Numbers in Chinese pronunciation with transcription. Numbers in Chinese: secret meaning

First, let's look at all the numbers from 0 to 10

Hieroglyph	Pinyin	Translation
零	long	zero
一	yī	one
二	èr	two
三	sān	three
四	sì	four
五	wǔ	five
六	liù	six
七	qī	seven
八	bā	eight
九	jiǔ	nine
十	shí	ten

Next are the numbers from 10 to 99. The numbers are formed very simply. For example, 49 would look like “four tens and 9″, that is, 四十九 - sì shí jiǔ. I no longer write pinyin in this table, since there are no new numbers here yet. How to pronounce, see the table above.

0 零	1 一	2 二	3 三	4 四	5 五	6 六	7 七	8 八	9 九
10 十	11 十一	12 十二	13 十三	14 十四	15 十五	16 十六	17 十七	18 十八	19 十九
20 二十	21 二十一	22 二十二	23 二十三	24 二十四	25 二十五	26 二十六	27 二十七	28 二十八	29 二十九
30 三十	31 三十一	32 三十二	33 三十三	34 三十四	35 三十五	36 三十六	37 三十七	38 三十八	39 三十九
40 四十	41 四十一	42 四十二	43 四十三	44 四十四	45 四十五	46 四十六	47 四十七	48 四十八	49 四十九
50 五十	51 五十一	52 五十二	53 五十三	54 五十四	55 五十五	56 五十六	57 五十七	58 五十八	59 五十九
60 六十	61 六十一	62 六十二	63 六十三	64 六十四	65 六十五	66 六十六	67 六十七	68 六十八	69 六十九
70 七十	71 七十一	72 七十二	73 七十三	74 七十四	75 七十五	76 七十六	77 七十七	78 七十八	79 七十九
80 八十	81 八十一	82 八十二	83 八十三	84 八十四	85 八十五	86 八十六	87 八十七	88 八十八	89 八十九
90 九十	91 九十一	92 九十二	93 九十三	94 九十四	95 九十五	96 九十六	97 九十七	98 九十八	99 九十九

Now let's look at the big numbers.

Number	Number in Chinese	Pinyin	Explanation
100	一百	yī bǎi	"one time" for 100
1.000	一千	yī qiān	“one time” for 1.000
10.000	一万	yī wàn	“one time” for 10,000
100.000	十万	shí wàn	"ten times" 10,000
1.000.000	百万	bǎi wàn	“one hundred times” 10,000
10.000.000	千万	qiān wàn	“a thousand times” 10,000
100.000.000	一亿	yī yì	“one time” for 100,000,000
1.000.000.000	十亿	shí yì	“ten times” 100,000,000

Let's talk about the number 2. If we want to count something, like “two books” or “two chairs”, then the number “two” here will no longer be 二 èr, but 两 liǎng. “Two books” would be 两本书 liǎng běn shū. 两 is always used where there is any counting word. But don't be confused... this rule only applies to the number two. Large numbers are subject to the same rules described below. For example, 22 books will be 二十二本书 èr shí èr běn shū.

两 is used at the very beginning of large numbers. But only at the beginning. If the number 2 appears several times in large numbers, then 两 will come first, and then all twos will be read as 二. For example, 2022 - 两千二十二 - liǎng qiān èr shí èr.

If we are talking about hundreds, then we can use both 两 and 二. That is, 265 can be written as 两百六十五 or 二百六十五.

Tens are never used with 两. Only with 二. You cannot say 20 as 两十, only 二十.

Numbers up to 9999 are formed as follows: first write how many thousands or hundreds, then tens and ones. For example, the number 459 has four hundreds (四百 sì bǎi), five tens (五十 wǔ shí) and nine (九 jiǔ). Add everything together and we get 459 in Chinese 四百五十九 sì bǎi wǔ shí jiǔ. Next, look at the examples in the table. Without translation, we already know the numbers

Number	Thousands	Hundreds	Dozens	Units
459 四百五十九	-	四百 sì bǎi	五十 wǔ shí	九 jiǔ
1860 一千八百六十	一千 yī qiān	八百 bā bǎi	六十 liù shí	-
5682 五千六百八十二	五千 wǔ qiān	六百 liù bǎi	八十 bā shí	二 èr
9444 九千四百四十四	九千 jiǔ qiān	四百 sì bǎi	四十 sì shí	四 sì

If there is a zero among thousands, hundreds or tens, then the construction of the number becomes as in the table below. If zero occurs twice in a number, then “zero” is pronounced only once, that is, the third example in table 5001 will be read as 五千零一 wǔ qiān líng yī

