# Chinese Numbers 1-100: Learn How to Count in Mandarin Fast
> The use of Chinese numbers goes beyond counting! Learn Chinese numbers 1 to 100 with this complete guide on characters, pinyin, and the logical pattern.
**URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/chinese-numbers-1-to-100
**Last Updated:** 2026-02-06
**Tags:** fundamentals, vocabulary, phrases
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Learning to count in Chinese is one of the most satisfying parts of [starting Mandarin](https://migaku.com/learn-chinese). Seriously, once you understand the basic pattern, you can count all the way to 100 (and beyond) in like 20 minutes. Chinese numbers follow a super logical system that makes way more sense than English, where we randomly say "eleven" and "twelve" instead of "ten-one" and "ten-two." If you're ready to learn chinese numbers 1 to 100, this guide will walk you through everything you need, from basic characters to pronunciation and cultural quirks.🫡
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## Why Chinese numbers 1-100 are easier than you think
Here's the thing about counting in Mandarin: the language uses a combination system that's incredibly straightforward. Once you memorize the first ten numbers, you literally just combine them to make everything else.
In English, we have irregular words like "eleven," "twelve," "twenty," and "thirty" that you just have to memorize separately. Chinese? Nope. Eleven is literally "ten-one" (十一), twelve is "ten-two" (十二), and twenty is "two-ten" (二十). The pattern holds all the way up.
This logical structure means you can start reading prices, phone numbers, and addresses in China way faster than you'd pick up the same skills in most other languages.
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## Basic chinese numbers 1-10
Let's start with the foundation. These ten characters are everything you need to count to 100 and beyond.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Explanation |
| - | - | - | - |
| 一 | yī | One | One horizontal stroke. When counting aloud, people often say "yāo" instead to avoid confusion with seven. |
| 二 | èr | Two | Two horizontal strokes stacked. |
| 三 | sān | Three | Three horizontal strokes. |
| 四 | sì | Four | Breaks the stroke pattern. Considered unlucky as it sounds similar to the word for "death". |
| 五 | wǔ | Five | Four strokes forming a character that looks like a person with arms spread. |
| 六 | liù | Six | Four strokes with a pronunciation that has the "ü" sound. |
| 七 | qī | Seven | Two strokes forming a character that looks like a crooked seven. |
| 八 | bā | Eight | Two strokes spreading outward. The luckiest number as it sounds like the word for prosperity. |
| 九 | jiǔ | Nine | Two strokes forming a hook shape. |
| 十 | shí | Ten | Looks like a plus sign; two strokes crossing in the middle. |
Practice writing these characters following proper [stroke order](https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/how-to-write-in-chinese) (you can find animated stroke order guides online). Getting the muscle memory down now will help you recognize these numbers instantly later.
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## Numbers 11-19: The teen pattern
This is where the logic really shines. To make the numbers from 11 to 19, you just say "ten" plus the single digit.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Literal Translation |
| - | - | - | - |
| 十一 | shí yī | Eleven | Ten one |
| 十二 | shí èr | Twelve | Ten two |
| 十三 | shí sān | Thirteen | Ten three |
| 十四 | shí sì | Fourteen | Ten four |
| 十五 | shí wǔ | Fifteen | Ten five |
| 十六 | shí liù | Sixteen | Ten six |
| 十七 | shí qī | Seventeen | Ten seven |
| 十八 | shí bā | Eighteen | Ten eight |
| 十九 | shí jiǔ | Nineteen | Ten nine |
See? You already know how to count to 19 in Chinese. Pretty cool!
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## Counting by tens: 20, 30, 40... to 90
The tens follow the same combination pattern. You say the single digit first, then "ten."
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Literal Translation |
| - | - | - | - |
| 二十 | èr shí | Twenty | Two ten |
| 三十 | sān shí | Thirty | Three ten |
| 四十 | sì shí | Forty | Four ten |
| 五十 | wǔ shí | Fifty | Five ten |
| 六十 | liù shí | Sixty | Six ten |
| 七十 | qī shí | Seventy | Seven ten |
| 八十 | bā shí | Eighty | Eight ten |
| 九十 | jiǔ shí | Ninety | Nine ten |
The pattern holds perfectly. No weird exceptions like "twenty" or "thirty" in English, where you have to memorize completely different words.
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## Numbers 21-99: Combining everything
Now combine what you know.
> For any number between 21 and 99, you say: tens digit + 十 + ones digit.
Examples:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Literal Translation |
| - | - | - | - |
| 二十一 | èr shí yī | Twenty-one | Two ten one |
| 三十五 | sān shí wǔ | Thirty-five | Three ten five |
| 四十七 | sì shí qī | Forty-seven | Four ten seven |
| 六十八 | liù shí bā | Sixty-eight | Six ten eight |
| 九十九 | jiǔ shí jiǔ | Ninety-nine | Nine ten nine |
That's it. You can now count from 1-100 in Chinese. The whole system uses just those ten basic characters you learned at the start.
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## The number vocabulary of 100 and beyond
One hundred in Chinese is 一百 (yī bǎi). The character 百 (bǎi) means "hundred."
For numbers above 100, you keep using the same logical pattern:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Literal Translation |
| - | - | - | - |
| 一百零一 | yī bǎi líng yī | One hundred one | One hundred zero one |
| 一百五十 | yī bǎi wǔ shí | One hundred fifty | One hundred five ten |
| 二百 | èr bǎi | Two hundred | Two hundred |
| 九百九十九 | jiǔ bǎi jiǔ shí jiǔ | Nine hundred ninety-nine | Nine hundred nine ten nine |
Notice that 零 (líng) means "zero." You use it when there's a zero placeholder, like in 101 or 305 (三百零五).
