Vocabulary - Numbers (1)

To start learning to write Chinese characters, you should start with numbers, which are the easiest to write and learn. Yes, it is as easy as "one, two, three".

one	一	yī
two	二	èr
three	三	sān
four	四	sì
five	五	wŭ
six	六	liù
seven	七	qī
eight	八	bā
nine	九	jiŭ
ten	十	shí

If you start from knowing nothing, the first three Chinese characters that you learn and write should be “一” (1 = one horizontal stroke), “二” (2 = two horizontal strokes), “三” (3 = three horizontal strokes). The first ten Chinese characters you learn and write should be one to ten.

In English, after ten we have eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen …. twenty, twenty one, twenty two etc. In Chinese, it is a bit more simple. Eleven is spoken & written in Chinese as "ten one", twelve is "ten two", thirteen is "ten three", twenty is "two ten", twenty one is "two ten one", twenty two is "two ten two"...

eleven	十一	shí yī
twelve	十二	shí èr
thirteen	十三	shí sān
fourteen	十四	shí sì
fifteen	十五	shí wŭ
sixteen	十六	shí liù
seventeen	十七	shí qī
eighteen	十八	shí bā
nineteen	十九	shí jiŭ
twenty	二十	èr shí
twenty one	二十一	èr shí yī
twenty two	二十二	èr shí èr
twenty three	二十三	èr shí sān
thirty	三十	sān shí
forty	四十	sì shí
fifty	五十	wŭ shí
sixty	六十	liù shí
seventy	七十	qī shí
eighty	八十	bā shí
ninety	九十	jiŭ shí
ninety one	九十一	jiŭ shí yī
ninety nine	九十九	jiŭ shí jiŭ
one hundred	一百	yī băi

Do you notice the formula? It is that simple. After one hundred, it is still simple as the similar formula apply.