Numbers
Learn 1 through 10. That covers every price you will encounter at a street stall, market, or restaurant.
1 through 10
| Number | Pinyin | Phonetic | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | yī (ee) | ee | 一 |
| 2 | èr (ar) | ar | 二 |
| 3 | sān (sahn) | sahn | 三 |
| 4 | sì (suh) | suh | 四 |
| 5 | wǔ (woo) | woo | 五 |
| 6 | liù (lyoh) | lyoh | 六 |
| 7 | qī (chee) | chee | 七 |
| 8 | bā (bah) | bah | 八 |
| 9 | jiǔ (jyoh) | jyoh | 九 |
| 10 | shí (shir) | shir | 十 |
Higher numbers — it's just math
After 10, Chinese numbers are logical. You say what you see.
| Number | Pinyin | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | shí yī | ten + one |
| 15 | shí wǔ | ten + five |
| 20 | èr shí | two + ten |
| 25 | èr shí wǔ | two + ten + five |
| 100 | yī bǎi | one hundred |
No irregular forms. No memorization. Just combine.
Prices
The casual word for yuan (Chinese currency) is kuài (kwye) · 块.
When you hear a price, it sounds like: number + kuài.
- sān kuài = 3 yuan
- shí kuài = 10 yuan
- sān shí kuài = 30 yuan
If you hear the number but miss the words around it, hold up fingers and confirm. Nobody will mind.