Numbers: 数字 (Shùzì) in Mandarin Chinese Part 1
Numbers: 数字 (Shùzì) in Mandarin Chinese Part 1 Numbers are very important in any language. In Mandarin Chinese, numbers are used every day — for counting, telling time, age, money, […]
Numbers: 数字 (Shùzì) in Mandarin Chinese Part 1
Numbers are very important in any language. In Mandarin Chinese, numbers are used every day — for counting, telling time, age, money, phone numbers, dates, and more.
Let’s learn the basic Chinese numbers and how to use them in sentences!
1. Basic Numbers 0–10
| Number | Character | Pinyin | Examples in Sentences |
| 0 | 零 | líng | 温度是零度。 Wēndù shì líng dù. The temperature is zero degrees. |
| 1 | 一 | yī | 我有一只猫。 Wǒ yǒu yì zhī māo. I have one cat. |
| 2 | 二 | èr | 我的房间在二楼。 Wǒ de fángjiān zài èr lóu. My room is on the second floor. |
| 3 | 三 | sān | 我们有三本书。 Wǒmen yǒu sān běn shū. We have three books. |
| 4 | 四 | sì | 桌子上有四个杯子。 Zhuōzi shàng yǒu sì gè bēizi. There are four cups on the table. |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ | 教室里有五个学生。 Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu wǔ gè xuéshēng. There are five students in the classroom. |
| 6 | 六 | liù | 我们有六个苹果。 Wǒmen yǒu liù gè píngguǒ. We have six apples. |
| 7 | 七 | qī | 他有七支铅笔。 Tā yǒu qī zhī qiānbǐ. He has seven pencils. |
| 8 | 八 | bā | 她买了八个面包。 Tā mǎi le bā gè miànbāo. She bought eight pieces of bread. |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ | 她写了九个汉字。 Tā xiě le jiǔ gè Hànzì. She wrote nine Chinese characters. |
| 10 | 十 | shí | 今天是十月十日。 Jīntiān shì shí yuè shí rì. Today is October 10th. |
Special Notes on Numbers
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两 (liǎng) is used instead of 二 (èr) when counting things.
Example: 两个人 (liǎng gè rén) – two people. -
零 (líng) is used for “zero” or to skip a digit.
Example: 二零二四 (2024) → èr líng èr sì
2. How to Make Numbers 11–99
a. Numbers from 11 to 19
Chinese numbers are very logical. Once you know the numbers from 1 to 10, you can build almost any number up to 99 by putting them together like building blocks.
Let’s break it down step by step.
In English, you say “eleven, twelve…” But in Chinese, it’s much simpler!
Start with 十 (shí) for ten, then add the second digit.
11 = 十一 shí yī ten-one
12 = 十二 shí èr ten-two
13 = 十三 shí sān ten-three
… … … …
19 = 十九 shí jiǔ ten-nine
✅ Note: There is no need to say “one ten” for 10. Just use 十 (shí) alone for 10.
b. Numbers from 20 to 99
Now let’s look at numbers from 20 up to 99.
You follow this pattern:
[tens digit] + 十 + [ones digit]
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20 = 二十 (èr shí) → two-ten
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21 = 二十一 (èr shí yī) → two-ten-one
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35 = 三十五 (sān shí wǔ) → three-ten-five
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48 = 四十八 (sì shí bā) → four-ten-eight
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60 = 六十 (liù shí) → six-ten
-
99 = 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ) → nine-ten-nine
✅ If the ones digit is zero, you just drop it. For example:
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40 = 四十 (sì shí)
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70 = 七十 (qī shí)
✅ If both digits are there, you say both parts:
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73 = 七十三 (qī shí sān) → seven-ten-three
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86 = 八十六 (bā shí liù) → eight-ten-six
✅ Summary: Formula to Build 11–99
Tens place: Use 一 (1) to 九 (9) + 十
Ones place: Add 一 to 九, or nothing if it’s a round ten
| Formula | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 十 + 一 | 十一 | 11 (ten-one) |
| 二 + 十 + 五 | 二十五 | 25 (two-ten-five) |
| 九 + 十 + 九 | 九十九 | 99 (nine-ten-nine) |
3. Numbers in Daily Use
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Time: 三点 (sān diǎn) – 3 o’clock. To know more about it, please click here.
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Age: 我八岁。(Wǒ bā suì.) – I am 8 years old. To know more about it, please click here.
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Price: 五十块 (wǔ shí kuài) – 50 yuan. To know more about it, please click here.
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Date: 四月二十日 (sì yuè èrshí rì) – April 20th. To know more about it, please click here.
Pronouns in Mandarin Chinese
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