Chinese Numbers 1 to 10 — with Pinyin & Audio

The Complete 1–10 Number Table

Below are the first ten Chinese numbers — each is a single character, and once you learn these, you have the building blocks for every number up to 99. Notice how the first three (一, 二, 三) literally count their strokes: one line, two lines, three lines.

#	Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Memory Tip
1	一	yī	one	One horizontal line — simplest character
2	二	èr	two	Two horizontal lines
3	三	sān	three	Three horizontal lines — pattern clear?
4	四	sì	four	Looks like a window with curtains
5	五	wǔ	five	Five strokes — a cross with a top
6	六	liù	six	Looks like a person doing a split
7	七	qī	seven	An upside-down 7! Easy to remember
8	八	bā	eight	Looks like legs spreading apart
9	九	jiǔ	nine	A hook with a flick — like a 9 shape
10	十	shí	ten	A cross — the symbol of completeness

How Chinese Numbers Work — The Pattern Is Brilliantly Simple

Once you know 1–10, you can build numbers all the way to 99 using a completely logical system. There are no irregular words like "eleven" or "twelve" — Chinese just does basic arithmetic:

• 11–19: 十 (10) + number — so 十一 (shí yī) = 11, 十五 (shí wǔ) = 15, 十九 (shí jiǔ) = 19. Literally "ten-one," "ten-five," "ten-nine."
• 20–90: number + 十 (10) — so 二十 (èr shí) = 2 × 10 = 20, 五十 (wǔ shí) = 5 × 10 = 50, 九十 (jiǔ shí) = 9 × 10 = 90.
• Combinations like 25: 二十五 (èr shí wǔ) = 2 × 10 + 5 = 25. Every number in between follows this exact same formula.

This pattern extends seamlessly to hundreds (百 bǎi), thousands (千 qiān), and beyond. Chinese numbers are essentially math expressed in words — far more logical than English.

Tones Matter — Don't Skip Them

Each number carries a specific tone, and confusing tones can change the meaning entirely. For example, 四 (sì, 4th tone — sharp and falling) sounds very different from 十 (shí, 2nd tone — rising like you're asking a question). Get these right early and you'll avoid bad habits.

Tone sandhi alert: The number 一 (yī) changes tone depending on what follows it. Before a 4th-tone syllable, it shifts to 2nd tone (yí), as in 一个 (yí gè). Before 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tones, it shifts to 4th tone (yì), as in 一天 (yì tiān). This isn't random — it happens to make the words easier to pronounce smoothly. Native speakers do this automatically.

Common Phrases Using Numbers

Numbers show up everywhere in everyday Chinese — not just for counting. Here are a few phrases that use the numbers you just learned:

• 一一 (yī yī) — one by one, each and every
• 三心二意 (sān xīn èr yì) — half-hearted, indecisive (literally "three hearts, two minds")
• 五光十色 (wǔ guāng shí sè) — dazzlingly colorful, bright and multicolored (literally "five lights, ten colors")
• 七上八下 (qī shàng bā xià) — anxious, unsettled (literally "seven up, eight down")

🔢 Try the interactive Chinese Numbers tool → — type any number 0-99,999 and see it in Chinese with pinyin and audio.