Chinese Numbers 1-100: Complete Guide

Learning Chinese numbers is one of the first and most rewarding steps in your Mandarin journey. Unlike English, the Chinese number system is remarkably logical — once you know 1–10, you can construct almost any number up to 99 using simple patterns.

Numbers 1–10

These ten characters form the foundation of the entire Chinese number system. Memorize them thoroughly before moving on.

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

Tip: The number 4 (四, sì) sounds similar to the word for "death" (死, sǐ) in Chinese, which is why it's considered unlucky. You'll notice many buildings skip the 4th floor!

Numbers 11–99

Here's where Chinese gets beautifully simple. To form numbers 11–19, just say "ten" + the digit. For 20–99, say the tens digit + "ten" + the ones digit.

• 11 = 十一 (shí yī) — literally "ten one"
• 20 = 二十 (èr shí) — literally "two ten"
• 35 = 三十五 (sān shí wǔ) — "three ten five"
• 99 = 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ) — "nine ten nine"

The Number 100

100 in Chinese is 一百 (yì bǎi). The character 百 means "hundred." From here, the pattern continues logically: 101 is 一百零一 (yì bǎi líng yī), where 零 (líng) means "zero" and acts as a placeholder.

Practice Tips

Here are some proven ways to solidify your number skills:

1. Count objects around you in Chinese throughout the day
2. Practice saying phone numbers and prices in Mandarin
3. Use the Letsgo Chinese flashcard feature to drill characters
4. Watch our native teacher videos to perfect your tones