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Chinese Numbers 1

The document provides an introduction to Chinese numbers from 0 to 10, as well as how to read and write larger numbers up to 99,999 and beyond. It explains the differences in number grouping between English and Chinese, particularly the use of commas, and offers tips on reading numbers that include zero. Additionally, it clarifies the usage of the characters 二 and 两 in different contexts.

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yuvarani.1997
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12 views9 pages

Chinese Numbers 1

The document provides an introduction to Chinese numbers from 0 to 10, as well as how to read and write larger numbers up to 99,999 and beyond. It explains the differences in number grouping between English and Chinese, particularly the use of commas, and offers tips on reading numbers that include zero. Additionally, it clarifies the usage of the characters 二 and 两 in different contexts.

Uploaded by

yuvarani.1997
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chinese Numbers 1 – 10

Let’s start with the basics! Knowing how to say and write these ten numbers
alone will already you help you lots in your Chinese learning journey, such
as telling someone the date!

Here we go:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
零 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十
líng yī èr sān sì wǔ liù qī bā jiǔ shí

Make sure to learn them, because you’ll see them a lot in the rest of this
page!

DID YOU KNOW – Ten (十) can also be denoted with a clenched fist using
just one hand.

Chinese Numbers Below 100,000


Chinese numbers reflect different place values in a number. Here are all
of the characters you will need to know to count up to 99,999! Don’t worry it
all makes sense but there is one key thing to note here.

IMPORTANT NOTE – In English, numbers are separated with a comma after


each 3 numbers, for example 102,549. In Chinese, they are separated every
four numbers when spoken.

Let’s take a look

PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ


Characters 万 千 白 十
Meaning wàn (10,000) qiān (1,000) bái (100) shí (10)

Now, consider the number 63,758. To know how to read a number in


Chinese, you have to think of the place value of each number.

The number 63,758 is read as：六万 三千 七百 五十 八

Before you get overwhelmed, let’s break this down by showing how this
number is built, starting from the ones value (the number eight) and building
up to the whole number.

• 8–八
• 58 – 五十 八
• 758 – 七百 五十 八
• 3758 – 三千 七百 五十 八
• 63758 – 六万 三千 七百 五十 八

See the pattern of the Chinese numbers here? It’s not too bad. Just
remember a number wouldn’t be read as 63 thousand, but because of
the IMPORTANT NOTE we mentioned above it reads as essentially 6 ten
thousands, 3 thousands, 7 hundreds, 5 tens, 8.

If this sounds complex, just think of each part as a measure word like we’ve
talked about before:

• 3 BOXES of…
• A FLOCK of…
• 6 THOUSANDS…
• 4 TEN THOUSANDS…

How do you Read Numbers With a Zero in Them?

PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ


Things can however get a little tricky when the number zero in
included.

In the following list of numbers that have the number zero, note that the
character for zero (零) is not used if the number ends in zero.

It is only used if the number zero is between two other non-zero numbers

Even if there are multiple zeros, like in the number 40070, only one 零 is
used. Let’s have a look at some variations:

• 40 – 四十
• 407 – 四百零七
• 4007 – 四千零七
• 4070 – 四千零七十
• 4700 – 四千七百
• 40007 – 四万零七
• 40070 – 四万零七十
• 40700 – 四万零七百
• 47000 – 四万七千

TOP TIP – If you stumble upon a number and are not sure how to read it,
paste it into Google Translate, set the translation to Chinese, and press the
pronunciation button to hear how it’s said!

Advanced Level: Numbers 100,000 an above


Again, remember our IMPORTANT NOTE on English vs Chinese
numbers.

PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ


3 1 9 8 6 3 7 5
Character meaning 千 百 十 万 千 百 十
Place value 10,000,000 1,000,000 100,000 10,000 1,000 100 10 1
Even when writing numbers in numeric rather than character form (think “1”
instead of 一), in Chinese the comma is always put every four digits, instead
of every three digits like in English. It’s important we re-emphasise this!

For example, this means that 32,000 in English is written 3,2000 in


Chinese.

English Chinese
32,000 3,2000
5,489,201 548,9201
123,243,534,632,452,345 12,3243,5346,3245,2345
“in Chinese the comma is always put every four digits”

Here are the characters for how to pronounce bigger numbers or write
them in character form.

Let’s consider the number 31,986,375. The number is written as 三千一百九十


八万六千三百七十五.

Here’s how to write or say 31,986,375:

• 5 – 五 – wǔ
• 75 – 七十五 – qīshíwǔ
• 375 – 三百七十五 – sānbǎi qīshíwǔ
• 6375 – 六千三百七十五 – liùqiān sānbǎi qīshíwǔ
• 86375 – 八万六千三百七十五 – bāwàn liùqiān sānbǎi qīshíwǔ
• 986375 – 九十八万六千 – jiǔshí bāwàn liùqiān sānbǎi qīshíwǔ
• 1986375 – 一百九十八万六千三百七十五 – yībǎi jiǔshíbā wàn liùqiān
sānbǎi qīshíwǔ

PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ


31986375 – 三千一百九十八万六千三百七十五 – sānqiān yībǎi jiǔshíbā
•
wàn liùqiān sānbǎi qīshíwǔ
👉 Note, this is not correct：三千万一百万九十八万六千三百七十五

Counting in Chinese – The Difference Between 二 and 两


When do you use 二?
• #1 – To express a number (二十,二百), a series of numbers (first,
second, third…), or a phone number or other serial number.
• #2 – Before certain nouns, to express an implied “second。” For
example 二月, which means February, is the second month. Similarly, 二
楼 is short for “the second floor” of a building.

When do you use 两?


• #1 – 两 is used before a measure word (两个，两斤，两辆).
• #2 – It is also used before a noun that functions as a measure word.
For example: 两年(two years), 两岁 (two years old).

PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ


PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ
PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ
PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ
Counting in Chinese

Exceptions to 二 or 两

Sometimes you can use 二 or 两 when expressing weight, length, or width,


either word is acceptable:

• 二斤 (2 jin)，两斤 (2 jin) *a jin is a commonly used measurement in


China that is equivalent to half a kilogram (500 grams)
• 二厘米 (2 centimeters)，两厘米 (2 centimeters)

PREPARED BY MS. DENESHWARHY THANGARAJ

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