Another way to write Chinese numbers can be obtained by compiling a table of digits written in the form of hieroglyphs. The least significant digit - units - is left empty. Further, from right to left, we write down the digits and designations of hieroglyphs tens, thousands, tens of thousands, etc.

When writing the desired number, in the bottom line of the table, fill in the corresponding fields of digits with the number of digit digits. We start filling with the lower digits. Put the numbers in the appropriate places. We write out the number from left to right, from the oldest to the youngest. When extracting, we write first the number, then the value of the digit of this number.

The table in the figure shows an example of recording the number 146723.

thousand thousand (millions)	hundreds of thousands	Tens of hundreds of thousands	tens of thousands	thousands	hundreds	dozens	units
		一十	四万	六千	七百	二十

It should be noted that in China, along with writing numbers in hieroglyphs, Arabic numerals are also used.

Ordinals

Ordinal numbers indicate the number of any items, names in certain systems, such as the number of months in a year.

Ordinal numbers are formed with the prefix di(3) which is placed before the numeral. 三 (di sān) is the third.

The days of the week are numbered. And they are used as the first month, the second month. er-yue - first month, January.

All items in Chinese are counted in pieces. You can't say, for example, three apples. They say - three pieces of apples. All objects in the language are divided into certain categories, each of which has its own counting word. There are about 10 counting words in total.

Ordinal numbers have many application rules, which we will not consider in this article.

The first feature of numerals in Chinese is that they do not decline, do not change in numbers, genders and cases. As in other languages, numerals are quantitative and ordinal.

First, let's count to 10:

一 - yī - one

二 - er - two

三 - sān - three

四 - si - four

五 - wu3 - five

六 - liu - six

七 - qī - seven

八 - bā - eight

九-jiu3-nine

十 - shi - ten

Counting from 10 to 19 is done as follows:

We take the number "ten" 十 and add the corresponding number to it. Like this:

These numbers will have to be learned by heart, as they will also be needed to form other numbers.

Count from 20 to 99:

The numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 are formed as follows:

We take the first digit (for 20 - 2, for 30 - 3, etc.) and add the number 10 to it.

It turns out:

All other digits from 20 to 99 are formed in the same way, but with the addition of the corresponding last digit:

23 (20+3) = 二十三

35 (30+5) = 三十五

47 (40+7) = 四十七

52 (50+2) = 五十二

61 (60+1) = 六十一

78 (70+8) = 七十八

86 (80+6) = 八十六

99 (90+9) = 九十九

Count up to 999:

First you need to remember how it will be in Chinese 100. And we will have 100 like this:

百-bǎi-100

Accordingly, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 will be formed as follows:

200 (2*100)

500 (5*100)

Other numbers from 101 to 999 will be formed in the same way, but with the addition of tens and units:

125 - (1*100+20+5) = 一百二十五

876 - (8*100+70+6) = 八百七十六

555 - (5*100+50+5) = 五百五十五

100.000.000 yi

Count up to 9999:

2000 – (2*1000) = 二千

3000 - (3*1000) = 三千7865 - (7*1000+800+60+5) = 七千八百六十五5423 - (5*1000+400+20+3) =

五千四百二十三

9356 - (9*1000+300+50+6) = 九千三百五十六

Count up to 100.000:

20,000 – (2*10000) = 二万

40,000 - (4*10000) = 四万

86.532 – (8*10000+6000+500+30+2) – 八万六千五百三十二

100000 (10*10000) = 十万

Count up to 1.000.000

500,000 – (50*10.000) = 五十万

734.876 – (73*10.000+4*1000+800+70+6)= 七十三万四千八百七十六

1000000 – （ 100*10000） = 一百万

Count up to 10.000.000

5,000,000 （ 500*10.000） = 五百万

7,854,329 (785*10.000+4*1000+300+20+9)=七百八十五万四千三百二十九

10000000 – （ 1000*10000） = 一千万

Count up to 100.000.000

25,000,000 (2500*10.000) = 二千五百万

65,341,891 (6534*10.000+1000+800+90+1) = 六千五百三十四万一千八百九十一

100.000.000 – 一亿

Count up to 1.000.000.000

456,000,000 (4*100.000.000+5600*10.000) = 四亿五千六百万

789,214,765 (7*100.000.000+8921*10.000+4000+700+60+5) = (qi)亿八千九百二十万四千七百六十五

1.000.000.000 - (10*100.000.000) = 十亿

Now let's write all the numbers that we learned in a ruler, but in reverse order. Instead of numbers from 1 to 9, leave an empty space.

