The hundred square
Chinese numbers 1 to 100
Once you know 一 to 十, the rest of the first hundred follows three patterns, and only 一百 at the end needs anything new.
1-100 chart, one A4 page
Characters and pinyin for every number, ready to print or pin up.
Download the PDFJade: the tens. Persimmon: the numbers most often written wrong on tests.
The three patterns
11 to 19: ten, then the digit
十一 shíyī is "ten one", 十九 shíjiǔ "ten nine". No 一 goes in front of the 十 when it starts the number.
The tens: a digit times ten
二十 èrshí, 三十 sānshí up to 九十 jiǔshí. The digit comes first and multiplies. Twenty is 二十; 两 does not go before 十.
21 to 99: tens, then units
四十七 sìshíqī is "four ten seven". In pinyin the whole number is one word, as GB/T 16159-2012 writes every number from 11 to 99.
100: the 一 comes back
A hundred is 一百 yībǎi, not a bare 百. The same goes for 一千 and 一万. Only ten drops its one, and only at the start of a number.
Where learners slip
- Reversing 12 and 20. 十二 and 二十 use the same two characters. Read the order: digit before 十 multiplies, digit after adds.
- Writing 一十 for 10 to 19. Correct inside 110 (一百一十), wrong on its own.
- Mixing 四 and 十. 四十四 sìshísì (44) is a fair test of both the consonants and the tones.
- Forgetting the apostrophe. shí'èr, sānshí'èr: pinyin marks the break before èr inside a word.
Beyond a hundred the new ideas are 零 for an empty place and counting in 万. Both are on the big numbers page.
Questions from learners and teachers
How do you say 100 in Chinese?
一百 yībǎi. It needs its 一, unlike 10, which is a bare 十. The next numbers are 一百零一 (101), with 零 standing in for the empty tens place, and 一百一十 (110), where the ten keeps its 一 because it sits inside a bigger number.
What is the difference between 十二 and 二十?
十二 is twelve, ten followed by two; 二十 is twenty, two tens. The digit before 十 multiplies and the digit after adds, so the order of the same two characters gives two different numbers. It is the most common mistake on a 1 to 100 test, and the worksheet generator includes one of the pair on most 1 to 100 sheets.
Is 21 二十一 or 两十一?
二十一 (èrshíyī). 两 is not used before 十, so every number from 20 to 29 starts 二十. 两 belongs before measure words and, at the start of a number, before 百, 千 and 万.
Is there a printable 1 to 100 chart?
Yes, one A4 page with every number from 1 to 100 in figures, characters and pinyin, ten to a row, with the tens and the numbers learners mix up picked out. It is the download button beside the heading on this page and beside the worksheet generator on the printable page.