Numbers 0–99 and your age
Numbers 0–99; 二 and 两; ages with 岁
Part of the free A0 Chinese course (about HSK 1–2). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Chinese numbers are wonderfully logical. Learn eleven words and you can count to 99.
0 to 10
| Chinese | 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 |
11 to 99: build them like sums
- 11–19: ten + unit. 十一 (shíyī) = 11, 十五 (shíwǔ) = 15, 十九 (shíjiǔ) = 19.
- Tens: unit + ten. 二十 (èrshí) = 20, 三十 (sānshí) = 30, 九十 (jiǔshí) = 90.
- The rest: tens + unit. 二十一 (èrshíyī) = 21, 四十七 (sìshíqī) = 47, 九十九 (jiǔshíjiǔ) = 99.
So 十二 (ten-two) is 12, and 二十 (two-ten) is 20: the order matters.
一 keeps its first tone yī when you count and at the end of a number (十一, 二十一). It changes only before another word, as in 一个 yí gè (see Tone changes: 你好, 不 and 一).
Two: 二 or 两?
Chinese has two words for "two".
- 二 (èr) when you count (一、二、三), inside bigger numbers (十二, 二十, 二十二), and in phone numbers.
- 两 (liǎng) when you say "two of something", before a measure word: 两个人 (liǎng gè rén), two people; 两本书 (liǎng běn shū), two books. Measure words are in Measure words: 个, 本, 杯, 张, 口, 只.
- 我有两个哥哥。(Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè gēge.)I have two older brothers.
- 我们班有十二个学生。(Wǒmen bān yǒu shí'èr gè xuésheng.)There are twelve students in our class.
In 十二个 (twelve) and 二十二个 (twenty-two), the 2 is part of a bigger number, so it stays 二.
Ages with 岁
岁 (suì) means "years old". Put it after the number, and don't add 是: the number works on its own.
- 我二十岁。(Wǒ èrshí suì.)I'm twenty.
- 她三十五岁。(Tā sānshíwǔ suì.)She's thirty-five.
- 我爸爸六十八岁。(Wǒ bàba liùshíbā suì.)My dad is sixty-eight.
- 我女儿两岁。(Wǒ nǚ'ér liǎng suì.)My daughter is two.
A two-year-old is 两岁, with 两.
Asking someone's age
- 你多大？(Nǐ duō dà?)How old are you?
- 你几岁？(Nǐ jǐ suì?)How old are you? (to a child)
- 你多大？(Nǐ duō dà?) is for teenagers and adults of about your age.
- 你几岁？(Nǐ jǐ suì?) is for young children: 几 (jǐ) asks "how many", expecting a small number.
- For an older person, be polite: 您多大年纪？(Nín duō dà niánjì?)
Dates and times are in Days, dates and clock time.
Common mistakes
我是二十岁。No 是 with an age: 我二十岁。我有二十岁。English-style "have" doesn't work either: 我二十岁。二个人: before a measure word, "two" is 两: 两个人。十两for 12: inside a number, use 二: 十二。- Mixing up 十二 (12) and 二十 (20): ten-two is 12, two-ten is 20.
你几岁？to an adult: it sounds like talking to a child. Ask 你多大？ or, politely, 您多大年纪？
Practice
- Write 15 in Chinese characters: _____
Show the answer
十五 — Ten + five.
- Write 47 in Chinese characters: _____
Show the answer
四十七 — Four-ten-seven.
- How do you say 20?Options: 二十 (èrshí) · 两十 (liǎngshí) · 十二 (shí'èr) · 二零 (èr líng)
Show the answer
二十 (èrshí) — Two-ten: 二十. 十二 is 12.
- 我有_____个妹妹。(Wǒ yǒu ___ gè mèimei.)Options: 两 (liǎng) · 二 (èr) · 二十 (èrshí)
Show the answer
两 (liǎng) — Before a measure word (个), “two” is 两.