You will get a board like this:

千百十亿千百十万千百十

Now let's say we want to say 146723. Let's start with the very last digit in our number. These will be the units. Then we take tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.

Watch how we fill in the table:

千百十亿千百十万千百十

一十四万六千七百 二十三

Accordingly, the number turned out as follows.

Despite the fact that the Chinese number system is logical and consistent, it has some features that are difficult at first glance for the uninitiated. However, one has only to get to know them better - and everything falls into place. Taking a couple of minutes to learn this aspect of the language, you will be able to write, read and count the most complex Chinese numbers in the future.

Counting from one to one hundred

Single digits are simple, their list is given below.

Number	Chinese	Pinyin
0	零，〇	ling
1	一	yī
2	二	Er
3	三	san
4	四	sì
5	五	wǔ
6	六	liu
7	七	qī
8	八	bā
9	九	jiǔ
10	十	shi

Numbers 11 to 19

Eleven, twelve and other numbers up to nineteen are formed quite logically: the character 十 shí , ten is placed before the single digit from one 一 yī to nine 九 jiǔ . So eleven is 十一 shíyī, twelve 十二 shí"èr, thirteen 十三 shísān and so on, up to nineteen 十九 shíjiǔ.

Examples:

• 十一 shí yī 11
• 十二 shíèr 12
• 十三 shí sān 13
• 十四 shí sì 14
• 十五 shí wǔ 15
• 十六 shí liù 16
• 十七 shí qī 17
• 十八 shi bā 18
• 十九 shí jiǔ 19

Dozens

If the score goes to tens, then the character “ten” 十 shí is already preceded by a number corresponding to the number of tens: twenty is 二十 èrshí, thirty is 三十 sānshí, and so on. Units are placed after tens: twenty-three 二十三 èrshí sān, thirty-four 三十四 sānshí sì, ninety-nine 九十九 jiǔshí jiǔ. Everything is logical and consistent.

Just don't forget that the number eleven (and others, see examples above) is not一十一 yī shí yī, but simply 十一 shí yī. The character 一 yī in tens is used only when writing larger numbers, such as 111, 1111, etc.

Examples:

• 二十èr shí 20
• 三十 sān shi 30
• 四十 sì shí 40
• 五十 wǔ shí 50
• 二十三 èr shí sān 23
• 三十九 sān shí jiǔ 39
• 四十四 sì shí sì 44
• 九十七 jiǔ shí qī 97
• 八十二 bā shí èr 82
• 七十三 qī shí sān 73
• 十一 shí yī 11

And, finally, one hundred is indicated by the hieroglyphs 一百 yībǎi - one hundred. Now you know how to count from one to one hundred in Chinese.

After a hundred

Hundred to thousand

The system with hundreds is similar to that with tens. For short, two hundred and fifty is 二百五 èrbǎi wǔ. However, if you want to put a counter word after the number, you will have to use it in full: 两百五十 (liǎng bǎi wǔshí - 两 is used instead of 二 before a counter word with hundreds or more).

Examples:

• 一百一十一 yī bǎi yī shí yī 111
• 一百一 yī bǎi yī 110
• 二百一十 èr bǎi yī shí 210
• 两百一十个人 liǎng bǎi yī shí gèrén 210 people
• 三百五十 sān bǎi wǔ shí 350
• 九百九十 jiǔ bǎi jiǔ shí 990
• bā bǎi qī 870
• wǔ bǎi wǔ 550
• 四百六 sì bǎi liù 460
• 六百八十 liù bǎi bā shí 680

Number 101

If there is a zero in the middle of the number, it is indicated by the character 零 or 〇 (líng - "zero"). Zeros are not written at the end.

Examples:

• 一百零一 yī bǎi líng yī 101
• 三百零五 sān bǎi líng wǔ 305
• 九百零九 jiǔ bǎi líng jiǔ 909
• 两百零六 liǎng bǎi líng liù 206
• 四百 sìbǎi 400

after a thousand

千 qiān is Chinese for "thousand". The rules are similar to hundreds, but regardless of the number of zeros in the middle, only one is clearly indicated.

