Lesson 2 · Numbers & Counting 数字

Mandarin numbers are beautifully logical. Learn 一 to 十, then combine them to build every number up to 一百 and beyond.

Level: Beginner ⏱ 13:02 5-question quiz

▶ Watch the counting walk-through, then pause and count along on your fingers.

🎧 Counting drill

数字

One to ten shadowing — yī èr sān sì wǔ liù qī bā jiǔ shí

Vocabulary · 词汇

Numbers 0–10, plus building blocks
Hanzi	Pinyin	English
零	líng	0 — zero
一	yī	1 — one
二	èr	2 — two
三	sān	3 — three
四	sì	4 — four
五	wǔ	5 — five
六	liù	6 — six
七	qī	7 — seven
八	bā	8 — eight
九	jiǔ	9 — nine
十	shí	10 — ten
百	bǎi	hundred
两	liǎng	two (when counting things)

Build-a-number rule: 11 = 十一 (shíyī), 20 = 二十 (èrshí), 25 = 二十五 (èrshíwǔ), 100 = 一百 (yìbǎi).

Example sentences · 例句

我有三个苹果。
Wǒ yǒu sān gè píngguǒ.
I have three apples.
十二 = 十 + 二。
Shí'èr = shí + èr.
Twelve = ten + two.
现在两点。
Xiànzài liǎng diǎn.
It is two o'clock now.
这个二十五块。
Zhège èrshíwǔ kuài.
This is twenty-five yuan.
一共一百。
Yígòng yìbǎi.
One hundred in total.