Section 01
Vocabulary: The Numbers
零
Zero
一
One
二
Two
三
Three
四
Four
五
Five
六
Six
七
Seven
八
Eight
九
Nine
十
Ten
百
Hundred
千
Thousand
万
Ten Thousand
块
Yuan / Buck (Money)
岁
Years old (Age)
Cultural Note on Phone Numbers: When reading phone numbers digit-by-digit, the number 1 is usually pronounced as 幺 (yāo) instead of yī. This prevents it from sounding like 7 (qī) over a bad connection!
Practice Time
Interactive Vocabulary Games
Section 02
Number Logic & Patterns
1. Building Numbers 11 to 99
Chinese numbers are purely mathematical. For 11-19, add the digit after ten (10 + 1 = 11). For 20-90, multiply the ten (2 × 10 = 20).
Multiplier + 十 (10) + Digit
1.
十五
shí wǔ
Fifteen (10 + 5)
2.
二十
èr shí
Twenty (2 × 10)
3.
九十九
jiǔ shí jiǔ
Ninety-nine (9 × 10 + 9)
2. Hundreds and the "Zero" Rule (100 - 999)
Use 百 (bǎi) for hundreds. If there is a zero in the middle of a number, you MUST say 零 (líng). However, if the number ends in zero, you drop it.
1.
一百
yì bǎi
One hundred (100)
2.
一百零五
yì bǎi líng wǔ
One hundred and five (105) *Notice the Ling!
3.
三百五十
sān bǎi wǔ shí
Three hundred and fifty (350)
3. The Big Difference: 万 (Base-10,000)
In English, we group large numbers by three zeros (thousands). In Chinese, large numbers are grouped by four zeros (ten-thousands) using the word 万 (wàn). Therefore, 100,000 is read as "Ten ten-thousands" (十万).
English: 100,000 ➔ Chinese: 10,0000 (十万)
1.
一千
yì qiān
One thousand (1,000)
2.
一万
yí wàn
Ten thousand (10,000)
3.
二十万
èr shí wàn
Two hundred thousand (200,000 / 20 万)
Section 03
Reading Practice in Context
Numbers are used differently depending on the situation. Choose a context below to practice reading numbers in action.
年纪和号码
Age & Phone Numbers
你好，我叫李明。我今年十六岁。我的爸爸四十五岁，我的爷爷八十八岁。我的电话号码是：幺三幺 - 八五九零 - 四二六七。
Hello, my name is Li Ming. I am 16 years old this year. My dad is 45 years old, and my grandpa is 88 years old. My phone number is: 131-8590-4267.
日期和时间
Date & Time (Preview)
今天是八月十五号。现在是下午两点三十分。
Today is August 15th. Right now it is 2:30 PM (Two o'clock and thirty minutes).
数量
Quantities & Measure Words
我的家有四个人。我们学校有三百五十个学生，和二十个老师。
My family has four people. Our school has 350 students, and 20 teachers.
买东西
Shopping & Prices
这个手机五千块。那个电脑一万两千块。这辆车三十五万块。
This phone is 5,000 yuan. That computer is 12,000 yuan (1万 2千). This car is 350,000 yuan (35万).
Ready to test yourself?
Practice Reading — Comprehension Quiz
Answer multiple-choice questions on both passages · Instant feedback & explanations
Section 04
Listening Practice in Context
Select a context below and practice listening to numbers natively.
Age & Phone Numbers
Listen to someone give their age and phone number
Speed:
Date & Time
Listen to the date and time announcement
Speed:
Quantities
Listen to the amount of students and teachers
Speed:
Shopping & Big Prices
Listen carefully to the Base-10,000 numbers
Speed:
Ready to test yourself?
Practice Listening — Comprehension Quiz
Answer multiple-choice questions on both passages · Instant feedback & explanations