Chinese numbers: 1 to 100 and beyond
Characters, pinyin, formation rules, the 万 trap and everyday usage.
Chinese numbers are one of Mandarin's rare gifts: the system is perfectly regular. Learn ten characters and you can count to 99 with no extra vocabulary. It's the first block required for HSK 1, and you use it from day one in China — prices, time, dates, phone numbers.
0 to 10
| Digit | Character | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 零 / 〇 | 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 |
The single rule up to 99
Chinese builds literally: 25 is "two-ten-five" (二十五).
| Number | Character | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 十一 | shí yī |
| 12 | 十二 | shí èr |
| 20 | 二十 | èr shí |
| 25 | 二十五 | èr shí wǔ |
| 30 | 三十 | sān shí |
| 48 | 四十八 | sì shí bā |
| 50 | 五十 | wǔ shí |
| 66 | 六十六 | liù shí liù |
| 99 | 九十九 | jiǔ shí jiǔ |
| 100 | 一百 | yī bǎi |
Above 100
百 (bǎi, hundred), 千 (qiān, thousand), 万 (wàn, ten thousand), 亿 (yì, hundred million). Chinese groups digits in fours, not threes: 50,000 is 五万 ("five ten-thousands"). That mismatch is the number one mistake when reading a price in yuan.
Want to try it yourself?
HanziMemo uses spaced repetition to help you memorize HSK vocabulary effortlessly. Free, 25 cards per day, HSK 1 to 6.
Start for free二 (èr) vs 两 (liǎng)
Use 二 to count and read numbers (二十, 第二); use 两 before a measure word or a unit: 两个人, 两点, 两千.
Time, dates and prices
- Time: 三点半 = 3:30; 七点一刻 = 7:15.
- Date: biggest unit first — 2026年9月8日.
- Price: 三十五块 spoken, 元 written.
- Phone numbers: digit by digit, with 幺 (yāo) replacing 一.
Lucky and unlucky digits
8 sounds like 发 "to prosper"; 4 sounds like 死 "death", which is why some buildings skip the fourth floor.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 100 in Chinese?
一百 (yī bǎi). The 一 is always kept before 百, unlike 十 which stands alone for ten.
What is the difference between 二 and 两?
二 reads numbers and counts (二十, 第二); 两 goes before measure words and units (两个人, 两点, 两千).
Why is 4 unlucky in China?
四 (sì) sounds close to 死 (sǐ), 'to die', so many buildings skip the fourth floor.