Number	Thousands	Hundreds	Dozens	Units
3084 三千零八十四	三万 sān qiān	零 long	八十 bā shí	四 sì
7208 七千两百零二	七万 qī qiān	两百 liǎng bǎi	零 long	八 bā
5001 五千零一	五千 wǔ qiān	零 long	零 long	一 yī

We've dealt with numbers up to 9999. Let's move on to larger numbers from 10,000 to 100,000,000. The basic "unit of counting" when reading large numbers is 万 wàn or 10,000. In Chinese, "one hundred thousand" would be "ten times ten thousand", "million" would be "one hundred times ten thousand", and "ten million" would be "a thousand times ten thousand". After 10,000, the next larger counting number will be 亿 yì or one hundred million. For example, the number from the table 2.225.250 in literal translation will sound “two hundred twenty-two times ten thousand, five thousand, two hundred, five tens.” Let's look further:

Number	Hundreds of millions	Tens of thousands	Thousands	Hundreds	Dozens
25.250 两万五千二百五十	-	两万 liong wàn	五千 wǔ qiān	二百 èr bǎi	五十 wǔ shí
225.250 二十二万五千二百五十	-	二十二万 èr shí èr wàn	五千 wǔ qiān	二百 èr bǎi	五十 wǔ shí
2.225.250 两百二十二万五千二百五十	-	两百二十二万 liǎng bǎi èr shí èr wàn	五千 wǔ qiān	二百 èr bǎi	五十 wǔ shí
22.225.250 两千二百二十二万五千二百五十	-	两千二百二十二万	五千 wǔ qiān	二百 èr bǎi	五十 wǔ shí
522.225.250 五亿两千二百二十二万五千二百五十	五亿 wǔ yì	两千二百二十二万 liǎng qiān èr bǎi èr shí èr wàn	五千 wǔ qiān	二百 èr bǎi	五十 wǔ shí

And one last point. Phone numbers. The numbers in them are pronounced as usual (see the very first table with numbers from 0 to 10). Only the unit changes. When a phone number is dictated, they usually say yāo instead of 一 yī. Two will be the usual 二, no 两.

For example, the telephone number 15018727145 will sound like yāo wǔ líng yāo bā qī ér qī yāo sì wǔ

Now we have everything figured out and can start the exercises.

a. 6
b. 15
c. 11
d. 36
e. 23
f. 84
g. 55
h. 97

a. 6505-7823
b. 781-283-2191
c. 911
d. 032-457-7639
e. 852-2609-5498
f. 8529-6688

a. ___把椅子 (___bǎ yǐzi - two chairs)

b.十___张桌子 (shí___zhāng zhuōzi - twelve tables)

c. ___十个学生 (___shí gè xué shēng - twenty students)

d. ___天 (___tiān - two days)

e. ___年 (___nián - two years)

f. ___个星期 (___gè xīng qī - two weeks)

g. ___个月 (___gè yuè - two months)

h. ___次 (___cì - twice)

a. 1276
b. 三万五千六百三十四
c. 256758
d. 九百六十万
e. 1893683
f. 3027
g. 三十七万零三十五
h. 279005
i. 三百零七万九千零一
j. 六千六百二十万九千三百八十

Answers to exercises

1. Write the following numbers in Chinese. For example 72 = 七十二

a. 六
b. 十五
c. 十一
d. 三十六
e. 二十三
f. 八十四
g. 五十五
h. 九十七

2. Write the following phone numbers in Chinese and say them out loud.

a. 六五零五七八二三
b. 七八一二八三二一九一
c.九一一 (jiǔ yāo yāo)
d. 零三二四五七七六三九
e. 八五二二六零九五四九八
f. 八五二九六六八八

3. Fill in the blanks by inserting 两 or 二 where necessary

a. 两把椅子 (liǎng bǎ yǐzi - two chairs)

b. 十二张桌子 (shí èr zhāng zhuōzi - twelve tables)

c. 二十个学生 (èr shí gè xué shēng - twenty students)

d. 两天 (liǎng tiān - two days)

e. 两年 (liǎng nián - two years)

f. 两个星期 (liǎng gè xīng qī - two weeks)

g. 两个月 (liǎng gè yuè - two months)

h. 两次 (liǎng cì - twice)

