Free tool
Chinese numbers and prices
Ten digits and a few patterns get you to 10,000. Learn how prices are said out loud, then test your ear on 40 prices said out loud.
0 to 10
- 0 零 líng
- 1 一 yī
- 2 二 èr
- 3 三 sān
- 4 四 sì
- 5 五 wǔ
- 6 六 liù
- 7 七 qī
- 8 八 bā
- 9 九 jiǔ
- 10 十 shí
How much did they say?
Play a price, then pick the amount you heard. 40 spoken prices.
- 三块 = ¥3
- 五块 = ¥5
- 八块 = ¥8
- 十块 = ¥10
- 十二块 = ¥12
- 十四块 = ¥14
- 十五块 = ¥15
- 十八块 = ¥18
- 二十块 = ¥20
- 二十四块 = ¥24
- 二十五块 = ¥25
- 三十块 = ¥30
Building numbers up to 99
Chinese numbers are regular: say the tens, then the ones. Learn 1 to 10 and you can say everything up to 99.
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin | Literally |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 十一 | shíyī | ten + one |
| 15 | 十五 | shíwǔ | ten + five |
| 20 | 二十 | èrshí | two tens |
| 25 | 二十五 | èrshíwǔ | two tens + five |
| 99 | 九十九 | jiǔshíjiǔ | nine tens + nine |
| 100 | 一百 | yìbǎi | one hundred |
| 180 | 一百八十 | yìbǎi bāshí | one hundred, eight tens |
| 1,000 | 一千 | yìqiān | one thousand |
| 10,000 | 一万 | yíwàn | one “ten-thousand” |
How prices are said
On price tags you see 元 (yuán) or ¥. Out loud, people say 块 (kuài). Cents are rare in daily life, but you will hear 毛 (máo), a tenth of a yuan: ¥3.50 is 三块五 (sān kuài wǔ), “three kuai five”: the last unit is usually left out.
Watch out for 十四 (shísì, 14) and 四十 (sìshí, 40): they sound close. If in doubt, ask to see the amount or check the payment screen before you confirm.
Say it out loud
-
多少钱？
Duōshao qián?
How much is it?
-
一共多少钱？
Yígòng duōshao qián?
How much altogether?
-
太贵了。
Tài guì le.
That's too expensive.
-
能便宜一点吗？
Néng piányi yìdiǎn ma?
Could you make it a bit cheaper?
-
我要两个。
Wǒ yào liǎng ge.
I'll take two.
Questions
What’s the difference between 块 and 元?
They mean the same thing: one yuan. 元 (yuán) is written on price tags and receipts; 块 (kuài) is what people say. 毛 (máo) is a tenth of a yuan, written 角 (jiǎo).
When do I say 两 instead of 二?
Use 两 (liǎng) for “two of something”: 两个 (two of them), 两块 (two yuan), 两百 (200). Use 二 (èr) when counting, in phone numbers and in numbers like 十二 (12) or 二十 (20).
Why is 10,000 its own word?
Chinese groups big numbers in ten-thousands, 万 (wàn), not thousands. So 50,000 is 五万 (five ten-thousands). You will meet it in hotel deposits, rents and bigger purchases.