I can count to 99, write any such number in characters, say how old I am, and ask how old a child or someone my age is.
Numbers to 99: all from ten characters
Numbers to 99: all from ten characters
What for: numbers give you age, time, dates and prices — everything later is built from these eleven characters.
The rule: 11–19 are 十 + a digit (十一, 十七), never the digit first as in English “seventeen”; tens are a digit + 十 (二十, 八十); the rest is tens + a digit (三十一). Ten is just 十; nobody says ×一十.
Age is a number + 岁, with no 是 (no “am”): 我二十岁 (wǒ èrshí suì) “I'm twenty”. It's also written in figures (我20岁, wǒ èrshí suì); both count in your answer.
Asking someone's age: to a child — 几岁？(jǐ suì?) (几 expects an answer up to ten); to someone your age — the set phrase 你多大？(nǐ duō dà?)
Listen carefully: 四 sì (tongue at the teeth, fourth tone), 十 shí (tongue curled, second tone), 是 shì (tongue curled, fourth tone) — three different words, and none of them has the ee of “see”.
Fact: in China the numbers six to ten are shown on the fingers of one hand with special gestures — don't be surprised if someone shows you “ten” with one hand.
Common mistakes:
• ×我是二十岁 (wǒ shì èrshí suì) → 我二十岁 (wǒ èrshí suì).
• ×一十 → 十.
• ×你多大岁？(nǐ duō dà suì?) → 你多大？(nǐ duō dà?) or 你几岁？(nǐ jǐ suì?)
Numbers from 0 to 10
Eleven characters — and you can say any number up to 99.
| Character | Pinyin | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
11–99: how a number is built
Ten is just 十; nobody says ×一十.
| How it's built | Example | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 十 + a digit | 十一 (shíyī), 十七 (shíqī) | 11, 17 |
| a digit + 十 | 二十 (èrshí), 八十 (bāshí) | 20, 80 |
| a digit + 十 + a digit | 三十一 (sānshíyī), 六十八 (liùshíbā) | 31, 68 |
Lesson notes
Numbers to 99: all from ten characters
What for: numbers give you age, time, dates and prices — everything later is built from these eleven characters.
The rule: 11–19 are 十 + a digit (十一, 十七), never the digit first as in English “seventeen”; tens are a digit + 十 (二十, 八十); the rest is tens + a digit (三十一). Ten is just 十; nobody says ×一十.
Age is a number + 岁, with no 是 (no “am”): 我二十岁 (wǒ èrshí suì) “I'm twenty”. It's also written in figures (我20岁, wǒ èrshí suì); both count in your answer.
Asking someone's age: to a child — 几岁？(jǐ suì?) (几 expects an answer up to ten); to someone your age — the set phrase 你多大？(nǐ duō dà?)
Listen carefully: 四 sì (tongue at the teeth, fourth tone), 十 shí (tongue curled, second tone), 是 shì (tongue curled, fourth tone) — three different words, and none of them has the ee of “see”.
Fact: in China the numbers six to ten are shown on the fingers of one hand with special gestures — don't be surprised if someone shows you “ten” with one hand.
Common mistakes:
• ×我是二十岁 (wǒ shì èrshí suì) → 我二十岁 (wǒ èrshí suì).
• ×一十 → 十.
• ×你多大岁？(nǐ duō dà suì?) → 你多大？(nǐ duō dà?) or 你几岁？(nǐ jǐ suì?)