Chinese Numbers: 1 to 10
Learning numbers is one of the most useful first steps in any language! Chinese numbers are super easy to learn because they follow a really simple pattern. Let's start with the numbers 1 through 10! 🔢
Your First Chinese Numbers
Here are the first ten numbers in Mandarin Chinese:
Fun Ways to Practice Numbers
- Count your steps as you walk around your home in Chinese
- Practice counting your fingers in Chinese
- Count objects around you (like books, fruit, or pencils)
- Use numbers when shopping or cooking
Number Trivia 🎲
- The number 8(八eight) is considered very lucky in Chinese culture because it sounds similar to the word for prosperity
- When counting with your fingers in China, people often start with the thumb (instead of the index finger)
How to Ask and Tell Your Age
Age is one of the first things you might want to share when meeting new friends! Here's how to talk about age in Chinese:
This means "how old?" - a super useful question!
Remember this from our greetings lesson? It means "I"!
Here's a simple mini-dialogue about age:
- 👩🦰 你好！ - Hello!
- 👩🎓 你好！ - Hello!
- 👩🦰 你几岁？ - How old are you?
- 👩🎓 我二十岁。你呢？ - I am 20 years old. How about you?
- 👩🦰 我十八岁。 - I am 18 years old.
- 👩🎓 谢谢！ - Thank you!
Building Bigger Numbers (11-99)
Chinese has a super logical counting system that makes larger numbers easy to learn! Here's the pattern:
11-19: Just add the digits after 10
- 11 = 十一 - literally "ten one"
- 12 = 十二 - literally "ten two"
- 15 = 十五 - literally "ten five"
For multiples of 10 (20, 30, etc.)
- 20 = 二十 - literally "two ten"
- 30 = 三十 - literally "three ten"
- 50 = 五十 - literally "five ten"
For other numbers, combine them
- 21 = 二十一 - literally "two ten one"
- 35 = 三十五 - literally "three ten five"
- 99 = 九十九 - literally "nine ten nine"
Isn't that logical and beautiful? No irregular numbers like "eleven" or "twelve" in English - just straightforward combinations!
Measure Words: Counting Things in Chinese 🧸
In Chinese, when you count objects, you need special words called "measure words" between the number and the noun. It's a bit like saying "2 pieces of paper" in English, but Chinese uses these for almost everything!
Here are three super important measure words you'll use all the time:
These measure words have specific uses:
个 (gè)
the most common measure word that works for many objects:
- 一个苹果 - one apple
- 三个杯子 - three cups
- 五个学生 - five students
岁 (suì)
is specifically used for counting years of age:
- 我二十岁 - I am 20 years old
- 他三岁 - He is 3 years old
元 (yuán)
is used for Chinese currency (similar to "dollars"):
- 五元 - five yuan
- 十元 - ten yuan
- 二十元 - twenty yuan
Different objects use different measure words (just like in English we say "a sheet of paper" or "a loaf of bread"). Don't worry about learning too many at once - 个generic quantifier will work in most casual situations when you're starting out! 😊
Let's Try a Mini Shopping Game! 🛍️
Now that you know your numbers and measure words, let's practice with a fun shopping scenario! Imagine you're at a market in China buying some fruits:
Step 1: Look at these items and their prices:
Step 2: Try saying these phrases out loud:
- "I want three apples" → 我要三个苹果
- "How much are two oranges?" → 两个橙子多少钱？
- "This banana is five yuan" → 这个香蕉五元
Step 3: Challenge yourself! Try to calculate and say the total price for:
Practice this mini-game with real objects at home, or even when you go shopping! Using numbers in real situations is the best way to remember them! 🌟
New Vocabulary: Fruits for Shopping 🍎
Let's learn these fruit words so you can shop with confidence! Remember to use measure words when counting them:
Try to practice by saying "I want to buy X (number) + 个generic quantifier + (fruit)" whenever you go shopping. This is one of the most practical ways to use your new counting skills in daily life!
You've just learned all the numbers from 1-10 in Chinese and how to build larger numbers! With these basics, you can now count, tell your age, talk about prices, and more! Keep practicing these numbers daily, and soon they'll become second nature! 🎉