Count from one to twenty in Mandarin Chinese.
Numbers 1–10:
一(yī) 二(èr) 三(sān) 四(sì) 五(wǔ)
六(liù) 七(qī) 八(bā) 九(jiǔ) 十(shí)
Numbers 11–20:
十一(shíyī) 十二(shíèr) ... 十九(shíjiǔ) 二十(èrshí)
Pattern: 11-19 = 十 + digit. 20 = 二十 (two-ten)
| Mandarin | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | One | 我有一个妹妹。 |
| 五 | Five | 五分钟后。 |
| 十 | Ten | 十元。 |
| 二十 | Twenty | 二十个学生。 |
| 两 | Two (with measure word) | 两个人。 |
| 几 | How many? | 你有几个兄弟？ |
| Word | Phonetic | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 四 | 4th tone — sharp falling. The "s" is like English "s" | |
| 十 | 2nd tone — rising. "sh" is retroflex, tongue curled back | |
| 二十 | "er" has a distinctive r-colouring; 4th then 2nd tone |
Measure words: Chinese uses measure words between numbers and nouns. 三本书 (sān běn shū) — three [volume] books. 两个人 (liǎng gè rén) — two [generic] people. 个(gè) is the most common.
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