Examples:

• 一千零一 yīqiān líng yī 1001
• 一千零一十 yīqiān líng yīshí 1010
• 一千零一十一 yīqiān líng yīshíyī 1011
• 一千零一十九 yīqiān líng yīshíjiǔ 1019
• 一千零二十 yīqiān líng èrshí 1020
• 一千一百 yīqiān yībǎi 1100
• 一千一百零一 yīqiān yībǎi líng yī 1101
• 一千一百一十 yīqiān yībǎi yīshí 1110
• 九千九百九十九 jiǔqiān jiǔbǎi jiǔshí jiǔ 9999

More examples

Number	Chinese	Pinyin	Russian
1	一	yī	one
10	十	shi	ten
13	十三	shisan	thirteen
20	二十	Ershi	twenty
21	二十一	Ershi yī	twenty one
99	九十九	jiǔshí jiǔ	ninety nine
100	一百	yībǎi	one hundred
101	一百零一	yībǎi líng yī	one hundred and one
110	一百一十	yībǎi yishí	one hundred and ten
119	一百一十九	yībǎi yīshí jiǔ	one hundred and nineteen

Unique numbers

Chinese has two digits that neither Russian nor English have (more precisely, there are unique words for numbers that in other languages ​​are combinations of numbers).

• 万 wàn - 10,000, ten thousand;
• 亿 yì - 100,000,000, one hundred million.

万 wàn is used very often and is a stumbling block for most Chinese learners. In Russian and other languages, numbers are usually divided into digits of three digits from the end. Due to the presence of 万 in Chinese, it is better to break numbers into groups of 4 digits from the end, for example:

• 一万二千 yī wàn èr qiān 1 2000 (instead of 12 000)
• 一万两千个人 yī wàn liǎng qiān gè rén 1 2000 people

Break the number 12,000 into 3 digits - 12,000, and it will become obvious that this is twelve thousand. Having gone the Chinese way, break it into groups of 4, and you get 1 2000 一万二千 (yī wàn èr qiān, one wan and two thousand) - everything is simple and logical.

More examples:

Discharge by 3	Russian	Discharge by 4	Chinese	Pinyin
10 000	ten thousand	1 0000	一万	yī wan
13 200	thirteen thousand two hundred	1 3200	一万三千二百	yī wàn sānqiān èr bǎi
56 700	fifty thousand seven hundred	5 6700	五万六千七百	wǔ wàn liùqiān qībǎi

Count up to 100 (一百 )
11 (10 + 1) = 十一
15 (10 + 5) = 十五
20 (2 * 10) = 二十
23 (20 + 3) = 二十三

Count up to 1000 (一千 )
200 - (2 * 100) = 二百
876 - (8 * 100 + 70 + 6) = 八百七十六

Count up to 10,000 (十千 )
2000 - (2 * 1000) = 二千
7865 - (7 * 1000 + 800 + 60 + 5) = 七千八百六十五

Count up to 100,000 (十万 )
20,000 - (2 * 10,000) = 二万
86 532 - (8 * 10,000 + 6000 + 500 + 30 + 2) = 八万六千五百三十二

Count up to 1,000,000 (百万 )
500,000 - (50 * 10,000) = 五十万
734 876 – (73 * 10 000 + 4 * 1000 + 800 + 70 + 6) = 七十三万四千八百七十六

Count up to 10,000,000 (一千万 )
5,000,000 - (500 * 10,000) = 五百万
7 854 329 – (785 * 10 000 + 4 * 1000 + 300 + 20 + 9) = 七百八十五万四千三百二十九

Count up to 100,000,000 (一亿 )
25,000,000 - (2500 * 10,000) = 二千五百万
65 341 891 – (6534 * 10 000 + 1000 + 800 + 90 + 1) = 六千五百三十四万一千八百九十一

We count up to 10,000,000,000 (十亿 )
456,000,000 - (4 * 100,000,000 + 5600 * 10,000) = 四亿五千六百万
789 214 765 – (7 * 100 000 000 + 8921 * 10 000 + 4000 + 700 + 60 + 5) = 七亿八千九百二十万四千七百六十五

Structure of numbers in Chinese

Big numbers

As mentioned above, in Chinese, numbers are divided into digits in a slightly different way than in Russian. We are used to grouping large numbers into groups according to the number of thousands, while the Chinese - according to the number of tens of thousands 万 wàn. This structure is difficult for most Chinese learners to understand, but there are ways to make it easier to understand and remember how even very large numbers are formed.

