Big Numbers in Chinese: 万 (10,000) and 亿 (100 Million)
Chinese gets a new number word every four digits, not three: 万 (10,000) and 亿 (100,000,000). So 12,000 is 一万两千 (“1 wàn, 2 thousand”) and a million is 一百万 (“100 wàn”).
Why this trips learners up
Counting in Chinese is smooth up to 9,999 — and then big numbers throw English speakers a curveball. The reason: Chinese mints a brand-new number word every four digits, where English gets one every three. The unit to learn first is 万 (wàn) = 10,000. There's no “ten thousand” built from 千 — 10,000 is simply 一万, one wàn.
The trick that makes it click: regroup the digits in fours, not threes. English writes 12,000; mentally shift the comma one place left to 1,2000 and the Chinese reading falls right out — 一万两千 (“one wàn, two thousand”). Keep going and a second new unit shows up at eight digits: 亿 (yì) = 100,000,000 (a hundred million). Everything in between is built from 万 — a million is 一百万 (“100 wàn”), ten million is 一千万 (“1,000 wàn”). Learn 万 and 亿, group by four, and even nine-digit numbers become routine.
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.
zhè tái diànnǎo 这台电脑 Subject yī 一 Other wàn 万 Pattern kuài 块 Measure word
This computer costs 10,000 kuai.
zhè liàng chē 这辆车 Subject liǎng 两 Other wàn 万 Pattern bāqiān 八千 Other kuài 块 Measure word
This car costs 28,000 kuai.
wǒmen gōngsī 我们公司 Subject yǒu 有 Verb yī 一 Other wàn 万 Pattern liǎngqiān 两千 Other rén 人 Object
Our company has 12,000 people.
zhè kuài shǒubiǎo 这块手表 Subject yī 一 Other wàn 万 Pattern líng 零 Other wǔbǎi 五百 Other kuài 块 Measure word
This watch costs 10,500 kuai (零 marks the empty thousands place).
tā 他 Subject mǎi 买 Verb fáng 房 Object huā 花 Verb le 了 Function word sānbǎi 三百 Other wàn 万 Pattern
He spent 3 million on the house (三百万 = “300 wàn”).
Shànghǎi 上海 Subject yǒu 有 Verb liǎngqiān 两千 Other wàn 万 Pattern rén 人 Object
Shanghai has 20 million people (两千万 = “2,000 wàn”).
zhè jiā gōngsī 这家公司 Subject qùnián 去年 Time zhuàn 赚 Verb le 了 Function word sān 三 Other yì 亿 Pattern
This company made 300 million last year (三亿).
zhè bù diànyǐng 这部电影 Subject zhuàn 赚 Verb le 了 Function word wǔ 五 Other yì 亿 Pattern sānqiān 三千 Other wàn 万 Pattern
This movie earned 530 million — 五亿三千万, where both 亿 and 万 split the number.
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 10,000 isn't “ten thousand” — it's its own unit, 万. Say 一万 (one wàn), never 十千. This is the first habit to break.
Why it happens: Past 万 you keep scaling in tens-of-thousands, not thousands. 100,000 is 十万 (“ten wàn”), not 一百千. Whenever you'd reach for another 千 above 9,999, switch to counting 万s.
Why it happens: A gap inside a big number needs 零. 一万五 actually reads as 15,000 (shorthand for 一万五千); for 10,005 you must say the zero — 一万零五. Same 零 rule as smaller numbers, higher stakes.
Compare & contrast
| The old unit, maxed out | The new unit kicks in | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 九千jiǔqiān = 9,000 | 一万yīwàn = 10,000 | 九千 = 9,000 is the largest you can say with 千. One more and you cross into a new unit: 一万 = 10,000. The jump happens at four digits. |
| 九千万jiǔqiānwàn = 90,000,000 | 一亿yīyì = 100,000,000 | 九千万 = 90,000,000 is as far as the 万 series reaches (千万 = ten-millions). One more and 亿 begins: 一亿 = 100,000,000 — the same jump, four digits later. |
Try it yourself
Write 53,000 in Chinese — tap the pieces into order.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
Big Numbers in Chinese: 万 (10,000) and 亿 (100 Million) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.