Numbers
Chinese Tones
Each Chinese sound has a tone. There are 4 main tones in Chinese.
1st tone is a flat sound- listen to the number one to hear it
2nd tone is a rising sound- listen to the number ten to hear it
3rd tone is a dipping sound- listen to the number nine to hear it
4th tone is a falling sounds- listen to the number six to hear it
How do I count past 10?
Counting in Chinese is easy! To count past ten, just say 10-1 for eleven, 10-2 for twelve to count into the teens. When you reach 20, you can say 2 - 10 to twenty, 2-10-1 for twenty one, 2-10-2 for twenty two, and so forth.
So how would you say 78? 7-10-8 (qi-shi-ba)
By learning the numbers 1 through 10, you can count from 1 to 99!
Handouts
To help learn the numbers, here is a set of flash cards that can be downloaded and printed. Cut out the numbers and use them to learn the numbers.
Activities
Practice counting from 1 to 10 several times.
Click on "How do I count past 10" to learn more! Once you are able to count 1 to 10, try counting to 20. After you have mastered the numbers, you will be able to count to 99 with no problems.