Counting & Ordinals

The basic numerals from 1 to 10 are short and must be memorized as they form the building blocks for larger numbers.

Numbers 11 and above are formed by combining these basic numerals, with 十 (shí 十) serving as "ten" and 百 (bǎi 百) as "hundred". 一 (yī 一) sometimes drops in compound numbers.

Ordinals are formed by adding 第 (dì 第) before a number. 第 (dì 第) turns a cardinal number into an ordinal, like 第 一 (dì yī 第一) for "first".

Chinese uses measure words (量词 liàngcí 量詞) between numbers and nouns. The measure word depends on the type of thing being counted, so you must learn common ones like 个 (gè 个) for general items.

Ordinals with 第 (dì 第) are used for rankings, dates, and sequences. In spoken language, 第 (dì 第) is sometimes dropped in casual contexts, but it is required for clarity in writing.

Some numbers have special pronunciations in certain contexts, like 两 (liǎng 两) instead of 二 (èr 二) before measure words when counting things aloud. 两 (liǎng 两) sounds more natural for "two" in phrases like 两个苹果.

Learn the basic numerals 一 (yī 一) to 十 (shí 十), practice forming larger numbers by combining them, use 第 (dì 第) to make ordinals, and remember to insert measure words like 个 (gè 个) between numbers and nouns.