Chinese is spoken by over 1.3 billion people worldwide. But it’s famously difficult to start learning. Mandarin, for example, has five tones (meaning pronunciation is very important). And, when it comes to writing, there are over 50,000 chinese characters in the dictionary – although you certainly won’t have to learn them all!
A great place to begin your studies is by learning to count in Chinese. It’s practical if you’re planning to live, study or work in China because it will enable you to communicate in all kinds of day-to-day situations.
If you’re learning Mandarin specifically, it’s also relatively simple to learn numbers 1 through 10 and then progress to counting all the way up to 99. And if you want to study the language further, explore our online Chinese classes.
How to count to 10 in Chinese
To start things off, we’ve put together a table on how to count in Chinese.
We’ve also included a how to say it column, which should help you learn how to say numbers in Chinese. If you’re not familiar with Chinese pronunciation, some Chinese numbers might sound different than you’d expect.
| Number | Chinese character (hanzi) | Romanized spelling (pinyin) | How to say it |
| 0 | 零 / 〇 | Líng | Ling |
| 1 | 一 | Yī | Ee |
| 2 | 二 | Èr | Are |
| 3 | 三 | Sān | San |
| 4 | 四 | Sì | Suh |
| 5 | 五 | Wǔ | Woo |
| 6 | 六 | Liù | Lio |
| 7 | 七 | Qī | Chi |
| 8 | 八 | Bā | Ba |
| 9 | 九 | Jiǔ | Geo |
| 10 | 十 | Shí | Shuh |
How to count to 10 in Chinese with hand signals
When learning how to count in Chinese, it can also be helpful to learn the hand signals that are associated with Chinese numbers.
Chinese people use hand signals for numbers within China because of the different dialects and pronunciations that exist across the country.
0: Make your hand into a fist.
1: Just like in English, raise only your index finger.
2: Also the same as in English, raise your index finger and your middle finger.
3: This is similar to English, but not quite the same. Most Chinese people raise their little finger, ring finger, and middle finger to represent the number 3.
4: Once again, the same as in English. Raise all your fingers except your thumb.
5: Another easy one, just like in English. Raise all your fingers including your thumb and open your palm.
6: Stick out your thumb and your little finger and curl in the rest. This hand signal looks like a shaka – or hang loose sign.
7: Bring all your fingers (including your thumb) together into a point.
8: Extend your thumb and your index finger and curl in the rest. This hand signal looks like a gun.
9: Curl in all of your fingers except your index finger. Now, slightly bend your index finger.
10: You’ve got two options to represent the number 10. You can either cross your index and middle fingers and curl in the rest or use your two hands to form a cross shape with your two index fingers.
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Interesting facts about Chinese numbers
There are lots of interesting facts out there about Chinese numbers. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Even though they might seem complicated as a beginner, Chinese numbers are actually well-known for being logical and simple. For example, the numbers 1 through 10 are all only one syllable long. Also, once you’ve learned 1 through 10, it’s easy to learn the rest.
- Most Chinese numbers have two different character options, which distinguish between normal use and financial/mathematical use.
- The number 8 (八) is the luckiest number in Chinese culture. This is because it sounds similar to a very positive Chinese word, fa (發), which means wealth, fortune, and prosperity. Chinese people often try to integrate the number 8 into their lives whenever they can, like with special dates, lottery ticket numbers, and license plates.
- The number 4 (四) is considered to be very unlucky in Chinese culture. This is because the pronunciation sounds very similar to the word death (死 or sǐ). Since Chinese people are quite superstitious, you’ll notice that many buildings in China skip the 4th floor (as well as any other floor numbers that contain the number 4).
- Even numbers are preferred to odd numbers in China. When giving gifts at weddings, for example, people tend to give two (or an even number) of presents. The exception to the rule, of course, is the number 4!
Go beyond counting in Chinese
Chinese is a very interesting language, but it can be difficult to study by yourself. Especially when it comes to intonation and pronunciation, there’s so much to learn. It can help a great deal to take a group class or work with a tutor 1-on-1, especially when you’re getting started.
If you’re learning Chinese and need some expert support, Preply can help you. Check out the roster of qualified Chinese tutors and how they can help you move forward in your studies!
