How to express numbers in Mandarin Chinese?

This post offers a comprehensive explanation of Chinese numbers, enabling you to use a wide range of Chinese numbers effectively.

In Chinese, apart from zero to ten, the only other numbers you need to remember are hundred 百 (transcribed bǎi), thousand 千 (transcribed qiān), ten thousand 万 (transcribed wàn), and a hundred million 亿 (transcribed yì). You can pretty much mix and match the above numbers to make up all other Chinese numbers. However, you need to learn the rules to know how to combine Chinese numbers. The main systematic difference between Chinese and English numbers is that numbers are grouped by four zeroes in Chinese rather than three zeroes like in English. Intrigued? Dive in to find out more!

We will also discuss:

• How to form ordinal numbers

• How to read decimals, fractions, and percentages

• How to express approximations

• How to say “two”

Let’s get started!

Let us start with the number system in Mandarin Chinese:

In Chinese, the numbers 1-10 can make up many other numbers. For example, numbers between 10-19 follow the pattern of 10 + 1-9, e.g. 11 will be 10 + 1, which is 十 (meaning 10) + 一 (meaning 1) (shí + yī) = 十一. Similarly, numbers between 20-29 follow the pattern of 20 + 1-9, e.g. 25 will be 二十 (meaning 20) + 五 (meaning 5) = 二十五 (transcribed èrshí wǔ, meaning “25”). Numbers between 110-119 follow the pattern 110 + 1-9, e.g. 110 + 5 = 115 (yībǎi yīshí wǔ). The reason we say “yībǎi yīshí wǔ” instead of “yībǎi shí wǔ,” is perhaps to keep consistency with the rest of tens numbers here, for example 125 (yībǎi èrshí wǔ), etc. So, Chinese numbers are easier than English numbers in that, above 10, Chinese does not have unique numbers as in English, such as “eleven,” “twelve,” “fifty.”

Please note number “2” and its combinations can be written in two forms: 二 (transcribed èr) and 两 (transcribed liǎng). See the following section 二 (transcribed èr) and 两 (transcribed liǎng) for more details.

The above table shows that up to 1,000, Chinese and English count the number in the same way. The difference occurs from 10,000, where English follows the international practice of segmenting a long Arabic number into three-digit sets, so 10,000 is “ten thousand” in English. While the Chinese share the same practice in writing, mentally they divide the number into four-digit sets when speaking (as shown in the fourth column of the above table).

Consequently, 10,000 becomes 1’0000 in a Chinese mind, and is called 万 (transcribed wàn) which is a unique unit in terms of the Chinese counting system. To illustrate, 一万 (transcribed yīwàn) = 1 wàn = 1’0000 = 10,000, and 十万 (transcribed shíwàn) = 10 + wàn = 10’0000 = 100,000). Thus, English has three three-digit based units: thousand, million, billion, but Chinese has only two four-digit based units: 万 (transcribed wàn, meaning “10,000 (1’0000)”) and 亿 (transcribed yì, meaning “100,000,000 (1’0000’0000)”).

Ordinal numbers express things like "first," "second," “third,” etc. In English, “-st,” “-nd,” “-rd,” and “-th” are used to make ordinal numbers, e.g. third, fourth, etc. In Chinese, ordinal numbers are much easier to make than in English; simply follow this pattern:

For example, 第一 (transcribed dìyī, meaning “the first”), 第二 (transcribed dì’èr, meaning “the second”), 第三 (transcribed dìsān, meaning “the third”), 第四 (transcribed dìsì, meaning “the fourth”). All you need to do is add 第 (transcribed dì) before a number to make it an ordinal number.

Do we have to know how to say decimals, fractions, and percentages in Mandarin Chinese? Well, they are more relevant than you might think. For example, if you go to a market and want to haggle down the price, knowing how to say a percentage in Chinese would be very useful.

Decimals: All decimals in Chinese follow this pattern:

点 (transcribed diǎn) means “decimal point.” Here are two examples:

• 二点一

  Transcription: èr diǎn yī

  Translation: 2.1
• 零点四五

  Transcription: líng diǎn sìwǔ

  Translation: 0.45

Fractions: Fractions (including percentages) follow this pattern:

分之 (transcribed fēnzhī) means “parts of.” Here are examples:

• 二分之一

  Transcription: èr fēnzhī yī

  Translation: 1/2, one half
• 四分之三

  Transcription: sì fēnzhī sān

  Translation: 3/4, three quarters
• 十六分之十一

  Transcription: shíliù fēnzhī shíyī

  Translation: 11/16
• 百分之二十

  Transcription: bǎi fēnzhī èrshí

  Translation: 20%

There are expressions in Chinese that convey approximations. See the following table for details:

As shown in the above table, 几 (transcribed jǐ) does not go with another number, because it is itself an approximate number meaning “a few.” 来 (transcribed lái), 上下 (transcribed shàngxià), 左右 (transcribed zuǒyòu), 多 (transcribed duō) all follow the same pattern: they are placed after the number. However, the sequence is reversed when it comes to 大概 (transcribed dàɡài) and 大约 (transcribed dàyuē), which are placed before the number. Combining two adjacent numbers together can also make an approximate number, for example 七、八个 (transcribed qī, bāgè, meaning “7, 8”). Note that there is a comma needed between the adjacent numbers and it only works for adjacent numbers.

二 (transcribed èr) and 两 (transcribed liǎng) both mean “two” in Mandarin Chinese. 二 (transcribed èr) is used for 2 or 20, ordinal numbers, and phone numbers. 两 (transcribed liǎng) is used for 两个人 (transcribed liǎnggè rén, meaning “two people”), 两百 (transcribed liǎngbǎi, meaning “200”), and 两千 (transcribed liǎngqiān, meaning “2,000”). So, we read 2,222 as 两千两百二十二 (transcribed liǎngqiān liǎngbǎi èrshí èr).

Right, now are you ready to test what you know about Chinese numbers? I bet you are, click here for more practice.