4. Convert Arabic numerals to Chinese and vice versa.

a. 1276 = 一千二百七十六
b.三万五千六百三十四 = 35.634
c. 256758 = 二十五万六千七百五十八
d.九百六十万 = 9.600.000
e. 1893683 = 一百八十九万三千六百八十三
f. 3027 = 三千零二十七
g.三十七万零三十五 = 370.035
h. 279005 = 二十七万九千零五
i.三百零七万九千零一 = 3.079.001
j.六千六百二十万九千三百八十 = 66.209.380

 Listen to the audio lesson with additional explanations

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

Numbers from 1 to 10

1	yī	一
2	èr	二
3	sān	三
4	sì	四
5	wǔ	五
6	liù	六
7	qī	七
8	bā	八
9	jiǔ	九
10	shí	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 二 èr 十 shí 九 jiǔ
32	= 3 + 10 + 2 三 sān 十 shí 二 èr
48	= 4 + 10 + 8 四 sì 十 shí 八 bā
97	= 9 + 10 + 7 九 jiǔ 十 shí 七 qī
55	= 5 + 10 + 5 五 wǔ 十 shí 五 wǔ
64	= 6 + 10 + 4 六 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 least favorite number is 4, because it is consonant with the word “to die,” which is why some buildings don’t 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, in the Russian language there are also analogues of counting words. For example: thing– is a universal counting word; 3 heads cabbage, 2 couples gloves, 5 sheets paper.

In the Chinese language there are many more counting words; each group of nouns has its own counting word - long objects have their own, flat objects have their own, clothes have their own, etc.

Counting words are used in a sentence according to the following scheme:

numeral + counter word + noun

For example:

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

五 wǔ 张 zhāng 照 zhào 片 piàn (five photos), where 张 zhāng is the counting word for flat objects, sheets, etc.

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

The choice of a counting word depends on which group of nouns the word belongs to, or on specific characteristics of the object (for example, volume, shape, condition, etc.).

Also in the Chinese language there is a universal counting word that can replace other counting words, and is also used with many nouns. The counting word 个 ge is a universal counting word, indicates a neutral class of objects, and 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, an interesting exception is the number 2. There are 2 words that have the value 2: 二 èr and 两 liǎng. The number 2 is designated as 二 èr when 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 complex numerals 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).

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

For example:

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

这 Zhè 瓶 píng 水 shuǐ (this bottle of water), where 瓶 píng is a counting word meaning “bottle”.

哪 Nǎ 本 běn 词 cí 典 diǎn (what dictionary?), where 本 běn is a counting word 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 a universal counting word.

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 about a small quantity (less than 10) are usually asked; between 几 jǐ and the noun, a counting word is required. With the help of 多 duō 少 shao, questions about any quantity are asked; after 多 duō 少 shao, the counting word can be put or not, but the counting word is required in the answer.

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 mobile phones do you have? – I have two mobile phones.

- 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 many) 个 ge 人 rén ？ – 我 Wǒ 们 men 公 gōng 司 sī 有 yǒu 三 sān 十 sh í 八 bā (38) 个 ge 人 rén 。 – How many people are there in your company? – There are 38 people in our company.

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

In my experience, you need to start learning numbers as early as possible, because they are often used in colloquial speech, for example, when shopping, paying for travel and in many other life situations.

A very common situation that happened to me and that I see in many people who come to Taiwan is the use of the phrase “How much does it cost?” in Chinese, but not understanding the answer. True, in those moments, I was already glad that I was understood, and it didn’t matter what the answer was.

To some extent, understanding the numbers is even beneficial, because in this case there is always the opportunity to bargain and get the product you are interested in much cheaper or simply refuse to buy.

An example from life. A friend bought a fruit, to be precise, it was a pineapple, in Taiwan at the market for 30 NT (about a dollar), due to the fact that she does not know or understand the Chinese language, she makes purchases like this - she selects the product and gives the amount much greater than the real cost of the product, she is given change. A week later, she bought, as usual, without knowing the price, in the same place, almost the same pineapple for 70 NT (a little more than two dollars), that is, twice as expensive. Asking for a refund or simply refusing a purchase without knowing the language is possible, but quite problematic and not very convenient.

As you can see, it is better to spend a couple of hours studying and then subsequently apply this knowledge in life. Of course, this is not as interesting at first glance as, for example, compliments, but it is very useful.

Yes, I forgot to say that it will also be useful to know how numbers are shown on your fingers. The Chinese display numbers from 1 to 10 using one hand. This knowledge will be useful, if only because in the same markets, grandparents often speak very incomprehensibly or in some kind of dialect. Therefore, in such situations, sign language can come to your aid. If you are interested, watch the video at the end of the article, it is about this.

零 líng zero

一 yī one