How to Read Chinese Numbers (1, 10, 100, 1000)
Chinese numbers are wonderfully logical: build any number from the digits 一-九 plus the place words 十 (10), 百 (100), 千 (1000). The only tricky bits are 零 (middle zeros) and 二 vs 两.
Why this trips learners up
Good news: Chinese numbers are about as logical as a number system gets. Learn the digits 一 to 九 and the place words — 十 (10), 百 (100), 千 (1000) — and you can build almost anything. Teens are just 十 + a digit (十五 = 15); the tens are a digit + 十 (三十 = 30, 三十五 = 35); hundreds and thousands work the same way (三百五十 = 350, 一千二百 = 1200).
Only two things trip learners up. First, a zero in the middle is spoken as 零 (líng), with no place word after it: 一百零五 = 105 — and watch the trap, because 一百五 means 150, not 105. Second, the digit “2” inside a number is 二 (十二 = 12, 二十 = 20), while 两 is reserved for “two of something”. Master those, and any number is yours.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
shí 十 Pattern wǔ 五 Other
15
sān 三 Other shí 十 Pattern wǔ 五 Other
35
liǎng 两 Other bǎi 百 Pattern
200 (also written 二百)
yī 一 Other bǎi 百 Pattern líng 零 Pattern bā 八 Other
108
sān 三 Other bǎi 百 Pattern wǔ 五 Other shí 十 Pattern
350
liù 六 Other bǎi 百 Pattern sān 三 Other shí 十 Pattern wǔ 五 Other
635
yī 一 Other qiān 千 Pattern èr 二 Other bǎi 百 Pattern sān 三 Other shí 十 Pattern sì 四 Other
1,234
yī 一 Other qiān 千 Pattern líng 零 Pattern wǔ 五 Other
1,005
Common mistakes
Why it happens: A zero in the middle of a number must be spoken: 一百零八 = 108. Skip it and 一百八 actually reads as 180 (shorthand for 一百八十). The 零 is what marks the empty tens place.
Why it happens: 一百五 doesn't mean 105 — it means 150 (short for 一百五十). For 105 you need the zero: 一百零五. Whenever a middle place is empty, say 零.
Why it happens: Inside a number, the digit 2 is always 二: 十二 (12), 二十 (20), 二百 (200). 两 is only for counting things (两个). So twelve is 十二, never 十两.
Compare & contrast
| With 零 — a zero in the middle | Without 零 — shorthand for round numbers | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 一百零五yìbǎi líng wǔ = 105 | 一百五yìbǎi wǔ = 150 | 一百零五 = 105 (the tens place is empty, so 零). 一百五 drops the 十 as shorthand — it's 150, not 105. |
| 一千零一yìqiān líng yī = 1001 | 一千一yìqiān yī = 1100 | 一千零一 = 1001. 一千一 is shorthand for 一千一百 = 1100. Completely different numbers. |
Try it yourself
Build the number 306 — tap the pieces into order.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Read Chinese Numbers (1, 10, 100, 1000) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.