Day 3: Numbers 1–10 — Learn Chinese in 30 Days
Master Chinese numbers 1 to 10 — the building blocks for prices, phone numbers, and time. Easier than you think.
Today's Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | 1 | |
| 二 | 2 | |
| 三 | 3 | |
| 四 | 4 | |
| 五 | 5 | |
| 六 | 6 | |
| 七 | 7 | |
| 八 | 8 | |
| 九 | 9 | |
| 十 | 10 |
What You’ll Learn Today
Chinese numbers are one of the most logical systems you’ll ever encounter. Once you know 1–10, you can count to 99 with almost zero extra effort. Today we nail the foundation.
The Numbers: 一 to 十
The good news: Chinese numbers are phonetically simple and extremely regular. There are no irregulars (unlike “eleven” and “twelve” in English).
| Number | Character | Pinyin | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | yī | 1st (flat high) |
| 2 | 二 | èr | 4th (falling) |
| 3 | 三 | sān | 1st (flat high) |
| 4 | 四 | sì | 4th (falling) |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ | 3rd (dip) |
| 6 | 六 | liù | 4th (falling) |
| 7 | 七 | qī | 1st (flat high) |
| 8 | 八 | bā | 1st (flat high) |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ | 3rd (dip) |
| 10 | 十 | shí | 2nd (rising) |
The Superpower: 11 to 99 for Free
This is where Chinese math gets beautiful. Numbers 11–19 are just “ten + digit”:
- 11 = 十一 (shí yī) — ten-one
- 15 = 十五 (shí wǔ) — ten-five
- 19 = 十九 (shí jiǔ) — ten-nine
Numbers 20–99 are “digit + ten + digit”:
- 20 = 二十 (èr shí) — two-ten
- 35 = 三十五 (sān shí wǔ) — three-ten-five
- 99 = 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ) — nine-ten-nine
You now know 1–99. Seriously.
Pronunciation Tips
一 (yī) changes tone depending on what follows — this is called “tone sandhi”:
- Before a 4th tone syllable → becomes 2nd tone: 一个 (yí gè)
- Before 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tone → becomes 4th tone: 一天 (yì tiān)
Don’t worry about this rule yet — just notice it as you hear more Chinese, and it’ll become natural.
Cultural Note
In China, 8 (八, bā) is considered extremely lucky because it sounds like 发 (fā) — the first character in 发财 (fā cái, “to get rich”). Phone numbers, license plates, and apartments with lots of 8s command a premium price.
4 (四, sì) is considered unlucky because it sounds like 死 (sǐ) — “death.” Many buildings in China skip floor 4 entirely, similar to how Western buildings sometimes skip floor 13.
Sentence Patterns
Asking for a price:
多少钱？— Duō shǎo qián? — How much (money)?
Giving a price:
五十块。— Wǔ shí kuài. — 50 yuan.
Practice Exercise
Write out the Chinese for these numbers:
- 7
- 13
- 28
- 45
- 100 (hint: 一百, yī bǎi)
Answers: 1) 七 2) 十三 3) 二十八 4) 四十五 5) 一百