Cantonese Numbers 1 to 10 (and 0 to 100) With Jyutping Tones

Cantonese numbers 0 to 10: the table

Cantonese uses the same Chinese characters for numbers as Mandarin, but the sounds are different, and Cantonese has six tones instead of four. The table gives each number in Jyutping, the romanization used by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong and by most modern courses, and in Yale, the older system you will still see in many textbooks and phrasebooks.

Two spelling warnings. In Jyutping, j is the English "y" sound, so jat1 is "yat" and ji6 is "yee". And c is "ch", so cat1 (seven) is "chat", not the English word cat. The Yale column shows the same sounds with y and ch, which is why it looks more natural to English eyes but is less consistent for the rest of the language.

Reading the tone numbers

The digit after each Jyutping syllable is the tone. Cantonese has six, and the numbers 0 to 10 happen to include an example of every one, which makes them the best possible tone practice set.

Syllables that end in p, t or k (一, 六, 七, 八, 十) are "clipped": the final consonant is not released, so the syllable stops short. That is why 十 sap6 sounds like "sup" cut off, not "sup-puh". These clipped syllables only ever take tones 1, 3 or 6.

Tones are not decoration. 四 sei3 (four) and 死 sei2 (to die) differ only in tone, and so do 九 gau2 (nine) and 狗 gau2 (dog), which are identical. Say the numbers with the tones from day one and you will avoid a lot of laughter in restaurants.

Two words for two: 二 ji6 and 兩 loeng5

This is the rule that separates people who have studied Cantonese from people who have looked at a list. 二 ji6 is the number two when you are counting, reading digits or building larger numbers: 十二 sap6 ji6 (12), 二十 ji6 sap6 (20), phone numbers, room numbers. 兩 loeng5 is "two" when you are counting things with a measure word: 兩個人 loeng5 go3 jan4 (two people), 兩杯 loeng5 bui1 (two cups), 兩蚊 loeng5 man1 (two dollars).

So a table for two is 兩位 loeng5 wai2, never 二位. But bus number 2 is 二號 ji6 hou6. The same split exists in Mandarin (èr and liǎng), so if you already know that rule, it carries over.

Cantonese numbers 11 to 100

Everything above ten is built from the pieces you already have. Eleven is "ten one", twenty is "two ten", twenty-one is "two ten one". There are no new words to learn until 百 baak3 (hundred).

Two things to notice. First, the order matters: 十四 sap6 sei3 is 14 (ten four) and 四十 sei3 sap6 is 40 (four ten). Second, spoken Cantonese has contracted forms for the tens: 廿 jaa6 for twenty and 卅 saa1 aa6 for thirty. You will hear 廿一 jaa6 jat1 for 21 far more often than the full 二十一, and you will see 廿 on menus and calendars.

Counting things and money

Like all Chinese languages, Cantonese puts a measure word between the number and the noun. The general-purpose one is 個 go3, and if you only learn one, learn that. A few others come up constantly with numbers:

• 個 go3: general, and for people. 三個人 saam1 go3 jan4, three people.
• 位 wai2: polite measure word for people. 幾多位？ gei2 do1 wai2? How many in your party? 兩位 loeng5 wai2, two.
• 杯 bui1: cups and glasses. 一杯奶茶 jat1 bui1 naai5 caa4, one milk tea.
• 碗 wun2: bowls. 一碗飯 jat1 wun2 faan6, one bowl of rice.
• 蚊 man1: dollars in speech. 十蚊 sap6 man1, ten dollars. (The formal written word is 元 jyun4.)
• 歲 seoi3: years of age. 十歲 sap6 seoi3, ten years old.
• 號 hou6: number, as in bus routes, room numbers and dates. 八號 baat3 hou6, number 8, or the 8th of the month.

Prices in Hong Kong are said with 蚊 for dollars and 毫 hou4 for ten-cent units: 三蚊半 saam1 man1 bun3 is $3.50, 十二蚊 sap6 ji6 man1 is $12.

