Numbers (0-100)

Learn to count from 0 to 100 in Chinese.

Once you know these, you can answer almost any "how many" question and start using measure words in the next lesson.

Structure

Numbers are a closed set to memorize, not a sentence pattern — so start with the building blocks, then see them at work in real sentences below.

0–10

11–19: 十 + ones digit

十一 (shíyī) = 11, 十二 (shí'èr) = 12 … 十九 (shíjiǔ) = 19

20–99: tens digit + 十 + ones digit

Omit the ones digit for an exact multiple of ten.

二十 (èrshí) = 20, 三十五 (sānshíwǔ) = 35, 九十九 (jiǔshíjiǔ) = 99

100: 一百 (yìbǎi)

The pattern never changes — once you can read the table above, you can read any number up to 100.

Examples

Numbers rarely stand alone in real speech — here they are doing a job, saying how old someone is:

1. 我十二岁。 Wǒ shí'èr suì.

Breakdown: 我 (I) · 十二 (twelve) · 岁 (years old)

→ I am twelve years old.

2. 你二十岁吗？ Nǐ èrshí suì ma?

Breakdown: 你 (you) · 二十 (twenty) · 岁 (years old) · 吗 (question marker)

→ Are you twenty years old?

3. 他十五岁。 Tā shíwǔ suì.

Breakdown: 他 (he) · 十五 (fifteen) · 岁 (years old)

→ He is fifteen years old.

4. 她三十八岁。 Tā sānshíbā suì.

Breakdown: 她 (she) · 三十八 (thirty-eight) · 岁 (years old)

→ She is thirty-eight years old.

5. 老师五十岁。 Lǎoshī wǔshí suì.

Breakdown: 老师 (teacher) · 五十 (fifty) · 岁 (years old)

→ The teacher is fifty years old.

6. 我朋友一百岁。 Wǒ péngyou yìbǎi suì.

Breakdown: 我朋友 (my friend) · 一百 (one hundred) · 岁 (years old)

→ My friend is one hundred years old.

Common Mistakes

Reversing the tens and ones digit

- Incorrect: 五十 wǔshí (this means 50, not 15) - Correct: 十五 shíwǔ (15)

Using 两 instead of 二 inside a number

- Incorrect: 两十 liǎng shí - Correct: 二十 èrshí

What Can You Say Now?

You can now count from 0 to 100, which means you can answer "how many," give your own age, or state a simple quantity. Try counting from 1 to 20 out loud, then say your own age in Chinese: 我 ___ 岁。

Quick Summary

Build numbers from 11-99 as tens digit + 十 + ones digit: 三十五 sānshíwǔ = 35. Use 二, not 两, inside the number itself.