Learn · Lesson 9
Numbers 0–100
Digits, teens, tens, and phone-friendly number reading.
Goals
- Count from 0 to 10 smoothly with tones
- Build teens and tens with 十
- Say numbers to 100 for prices and times
- Use 两 for “two” before measure words
- Hear and say phone-style digit sequences slowly
0 to 10
零一二三四五六七八九十 are the base. Watch tones carefully on 七、八、九、十.
二 vs 两: use 两 before a measure word (两杯), 二 in numbers like 12、20.
Drill aloud until recall is automatic.
zero
five
ten
Teens and tens
11–19 are 十一…十九. 20 is 二十, 21 二十一, and so on.
30–90 follow the same pattern: 三十、四十…
Keep 十 clear; do not swallow it in teens.
eleven
twenty
thirty-five
Hundred and prices
100 is 一百. Beginners meet 块/元 in shopping.
Say prices slowly: 十五块、二十块。
Practice listening for numbers in market dialogues.
one hundred
fifteen yuan
two cups of coffee
Numbers in time
Clock language uses numbers with 点 and 分.
三点、九点半 appear early in daily talk.
Connect this lesson to the time deck.
3 o’clock
9:30
2 o’clock
Practice habits
Count while walking; say random two-digit numbers aloud.
Read price tags in Chinese when you can.
Mix numbers into 有/要 sentences: 我要两个。
I want two.
How much in total?
phone number
Takeaways
- 十 is the key building block for teens and tens.
- Use 两 before measure words.
- Prices and time make numbers meaningful.
- Tone accuracy on number words prevents costly misunderstandings.
Quick check
1. Which is natural for “two cups”?
2. 21 in Mandarin is…
3. 十五块 means…