Numbers 1-100 in Chinese

Overview

The Chinese number system is remarkably logical and consistent. Once you learn the digits 1-10, you can construct any number up to 99 using simple combination rules. Eleven is literally "ten-one" (十一), twenty is "two-ten" (二十), and thirty-five is "three-ten-five" (三十五).

At the CEFR A1 level, numbers are essential for telling time, shopping, giving phone numbers, and discussing quantities. One important distinction to master early is between 二 (èr, two) and 两 (liǎng, two): 二 is used for counting and in compound numbers, while 两 is used before measure words (两个人, two people).

The number system extends logically to larger numbers as well: 一百 (yī bǎi, 100), 一千 (yī qiān, 1000), 一万 (yī wàn, 10,000). Chinese groups large numbers by ten-thousands (万) rather than thousands, which is a key difference from Western numbering.

How It Works

Basic digits 1-10

Number	Character	Pinyin
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

Forming numbers 11-99

Pattern	Formula	Example
11-19	十 + digit	十五 = 15
20-90	digit + 十	三十 = 30
21-99	digit + 十 + digit	四十七 = 47

二 vs 两

Context	Use	Example
Counting, math, ordinals	二	第二 (second), 二加三 (2+3)
Before measure words	两	两个人 (two people)
Hundreds and above	both possible	二百/两百 (200)

Examples in Context

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Note
一二三四五六七八九十	yī èr sān sì wǔ liù qī bā jiǔ shí	1-10	basic counting
十一	shíyī	eleven	10+1
二十	èrshí	twenty	2x10
三十五	sānshíwǔ	thirty-five	3x10+5
九十九	jiǔshíjiǔ	ninety-nine	9x10+9
一百	yī bǎi	one hundred	100
两个人	liǎng gè rén	two people	两 before MW
第二	dì èr	second (ordinal)	二 for ordinals
我二十五岁。	Wǒ èrshíwǔ suì.	I am 25 years old.	age
三点半	sān diǎn bàn	3:30	telling time

Common Mistakes

Using 二 before measure words

• Wrong: 二个人 (two people)
• Right: 两个人 (two people)
• Why: Before measure words, 两 is used instead of 二. This is one of the most fundamental rules.

Forgetting 一 in 一百

• Wrong: 百 (hundred)
• Right: 一百 (one hundred)
• Why: Unlike English, which can say "a hundred," Chinese requires the explicit 一 before 百.

Confusing phone number reading

• Wrong: Reading phone number 110 as 一百一十
• Right: Read digit by digit: 一一零 (yāo yāo líng)
• Why: Phone numbers, room numbers, and bus routes are read digit by digit. Note: 一 is often pronounced "yāo" in phone numbers to avoid confusion with 七 (qī).

Practice Tips

• Practice counting from 1 to 100 aloud daily until it becomes automatic. Focus on the rhythmic pattern: once you internalize 十一 to 十九, the same pattern repeats for every decade.
• Practice the 二 vs 两 distinction by combining numbers with measure words: 两本书, 两杯水, 两个朋友.
• Use numbers in context: tell the time, say prices, give your age, and read phone numbers to build practical fluency.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: Measure Words (Classifiers) -- numbers always pair with measure words before nouns
• Next steps: Time Expressions -- numbers are used extensively in telling time
• Next steps: Money and Shopping -- practice numbers in real transaction contexts