Chinese numbers from 1 to 100 and basic counting rules
I can count from 1 to 100 and use 二/两 correctly
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
我有十五本书。
I have fifteen books.
她二十三岁。
She is twenty-three years old.
两个人在等。
Two people are waiting.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Chinese numbers are highly regular. Learn 1-10, then build any number up to 99.
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | yī |
| 2 | 二/两 | èr/liǎng |
| 3 | 三 | sān |
| 4 | 四 | sì |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ |
| 6 | 六 | liù |
| 7 | 七 | qī |
| 8 | 八 | bā |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ |
| 10 | 十 | shí |
| 100 | 一百 | yì bǎi |
Pattern: 11 = 十一 (shí yī), 25 = 二十五 (èrshíwǔ), 99 = 九十九 (jiǔshíjiǔ). 二 vs 两: Use 两 before measure words (两个), 二 for counting and math.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUsed 二 before a measure word instead of 两
Before measure words, always use 两: 两个人, 两本书. Use 二 for counting and ordinals: 第二, 二十
我有十五本书。
I have fifteen books.
十五本书 (shíwǔ běn shū) — 15 = 十五 (ten-five). Numbers follow a simple tens+units pattern.
她二十三岁。
She is twenty-three years old.
二十三岁 (èrshísān suì) — 23 = 二十三 (two-ten-three). 岁 (suì) = years old. No reversal like German.
两个人在等。
Two people are waiting.
两个人 (liǎng gè rén) — before measure words, use 两 (liǎng), not 二 (èr). *二个人 is incorrect.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises