Numbers (数字)

Learn numbers 0–100, how to say phone numbers, prices, tell time, and use basic counters.

Numbers 0 to 10 (Zero to Ten)

Number	Chinese (汉字)	Pinyin
0	零	líng
1	一	yī
2	二	èr
3	三	sān
4	四	sì
5	五	wǔ
6	六	liù
7	七	qī
8	八	bā
9	九	jiǔ
10	十	shí

Numbers 11 to 99 (Forming Tens and Units)

Pattern for 11-19: 十 (shí) + digit (e.g., 十一 = shíyī = 11).
Tens: 20 = 二十 (èr shí), 30 = 三十 (sān shí), …, 90 = 九十 (jiǔ shí).
Combined numbers: 25 = 二十五 (èr shí wǔ) – tens then units.

Number	Chinese	Pinyin
11	十一	shí yī
12	十二	shí èr
20	二十	èr shí
21	二十一	èr shí yī
35	三十五	sān shí wǔ
48	四十八	sì shí bā
99	九十九	jiǔ shí jiǔ

Saying Phone Numbers & Prices

For phone numbers, read each digit separately. Use “零” for zero. Example: 139-1234-5678 → 一三九一二三四五六七八.
Prices: “多少钱” (duōshǎo qián) – how much money? For 10.50 yuan: 十块五 (shí kuài wǔ – “块” = colloquial for yuan, “毛” for jiao/10 cents).

Examples:

5元 → 五块 (wǔ kuài)
12.80元 → 十二块八 (shí èr kuài bā)
100元 → 一百块 (yī bǎi kuài)

Telling Time

English	Chinese	Pinyin
What time is it?	几点了？	jǐ diǎn le?
1:00	一点	yī diǎn
2:15	两点一刻 / 两点十五分	liǎng diǎn yī kè / liǎng diǎn shí wǔ fēn
3:30	三点半 / 三点三十分	sān diǎn bàn / sān diǎn sān shí fēn
4:45	四点四十五分 / 四点三刻	sì diǎn sì shí wǔ fēn / sì diǎn sān kè
half past	半	bàn
quarter	刻	kè
minute	分	fēn

Practice Dialogue (At a Fruit Market)

Customer: 老板，苹果多少钱一斤？ (Lǎobǎn, píngguǒ duōshǎo qián yī jīn?) – Boss, how much per jin (0.5kg) for apples?

Seller: 十块钱一斤。 (Shí kuài qián yī jīn.) – 10 yuan per jin.

Customer: 太贵了！能便宜一点吗？ (Tài guì le! Néng piányi yīdiǎn ma?) – Too expensive! Can you lower a bit?

Seller: 那八块吧。 (Nà bā kuài ba.) – Then 8 yuan.

Customer: 我要两斤。一共十六块钱，对吗？ (Wǒ yào liǎng jīn. Yīgòng shí liù kuài qián, duì ma?) – I want two jin. Total 16 yuan, right?

Seller: 对！给你苹果。谢谢！ (Duì! Gěi nǐ píngguǒ. Xièxie!) – Correct! Here are the apples. Thanks!

Exercise

Write the following numbers in Chinese characters and pinyin:

Translate to Chinese: “What time is it? It’s 8:30.”

Show answers

1. 七 (qī)
2. 十五 (shí wǔ)
3. 二十二 (èr shí èr)
4. 四十四 (sì shí sì)
5. 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ)
Time: 几点了？八点半 (jǐ diǎn le? bā diǎn bàn).

Cultural note: In China, the number 8 (bā) is considered very lucky because it sounds like “发” (fā – wealth). Number 4 (sì) is unlucky as it sounds like “死” (sǐ – death); many buildings skip 4th floor. Chinese people often use hand gestures for numbers 1–10 (one-hand signs). Learn them – they are very practical in markets!

Learning tip: Practice numbers daily – say your phone number in Chinese, prices of items in your fridge, or count steps while walking. Use your fingers to make the gestures. For time, set your watch to Chinese mode and read the time aloud every hour.

Continue to Day 5

آج کا سبق – خلاصہ

آج آپ نے چینی میں اعداد 0 سے 100 تک، فون نمبر، قیمتیں، اور وقت بتانے کا طریقہ سیکھا۔ کاؤنٹر (جیسے 斤، 块، 毛) کا تعارف بھی ہوا۔ نمبروں کو روزمرہ میں استعمال کرنے کی مشق کریں۔

کل ہم چینی میں خاندان کے افراد اور صفات (نام، عمر، قومیت) کے بارے میں سیکھیں گے۔

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