Learning numbers in Chinese (数字, shùzì) is one of the first and most useful steps for beginners. Numbers appear everywhere—from telling time, counting money, ordering food, to giving phone numbers.
This post will teach you Chinese numbers, pronunciation tips, and memory tricks with plenty of examples.
Basic Numbers (基本数字, jīběn shùzì)
0 (零, líng) – 我的电话号码是 138-0012-3456 (wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì yī sān bā líng líng yī èr sān sì wǔ liù) – My phone number is 138-0012-3456.
1 (一, yī) – 我有一个苹果 (wǒ yǒu yī gè píngguǒ) – I have one apple.
2 (二, èr) – 我有两个兄弟 (wǒ yǒu liǎng gè xiōngdì) – I have two brothers.
3 (三, sān) – 桌子上有三本书 (zhuōzi shàng yǒu sān běn shū) – There are three books on the table.
4 (四, sì) – 他有四只猫 (tā yǒu sì zhī māo) – He has four cats.
5 (五, wǔ) – 我每天跑步五公里 (wǒ měitiān pǎobù wǔ gōnglǐ) – I run five kilometers every day.
6 (六, liù) – 六个人去看电影 (liù gè rén qù kàn diànyǐng) – Six people are going to the movies.
7 (七, qī) – 今天是七月七号 (jīntiān shì qī yuè qī hào) – Today is July 7th.
8 (八, bā) – 我有八支笔 (wǒ yǒu bā zhī bǐ) – I have eight pens.
9 (九, jiǔ) – 他有九个朋友 (tā yǒu jiǔ gè péngyǒu) – He has nine friends.
10 (十, shí) – 我买了十个鸡蛋 (wǒ mǎi le shí gè jīdàn) – I bought ten eggs.
Numbers 11–99 (十到九十九, shí dào jiǔshíjiǔ)
Numbers 11–19 are simple: 十 + number.
11 (十一, shí yī) – 我十一点上课 (wǒ shíyī diǎn shàngkè) – I have class at 11 o’clock.
15 (十五, shí wǔ) – 她十五岁 (tā shíwǔ suì) – She is 15 years old.
For multiples of ten: number + 十
20 (二十, èr shí) – 二十块钱 (èr shí kuài qián) – 20 yuan.
30 (三十, sān shí) – 我三十岁 (wǒ sānshí suì) – I am 30 years old.
For numbers like 21–29, combine ten + unit: 二十一 (èr shí yī) – 我二十一岁 (wǒ èrshíyī suì) – I am 21 years old.
This pattern continues all the way to 99:
57 (五十七, wǔ shí qī) – 房间号是五十七 (fángjiān hào shì wǔshíqī) – The room number is 57.
Hundreds, Thousands, and Beyond (百, 千, 万, bǎi, qiān, wàn)
100 (一百, yībǎi) – 我买了一百个饺子 (wǒ mǎi le yībǎi gè jiǎozi) – I bought 100 dumplings.
200 (二百, èrbǎi) – 这本书二百块钱 (zhè běn shū èrbǎi kuài qián) – This book costs 200 yuan.
1,000 (一千, yīqiān) – 我们公司有一千名员工 (wǒmen gōngsī yǒu yīqiān míng yuángōng) – Our company has 1,000 employees.
10,000 (一万, yī wàn) – 这个城市有一万人口 (zhège chéngshì yǒu yī wàn rénkǒu) – This city has 10,000 people.
Special Number Patterns (特殊数字, tèshū shùzì)
0 in the middle: Use 零 to fill the gap.
105 (一百零五, yībǎi líng wǔ) – 我们家有一百零五本书 (wǒmen jiā yǒu yībǎi líng wǔ běn shū) – Our family has 105 books.
1,208 (一千二百零八, yīqiān èrbǎi líng bā) – 教室有一千二百零八个座位 (jiàoshì yǒu yīqiān èrbǎi líng bā gè zuòwèi) – The classroom has 1,208 seats.
Tricks to Remember Chinese Numbers
- Group numbers by tens, hundreds, and thousands for easier recall.
- Practice counting objects around you using Chinese numbers.
- Memorize phone numbers, house numbers, or prices in Chinese to reinforce memory.
- Use flashcards with Chinese characters, pinyin, and example sentences.
- Pay attention to tones: 一 (yī) is first tone, 二 (èr) is fourth tone, 三 (sān) is first tone, etc.
Example Sentences Using Numbers
My father is 45 years old (我爸爸四十五岁, wǒ bàba sìshíwǔ suì) – 我爸爸四十五岁 (wǒ bàba sìshíwǔ suì) – My father is 45 years old.
I bought 12 apples (我买了十二个苹果, wǒ mǎi le shí’èr gè píngguǒ) – 我买了十二个苹果 (wǒ mǎi le shí’èr gè píngguǒ) – I bought 12 apples.
There are 36 students in the class (班上有三十六个学生, bān shàng yǒu sānshíliù gè xuéshēng) – 班上有三十六个学生 (bān shàng yǒu sānshíliù gè xuéshēng) – There are 36 students in the class.
The ticket costs 150 yuan (票价是一百五十块, piào jià shì yībǎi wǔshí kuài) – 票价是一百五十块 (piào jià shì yībǎi wǔshí kuài) – The ticket costs 150 yuan.
New Words from This Blog-Post
- 零 (líng) – 0
- 一 (yī) – 1
- 二 (èr) – 2
- 三 (sān) – 3
- 四 (sì) – 4
- 五 (wǔ) – 5
- 六 (liù) – 6
- 七 (qī) – 7
- 八 (bā) – 8
- 九 (jiǔ) – 9
- 十 (shí) – 10
- 百 (bǎi) – hundred
- 千 (qiān) – thousand
- 万 (wàn) – ten thousand
- 零 in the middle (líng) – zero in compound numbers
Mastering numbers in Chinese will make daily life, travel, and communication much easier. Once you know numbers, you can confidently handle money, addresses, phone numbers, dates, and more in Chinese.
