Chinese Numbers 1–10 (and Beyond): A Beginner's Complete Guide

Chinese numbers are one of the most logical systems in any language — once you learn 1–10, you can count to 99 with just two new words. Here is everything you need to understand and use Chinese numbers from day one.

Chinese Numbers 0–10 (and 100, 1,000)

Click any character to open it in HanziBook, watch its stroke animation, and print a practice sheet.

• 0 — 零 líng — zero
• 1 — 一 yī — one
• 2 — 二 èr — two
• 3 — 三 sān — three
• 4 — 四 sì — four
• 5 — 五 wǔ — five
• 6 — 六 liù — six
• 7 — 七 qī — seven
• 8 — 八 bā — eight
• 9 — 九 jiǔ — nine
• 10 — 十 shí — ten
• 100 — 百 bǎi — hundred
• 1,000 — 千 qiān — thousand

Memory hook: 三 (sān, three) looks like three horizontal strokes. 四 (sì, four) has four enclosed sections. 八 (bā, eight) spreads open like two arms, and 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture!

The Counting Pattern: 11–99 in Two Steps

Chinese numbers follow a pure tens-based logic. To form any number from 11 to 99, combine the tens digit + 十 + the ones digit:

十一 shíyī = 10 + 1 = 11
十二 shí'èr = 10 + 2 = 12
二十 èrshí = 2 × 10 = 20
二十五 èrshíwǔ = 2 × 10 + 5 = 25
九十九 jiǔshíjiǔ = 9 × 10 + 9 = 99

That is it. Unlike English "eleven, twelve, thirteen", Chinese numbers above 10 have no irregular forms. 一百 (yī bǎi) = 100, 一千 (yī qiān) = 1,000.

One special rule: 两 (liǎng) vs. 二 (èr)

When saying "two of something" (a quantity), use 两 liǎng instead of 二 èr:

两个人 liǎng gè rén — two people (quantity)
第二 dì-èr — number two (ordinal / the second)

Useful Number Phrases

You need numbers for shopping, introducing your age, and asking about dates and times.

• 多少钱？ Duōshao qián? — How much does it cost?
• 几岁？ Jǐ suì? — How old are you? (for children)
• 几号？ Jǐ hào? — What date / number?
• 几点？ Jǐ diǎn? — What time is it?
• 我二十岁。 Wǒ èrshí suì. — I am 20 years old.
• 三十块。 Sānshí kuài. — Thirty yuan.

Dates and Time with Chinese Numbers

Chinese dates are expressed in year → month → day order, always with numbers:

2024年6月15日 — 二零二四年六月十五日
èr líng èr sì nián liù yuè shíwǔ rì
"June 15, 2024" (lit. 2024 year, 6 month, 15 day)

Time uses 点 (diǎn, o'clock) and 分 (fēn, minute):

三点 sān diǎn — 3 o'clock
三点二十分 sān diǎn èrshí fēn — 3:20
现在几点？Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? — What time is it now?

Quick win: Learn numbers 1–10 first, then you can immediately handle phone numbers, prices, ages, and simple dates. That one small step covers a lot of practical Chinese.

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