Thousand is 千 (qiān). So 1,000 is 一千 (yī qiān), 2,000 is 二千 (èr qiān), and so on.
Ten thousand is 万 (wàn). This is where Chinese numbering diverges from English. We group by thousands (thousand, million, billion), but Chinese groups by ten-thousands (万, 亿). So 50,000 is 五万 (wǔ wàn), literally "five ten-thousands."
Understanding this difference helps when you're dealing with large numbers in Chinese contexts, especially in business or news.
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## Pronunciation tips for learning Mandarin numbers
Getting the [tones](https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/chinese-tone-practice) right matters in Mandarin. The same syllable with different tones means completely different things.
Here are some tricky pairs to watch out for:
- The number four (sì) uses a falling tone, while ten (shí) uses a rising tone. Practice these together: 四十 (sì shí) means 40.
- Seven (qī) and one (yī) both use high flat tones, which is why people say "yāo" for one when clarity matters.
When you're learning these, say them out loud. A lot. Chinese pronunciation gets easier with repetition, and numbers come up constantly in daily conversation, so you'll get tons of practice once you start using the language.
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## Ordinal numbers in Chinese
To make ordinal numbers (First, second, third), you add 第 (dì) before the number:
- First = 第一 (dì yī)
- Second = 第二 (dì èr)
- Third = 第三 (dì sān)
- Tenth = 第十 (dì shí)
- Twenty-first = 第二十一 (dì èr shí yī)
You'll see this in addresses (第五街 means "5th Street"), rankings, and lesson numbers.
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## Formal and financial Chinese numerals
China uses a separate set of complex characters for financial documents and legal contracts. These formal numbers are harder to alter or forge.
The everyday number two is 二 (èr), but the formal version is 贰 (èr). Similarly, three (三) becomes 叁 (sān) in formal contexts.
You'll mostly see these on checks, receipts, and official documents. For everyday counting and conversation, stick with the standard numbers you've learned here.
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## Cultural notes about numbers in China
Numbers carry cultural weight in Chinese society.
1. We already mentioned that eight is lucky (Sounds like prosperity) and four is unlucky (Sounds like death).
2. Six (六, liù) is also considered lucky because it sounds like 流 (liú), meaning "flow" or smooth progress. You'll hear people say "六六大顺" (liù liù dà shùn), wishing everything goes smoothly.
3. Nine (九, jiǔ) sounds like 久 (jiǔ), meaning "long-lasting," so it's popular for weddings and anniversaries.
4. [The number 250](https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/chinese-slang-modern-internet-expressions) (二百五, èr bǎi wǔ) is an insult meaning someone is foolish or stupid. Don't use it as a compliment!
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## Writing numbers: Characters vs. Arabic numerals
In modern Chinese writing, you'll see both Chinese characters and Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3...).
Formal writing, literature, and traditional contexts use characters. Everyday texting, scientific documents, and casual writing often use Arabic numerals because they're faster to type.
When writing addresses, phone numbers, or prices, Chinese people typically use Arabic numerals. But for dates, you might see either: 2026年3月15日 or 二零二六年三月十五日.
Learn to recognize both forms. Reading Chinese characters for numbers helps you understand classical texts, signs, and menus, while Arabic numerals appear everywhere in modern digital communication.
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## Common mistakes when learning Chinese numbers
1. New learners often forget to include 十 (shí) in numbers like 50. They might say 五 (wǔ) when they mean 五十 (wǔ shí). The context usually makes it clear, but it's technically wrong.
2. Another common mistake is mixing up the order of numbers in the tens place. Remember: it's digit + 十, not 十 + digit (except for 11-19).
3. Tones trip people up constantly. 四十 (sì shí, 40) and 十四 (shí sì, 14) sound similar if you don't nail the tones. Practice these pairs specifically.
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## Practice strategies for mastering Chinese numbers
Learning [vocabulary](https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/chinese-weather-vocabulary) works best when you use it in context. Here are some practical ways to drill numbers 1-100:
1. Count everything around you in Chinese. Steps as you walk up stairs, items in your shopping cart, cars passing by. Making it a habit builds automatic recall.
2. Practice saying phone numbers out loud in Chinese. Pick random ten-digit sequences and read them in Mandarin.
3. Watch Chinese content and pause whenever you see a number. Try reading it before checking the subtitles.
4. Set your phone or computer language to Chinese. Seeing dates, times, and battery percentages in Chinese characters gives you constant exposure.
5. Play number games. Pick a random number between 1-100 and write it in Chinese characters from memory, then check yourself.
Anyway, if you want to keep building your Chinese vocabulary with real content, Migaku's browser extension lets you look up words instantly while watching Chinese shows or reading articles. Makes learning from context way more practical. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.
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## Counting in Chinese teaches you how to understand Chengyu as well!
Numbers also appear in idioms and expressions. 一心一意 (yī xīn yī yì) means "wholeheartedly" (One heart one mind). 三心二意 (sān xīn èr yì) means "half-hearted" (Three hearts two minds). These phrases only make sense when you recognize the numbers embedded in them. When you encounter these phrases in Chinese content, knowing the numbers allows you to grasp the core meanings immediately!
> If you consume media in Chinese, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period_.
学习也要一心一意才好！(Best to commit to study wholeheartedly!)🫶