Numbers are the backbone of daily communication — prices, phone numbers, ages, times, and dates all depend on them. This lesson covers counting, telling time, discussing dates, and the uniquely Chinese concept of measure words.
Estimated Time: 50–60 minutes
| Number | Character | Pinyin | Hand Gesture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 零 | líng | Fist or "O" shape |
| 1 | 一 | yī | Index finger up |
| 2 | 二 | èr | Index + middle finger |
| 3 | 三 | sān | Index + middle + ring |
| 4 | 四 | sì | Four fingers (no thumb) |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ | All five fingers |
| 6 | 六 | liù | Thumb + pinky extended |
| 7 | 七 | qī | Thumb + index + middle pinched |
| 8 | 八 | bā | Thumb + index finger in "L" |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ | Curved index finger (hook) |
| 10 | 十 | shí | Cross index fingers or fist |
💡 Cultural Insight: Chinese people can show numbers 1–10 with one hand using unique gestures. This is incredibly useful in noisy markets or when there's a language barrier! The gestures for 6–10 are distinctly Chinese and differ from Western counting.
Building larger numbers in Chinese is wonderfully logical:
11–19: 十 + digit → 十一 (shíyī, 11), 十二 (shí'èr, 12)... 十九 (shíjiǔ, 19)
20–99: digit + 十 + digit → 二十 (èrshí, 20), 三十五 (sānshíwǔ, 35), 九十九 (jiǔshíjiǔ, 99)
No irregular teens like English "eleven, twelve, thirteen." Just: ten-one, ten-two, ten-three!
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 一百 | yì bǎi | 百 = hundred |
| 200 | 二百 / 两百 | èr bǎi / liǎng bǎi | Both forms acceptable |
| 1,000 | 一千 | yì qiān | 千 = thousand |
| 10,000 | 一万 | yí wàn | 万 = ten-thousand (unique unit!) |
| 100,000 | 十万 | shí wàn | ten ten-thousands |
| 1,000,000 | 一百万 | yì bǎi wàn | one hundred ten-thousands |
Both mean "two" but are used differently:
二 (èr): Used for counting, phone numbers, math, and in the number 12, 20, 200, etc.
两 (liǎng): Used before measure words: 两个人 (liǎng gè rén, two people), 两杯茶 (liǎng bēi chá, two cups of tea)
Quick rule: if a measure word follows, use 两. For pure numbers, use 二.
In Chinese, you can't say "two books" directly. You need a measure word between the number and the noun: 两本书 (two [volume] books). This is one of the most unique features of Chinese.
| Measure Word | Pinyin | Used For | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 个 | gè | General / default | 一个人 (one person), 三个苹果 (three apples) |
| 本 | běn | Books, notebooks | 两本书 (two books) |
| 杯 | bēi | Cups of liquid | 一杯咖啡 (one cup of coffee) |
| 瓶 | píng | Bottles | 两瓶水 (two bottles of water) |
| 张 | zhāng | Flat objects (paper, tickets, tables) | 三张票 (three tickets) |
| 件 | jiàn | Clothing, matters | 一件衣服 (one piece of clothing) |
| 辆 | liàng | Vehicles | 一辆车 (one car) |
| 只 | zhī | Animals (small) | 两只猫 (two cats) |
| 条 | tiáo | Long/thin things (roads, fish, pants) | 一条路 (one road) |
| 块 | kuài | Pieces, chunks; also "yuan" (informal) | 五块钱 (five yuan) |
💡 Pro Tip: When in doubt, use 个 (gè) — it's the most general measure word and will be understood even if it's not technically correct. Chinese speakers will appreciate the effort!
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 现在几点？ | xiànzài jǐ diǎn? | What time is it now? |
| 一点 | yì diǎn | 1 o'clock |
| 两点半 | liǎng diǎn bàn | 2:30 (two-and-a-half) |
| 三点十五分 | sān diǎn shíwǔ fēn | 3:15 |
| 差五分六点 | chà wǔ fēn liù diǎn | 5:55 (lack 5 min to 6) |
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | morning (AM) |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon (PM) |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening |
| Day | Chinese | Pinyin | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 星期一 | xīngqī yī | Week-one |
| Tuesday | 星期二 | xīngqī èr | Week-two |
| Wednesday | 星期三 | xīngqī sān | Week-three |
| Thursday | 星期四 | xīngqī sì | Week-four |
| Friday | 星期五 | xīngqī wǔ | Week-five |
| Saturday | 星期六 | xīngqī liù | Week-six |
| Sunday | 星期天 / 星期日 | xīngqī tiān / rì | Week-sky/sun |
January = 一月 (yī yuè, "month one"), February = 二月 (èr yuè, "month two"), all the way to December = 十二月 (shí'èr yuè, "month twelve"). No names to memorize!
Chinese dates go from largest to smallest: Year → Month → Day
2026年4月14日 = 二零二六年四月十四日 (èr líng èr liù nián sì yuè shísì rì) — April 14, 2026
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 这个星期 | zhège xīngqī | this week |
| 上个月 | shàng gè yuè | last month |
| 下个月 | xià gè yuè | next month |
| 去年 | qùnián | last year |
| 明年 | míngnián | next year |
💡 Number Superstitions: 8 (八, bā) is the luckiest number — it sounds like 发 (fā, "prosper"). Phone numbers and license plates with 8s sell for premium prices. 4 (四, sì) is unlucky — it sounds like 死 (sǐ, "death"). Many buildings skip the 4th floor! 6 (六, liù) means "smooth/flowing" and is considered lucky too.
A: 今天星期几？(Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ?) — What day is today?
B: 今天星期三。(Jīntiān xīngqī sān.) — Today is Wednesday.
A: 我们星期六见面，好吗？(Wǒmen xīngqī liù jiànmiàn, hǎo ma?) — Shall we meet on Saturday?
B: 好的！几点？(Hǎo de! Jǐ diǎn?) — OK! What time?
A: 下午两点半怎么样？(Xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn zěnmeyàng?) — How about 2:30 PM?
B: 没问题！(Méi wèntí!) — No problem!
1. How do you say "35" in Chinese?
2. Which is correct: "两个人" or "二个人"?
3. What measure word would you use for "three books"?
4. How would you say "October" in Chinese?
Numbers 0–10: 零一二三四五六七八九十 — plus unique hand gestures for 6–10.
Logical counting: 11 = ten-one, 20 = two-ten, 35 = three-ten-five. No irregular teens!
万 (wàn) is a unique unit: 10,000. Large numbers are grouped in ten-thousands, not thousands.
二 vs 两: Use 两 before measure words, 二 for pure counting.
Measure words: Required between numbers and nouns. 个 is the universal default.
Time: hour点 + minute分. Dates: Year年 + Month月 + Day日 (big to small).
Culture: 8 is lucky (sounds like "prosper"), 4 is unlucky (sounds like "death").