Ten thousand 万 wàn

The number "ten thousand" is expressed with a single character 万 wàn. For example, 11,000 would not be written in Chinese as 十一千 (shíyī qiān, eleven thousand), correct option: 一万一千 (yī wàn yīqiān, one wan and one thousand). The easiest way to remember this is to count four characters from the end of the number and put a comma - then it will become clear where the van is and where the thousands are.

One hundred million 亿 yì

99999999 is followed by another unique Chinese numeral亿 yì, used to represent one hundred million. The number 1 101 110 000 would be written as 十一亿一百一十一万 shíyī yì yībǎi yīshíyī wàn. Again, this is easier to remember if broken down into 4 digits.

How to remember

Another way to remember how to write large Chinese numbers is to learn some of them. One million, for example, 一百万 yībǎi wàn . Then 一千万 (yīqiān wàn, ten million). This way is easier because you don't have to count many zeros over and over again.

Worth learning by heart:

• 一百万 (often used) yībǎi wàn million
• 十三亿 (population of China) shísān yì 1.3 billion people

Examples:

Here are some more examples big numbers in Chinese:

• 52 152 = 五万二千一百五十二 wǔ wàn èrqiān yībǎi wǔ shí èr
• 27 214 896 = 二千七百二十一万四千八百九十六 èr qiān qībǎi èrshíyī wàn sìqiān bābǎi jiǔ shí liù
• 414 294 182 = 四亿一千四百二十九万四千一百八十二 sì yì yīqiān sìbǎi èrshíjiǔ wàn sìqiān yībǎi bāshí"èr

Fractions, percentages and negative numbers

To indicate percentages, the Chinese use the word 百分之 bǎi fēn zhī before a number, for example: 百分之五十六 (bǎi fēn zhī wǔshí liù, 56%).

A comma in fractions is expressed with the hieroglyph 点 diǎn and after it the numbers are called in order with all zeros, for example: 123.00456 一百二十三点零零四五六 yībǎi èrshí sān diǎn líng líng sì wǔ liù.

Minus in negative numbers is indicated by the character 负 fù , for example: -150 负一百五 fù yībǎi wǔ .

Giant numbers

Here, just for reference, we will list Chinese numbers in ascending order along with the number of zeros after the sign. And everyone who wants to count something in Chinese is invited to try our online converter of numbers to hieroglyphs.

Number	Pinyin	Zeros
十	shi	1
百	bǎi	2
千	qian	3
万	wan	4
亿	yì	8
兆	zhao	12
京	jing	16
垓	gāi	20
秭	zǐ	24
穰	rank	28
沟	gōu	32
涧	jian	36
正	zheng	40
载	zai	44
极恒河沙	ji heng he shā	48
阿僧只	ā sēng zhǐ	52
那由他	na yóu tā	56
不可思议	bükě sīyĬ	60
无量	wuliang	64
大数	da shu	68

 Listen to the audio lesson with additional explanations

In the previous lessons, we have already learned some numbers with you. In this lesson we will learn how to count from 1 to 99.

Numbers from 1 to 10

1	yī	一
2	Er	二
3	san	三
4	sì	四
5	wǔ	五
6	liu	六
7	qī	七
8	bā	八
9	jiǔ	九
10	shi	十

The remaining numerals are formed using these ten digits according to the following scheme:

11	= 10 + 1 十 shí 一 yī
20	= 2 + 10 二èr 十 shí
29	= 2 + 10 + 9
32	= 3 + 10 + 2
48	= 4 + 10 + 8
97	= 9 + 10 + 7
55	= 5 + 10 + 5 五 wǔ 十 shí 五 wǔ
64	= 6 + 10 + 4 liù 十 shí 四 sì

It is interesting to know that the Chinese have 2 special numbers. 8 is considered a lucky number, because it is consonant with the word "get rich." And the most unloved number is 4, because it is consonant with the word "die", so some buildings do not even have a 4th floor.

We learned numbers in order to learn how to count people and objects. Counting words in Chinese are used between the numeral and the subject. At first glance, this is something new for us, but, in fact, the Russian language also has analogues of counter words. For example: thing- this is a universal counting word; 3 heads cabbage, 2 couples gloves, 5 sheets paper.