Example sentences

• 我要一杯奶茶。 ngo5 jiu3 jat1 bui1 naai5 caa4. I want one milk tea.
• 兩位，唔該。 loeng5 wai2, m4 goi1. Two people, please. (At a restaurant door.)
• 呢個幾多錢？ ni1 go3 gei2 do1 cin2? How much is this one?
• 十蚊。 sap6 man1. Ten dollars.
• 我今年三十歲。 ngo5 gam1 nin4 saam1 sap6 seoi3. I am thirty this year.
• 我有三個細路。 ngo5 jau5 saam1 go3 sai3 lou6. I have three kids.
• 搭六號巴士。 daap3 luk6 hou6 baa1 si2. Take the number 6 bus.
• 我嘅電話係九八七六五四三二。 ngo5 ge3 din6 waa2 hai6 gau2 baat3 cat1 luk6 ng5 sei3 saam1 ji6. My phone number is 9876 5432. (Digits are read one at a time.)

Lucky and unlucky numbers

Cantonese has a lot of near-homophones, and number superstitions in Hong Kong and Guangdong are built on them.

• 八 baat3 (8) sounds like 發 faat3, "to prosper". Car plates, phone numbers and flat numbers with lots of eights sell at a premium.
• 四 sei3 (4) sounds like 死 sei2, "to die". Many Hong Kong buildings skip the 4th, 14th, 24th and sometimes every floor with a four in it. 14 is worst of all, because 十四 sap6 sei3 sounds like 實死 sat6 sei2, "certain death".
• 九 gau2 (9) sounds like 久 gau2, "long-lasting", so it is good for anniversaries and relationships.
• 二 ji6 (2) sounds like 易 ji6, "easy", which is why 28 ("easy to prosper") is a favourite combination and 24 is avoided.
• 三 saam1 (3) sounds like 生 saang1, "life" or "to grow", and is generally positive.

You do not have to believe any of this, but if you are choosing a table, a gift or a date with Cantonese speakers, avoiding fours costs nothing.

Hand signs for 1 to 10

In wet markets and noisy restaurants, Cantonese speakers often show numbers with one hand, using a set of signs shared across the Chinese-speaking world. One to five are the fingers you would expect. Six to ten are the ones worth learning:

• 6: thumb and little finger extended, the other three folded (the "hang loose" sign).
• 7: thumb, index and middle finger pinched together at the tips.
• 8: thumb and index finger extended, like a sideways L or a pistol.
• 9: index finger extended and hooked.
• 10: a closed fist, or the two index fingers crossed to make the character 十.

Cantonese vs Mandarin numbers

The characters are identical, so anything written works in both. The sounds are not, and nothing will get you a blank look faster than saying Mandarin numbers in Hong Kong.

One useful difference: Mandarin changes the tone of 一 in front of other syllables (yì, yí). Cantonese does not. 一 is jat1 every time, which makes it one less thing to think about.

Mistakes learners make

• Reading Jyutping like English. j is "y" and c is "ch". Seven is "chat", two is "yee".
• Using 二 ji6 with a measure word. Two coffees is 兩杯 loeng5 bui1, not 二杯.
• Ignoring the tone on 五 ng5. It is a rising tone on a syllable with no vowel. Flat "ng" sounds like a grunt. Many Hong Kong speakers say it as m5, which is also fine.
• Releasing the final consonant. 十 sap6 and 六 luk6 stop dead. Adding a puff of air after the p or k makes them sound like two syllables.
• Getting 14 and 40 backwards. 十四 (ten four) is 14; 四十 (four ten) is 40. Same for every other pair.
• Saying four where you could say something else. Not a language mistake, but if you are picking seats or giving a gift, avoid it.

How to remember them

Use the fact that these eleven syllables cover all six tones and learn them as a tone drill: say 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 in a steady rhythm every day, exaggerating the pitch of each one. For the sounds, a few hooks help: 三 saam1 sounds like "Sam"; 四 sei3 is "say"; 九 gau2 is "gow" like "cow"; 七 cat1 is "chat"; 十 sap6 is "sup". Then practise 兩 loeng5 by ordering two of something every single time you eat out: 兩杯 loeng5 bui1, 兩碗 loeng5 wun2, 兩位 loeng5 wai2. The word for two with a measure word is the habit that marks a real learner.

Also useful

• Cantonese for beginners: where to start and what to skip.
• Basic Cantonese words: the first 100 words after the numbers.
• Cantonese greetings: nei5 hou2 and the ones people actually use.
• Common Cantonese phrases: full sentences for ordering, asking and paying.