Big numbers: 万, 亿, 百分之, and estimates
Count in ten-thousands (万) and hundred-millions (亿); say percentages with 百分之; estimate with 左右, 多, 几 and 来.
Part of the free B1 Chinese course (about HSK 4). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Counting in ten-thousands
English groups big numbers in thousands (1,000,000). Chinese groups them in ten-thousands: 万 (wàn) = 10,000, and 亿 (yì) = 100,000,000 (ten thousand 万). You know the numbers up to 9,999 from Numbers 0–99 and your age.
| Number | Chinese | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 一万 (yíwàn) | one 万 |
| 100,000 | 十万 (shíwàn) | ten 万 |
| 1,000,000 | 一百万 (yìbǎiwàn) | a hundred 万 |
| 10,000,000 | 一千万 (yìqiānwàn) | a thousand 万 |
| 100,000,000 | 一亿 (yíyì) | one 亿 |
| 1,000,000,000 | 十亿 (shíyì) | ten 亿 |
The trick: count four digits from the right and put 万 there. 2,500,000 = 250,0000 = 二百五十万 (or 两百五十万).
- A gap in the middle is read as 零 (líng): 10,500 = 一万零五百; 3,008 = 三千零八.
- Careful: 一万五 is short for 一万五千 = 15,000, not 10,005.
- 两 is usual before 万, 千 and 亿: 两万 (20,000).
- 这个城市有八百多万人。This city has over eight million people.
- 中国有十四亿人。China has 1.4 billion people.
- 这辆车二十五万块。This car costs 250,000 yuan.
Percentages: 百分之
"Out of a hundred" comes first: 百分之 (bǎi fēn zhī) + number. 20% = 百分之二十. 100% = 百分之百.
- 百分之三十的学生住在学校里。Thirty percent of the students live on campus.
Estimates
| Word | Where | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 左右 (zuǒyòu) | after the number (and noun) | 四十岁左右 about forty |
| 多 (duō) | after a round number (tens, hundreds…), before the measure word | 二十多个人 twenty-odd people |
| 多 | after the measure word with 1 to 9 | 一个多小时 over an hour |
| 几 (jǐ) | a few; 十几 = 11 to 19; 几十 = dozens | 十几个人 a dozen or so people |
| 来 (lái) | about (spoken), after a round number | 十来个人 ten or so people |
- 他四十岁左右。He's about forty.
- 我们等了一个多小时。We waited over an hour.
Prices and phone numbers
Prices: 25.50 yuan = 二十五块五 (毛); 105 yuan = 一百零五块. Phone numbers are read digit by digit, and the digit 1 is usually said yāo so it isn't confused with 7 (qī): 138 = yāo sān bā.
Common mistakes
十千(for 10,000) → 一万. Chinese has no "ten thousand" made from 千.一百千(for 100,000) → 十万.二十百分(for 20%) → 百分之二十. The "out of a hundred" part comes first.三多个小时→ 三个多小时. With 1 to 9, 多 goes after the measure word.一万五百(for 10,500) → 一万零五百. Without 零 it is unclear, and 一万五 would mean 15,000.
Practice
- Write 30,000 in Chinese characters.
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三万 — 30,000 = three 万.
- How do you say 1,000,000?Options: 一百万 · 一千千 · 十万
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一百万 — 1,000,000 = a hundred 万. 十万 is 100,000.
- How do you say 15,000?Options: 一万五千 · 十五千 · 一万零五百
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一万五千 — 15,000 = 一万五千 (or just 一万五). 一万零五百 is 10,500.
- Write 25% in Chinese characters.
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百分之二十五 — 百分之 first, then the number.