There are many more counting words in Chinese, each group of nouns has its own counting word - for long objects, their own, for flat objects, their own, for clothes, etc.

Counting words are used in a sentence in the following way:

numeral + counter word + noun

For example:

三 sān 本 běn 书 shū (three books), where 本 běn is a counter word for a book, documents, i.e. something that has a binding.

五 wǔ 张 zhāng 照 zhào 片 pian (five photos), where 张 zhāng is a counter for flat objects, sheets, etc.

七 qī 台 tái 电 diàn 脑 nǎo (seven computers), where 台 tái is a counter word for devices, mechanisms, etc.

The choice of a counter word depends on which group of nouns the word belongs to, or on specific signs subject (for example, volume, shape, state, etc.).

Also in Chinese there is a universal counter word that can replace other counter words, and is also used with many nouns. The counter word 个 ge is a universal counter word, indicates a neutral class of objects, has a generalized meaning. We almost always use 个 ge with people, for example:

四 sì 个 ge 老 lǎo 师 shī (4 teachers)

六 liù 个 ge 设 shè 计 jì 师 shī (6 designers)

八 bā 个 ge 哥 gē 哥 ge (8 older brothers)

十 shí 个 ge 经 jīng 理 lǐ (10 directors)

When counting in Chinese, the number 2 is an interesting exception. There are 2 words that have the meaning of 2: 二 èr and 两 liǎng. The number 2 is denoted as 二 èr when we are talking about ordinal numbers or mathematical calculations. And 两 liǎng is used when talking about quantity. For example: "two friends" will not be 二 èr 个 ge 朋 péng 友 you, but 两 liǎng 个 ge 朋 péng 友 you.

In compound numbers up to 100, only 二 èr is used, for example: 二 èr 十 shí 二 èr 个 ge 学 xué 生 sheng (22 students), 十 shí 二 èr 个 ge 梨 lí 子 zi (12 pears).

Counter words are also used to connect a noun and such pronouns as 这 zhè (this) ， 那 nà (that) and interrogative words 哪 nǎ (which one) , 几 jǐ (how many) .

For example:

那 Nà 只 zhī 猫 māo (that cat), where 只 zhī is a counter for animals, birds, paired objects, etc.

这 zhè 瓶 píng 水 shuǐ (this bottle of water), where 瓶 píng is a counter word meaning "bottle".

哪 Nǎ 本 běn 词 cí 典 diǎn (what dictionary?) , where 本 běn is a counter for a book, documents, i.e. something that has a binding.

几 Jǐ 个 ge 苹 píng 果 guǒ (how many apples?), where 个 ge is the universal counter.

There is another word in Chinese "How many"– 多 duō 少 shao.

Let's look at the difference between 多 duō 少 shao and 几 jǐ .

With the help of 几 jǐ, questions are usually asked about a small number (less than 10), between 几 jǐ and a noun there is always a counter word. With the help of 多 duō 少 shao questions about any number are asked, after 多 duō 少 shao you can put a counter word or not, but in the answer the count word is obligatory.

For example:

你 Nǐ 有 yǒu (to have) 几 jǐ (how much) 个 ge 手 shǒu 机 jī (mobile phone)？ – 我 Wǒ 有 yǒu 两 liǎng (two) 个 ge 手 shǒu 机 jī 。 – How many do you have mobile phones? – I have two mobile phones.

她 Tā 有 yǒu (to have) 多 duō 少 shao (how much) 钱 qián (money) ？ – 她 Tā 有 yǒu 五 wǔ 十 shí (50) 元 yuán (yuan) 。 – How much money does she have? – She has 50 yuan.

你 nǐ 们 men 公 gōng 司 sī 有 yǒu 多 duō 少 Shao (how much) 个 g 人 rén？ - 我 wǒ 们 men 公 gōng 司 sīu 三u 三 shí 八 bā (38) 个 g 人 rén。 - - How many people are in your company? – There are 38 people in our company.

It is important to remember that if there is a noun after the number, then there must be a counter word between them. For example, if we say "one friend", then we translate into Chinese "one piece friend"– 一 yī 个 ge 朋 péng 友 you. If you want to be understandable, then you must not forget about counting words.