Chinese Numbers 1-100 — Complete Guide with Pinyin and Hand Gestures

Learn Chinese numbers from 1 to 100 with pinyin, characters, and the famous one-hand counting gestures. Includes rules for larger numbers and counting in markets.

Numbers 1-10: The Foundation

一 (yī, 1), 二 (èr, 2), 三 (sān, 3), 四 (sì, 4), 五 (wǔ, 5), 六 (liù, 6), 七 (qī, 7), 八 (bā, 8), 九 (jiǔ, 9), 十 (shí, 10). Chinese also has unique one-hand gestures for each number that are widely used in markets and everyday situations.

Numbers 11-99: Simple Pattern

Chinese numbers follow a logical pattern: 11 = 十一 (shí yī, ten-one), 20 = 二十 (èr shí, two-ten), 21 = 二十一 (èr shí yī, two-ten-one). Once you learn 1-10, you can count to 99. 100 = 一百 (yī bǎi, one-hundred).

Larger Numbers: 1,000 and Beyond

千 (qiān) = thousand, 万 (wàn) = 10,000 (the key unit in Chinese counting), 亿 (yì) = 100 million. Chinese groups numbers by 10,000s, not 1,000s. 10,000 = 一万 (yī wàn), 100,000 = 十万 (shí wàn).

Practice with AI Lingo Chat

AI Lingo Chat's Speaking Test includes number drills that test both English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English number fluency. The app scores your pronunciation accuracy for every digit.

Start Learning Chinese Today

Reading guides is helpful, but real progress comes from daily practice with instant feedback. AI Lingo Chat gives you everything you need in one place:

Start Learning Chinese Free →