How to remember the symbols for Chinese numbers one to ten

I am learnin Chinese. It is slow progress. Yesterday I spoke to my friend Shan-Shan (which means mountains - you double for plurals in Chinese and Malay). I asked her to translate a saying which sombody muttered to her in Chinese. She asked, "Are you learning Chinese?

I replied - I told her, "Yes. I'm learning Chinese. I should be fluent to the year 3000!"

However, I get a great sense of achievement from learning a new word, or finding that a word which seemed hard and impossible to remember a year ago has at last become clear and memorable. i remember my delight on seeing the numbers one to three written in Chinese, horizontal lines, so easy to remember.

Chinese numerals from Wikipedia. The Arabic numerals zero to nine are the top line. We use one and zero for ten.

The Roman numerals one to ten are third.

The Chinese numerals zero to nine are last.

Chinese Numbers
The symbols for one, two and three are easy.
One horizontal line is one.
Two horizontal lines means two. Note that the lines are a smaller one on top of a larger one.

Number three is three horizontal lines. Looks like a sandwich. The base line is biggest. The top line is smaller. The filling is smallest.

Four is easy. A square, Likes a window with curtains making two little boxes top right and left.

Five looks a bit like a running five. The hat is blowing back in the wind. So are all three horizontals. As usual, a big base line, with the winkle picker shoe pointing forward, goes right across under the drawing.

Six. Think of the upright neck and two arms as three. underneath the two legs seaprated divide the lower area into three. That makes six.

Seven looks like a continental 7 with a central line to distinguish it fron one, turned upside down.

Eight is two circles written in a hurry. Just the legs of the upper half.

Nine is like ten but it hasn't made ten, it is running towards ten. the upright slopes backwards. the front is like a running foot, sticking up.

Ten is the plus sign, solid, very pleased with itself.

Children in schools learn the signs by learning to write them and copying them many times. They have to draw each sign within a square. I learned that from the book Chineasy. Drawing makes you notice whether the lines are straight or curved, left or right, short or long.

Where will you see these numbers?

Chinese restaurants.
In Chinatowns in the UK in London, Manchester and almost every high street in Britain.
In the USA in Chinatown in New York and San Francisco and many major cities.
In China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Chinese restaurants in Malaysia, Chinese areas of most Asian major cities and in airport hotels and upmarket hotels.

Take away Chinese shops. Chinese goods in supermarkets.

CHINESE calendars.


Chinese Flag

China
China introduced revised and simpler characters.

Hong Kong.

Taiwan.


Singapore.

Japan
Japan uses the same signs as China, like 'no smoking signs' in Europe. What you say is different in each country, but the signs are the same.

Japanese flag.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_numerals
http://www.alfabetos.net/japanese/japanese-numbers/learn-japanese-numbers-ordinals.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chineasy

About the author. Angela Lansbury is a teacher, trainer and author. Please share links to your favourite posts..

Argentina and More Latin Words And Numbers And A Mistake I Made

I was telling a member of my family that the country name Argentina comes from the Latin for silver. They pointed out that the place name Costa Dorada comes from the Latin for gold, which is aurum. The Au is then written in many languages as O.

D comes from de meaning of.

Easy to see the origin of the word gold in several languages, Spanish, French, Catalan, Romanian, Albanian, Malay.

Chocolates called d'or mean of gold.

Costa Duarada
Spanish gold coast, comes from the Latin aurum.

Easier to remember than words are the numbers.

Numbers
Look at the Latin inscriptions on Roman ruins and learn the numbers so you can read the birth  and death dates, or ages, of the deceased. Check the date of the inscription.

Even a modern building often has the date written in Roman numerals. That is handy. It saves muddling dates with house numbers which are written in Arabic numerals.

Once I looked at a house in the USA. I said to the family, "That house was built in 1804."
My family replied, "And the next one was built in 1806, the one after that in 1808."

Wiki answers everything, sometimes in too much detail.

Cardinal numerals[edit]

The cardinal numerals are the ordinary numbers used for counting ordinary nouns ('one', 'two', 'three' and so on):

1	I	ūnus, ūna, ūnum	11	XI	ūndecim	21	XXI	vīgintī et ūnus	101	CI	centum et ūnus
2	II	duo, duae, duo	12	XII	duodecim	22	XXII	vīgintī et duo	200	CC	ducentī, ducentae, ducenta
3	III	trēs, tria	13	XIII	trēdecim	30	XXX	trīgintā	300	CCC	trecentī, trecentae, trecenta
4	IV	quattuor	14	XIV	quattuordecim	40	XL	quadrāgintā	400	CD	quadringentī, quadringentae, quadringenta
5	V	quīnque	15	XV	quīndecim	50	L	quīnquāgintā	500	D	quīngentī, quīngentae, quīngenta
6	VI	sex	16	XVI	sēdecim	60	LX	sexāgintā	600	DC	sescentī, sescentae, sescenta
7	VII	septem	17	XVII	septendecim	70	LXX	septuāgintā	700	DCC	septingentī, septingentae, septingenta
8	VIII	octō	18	XVIII	duodēvīgintī	80	LXXX	octōgintā	800	DCCC	octingentī, octingentae, octingenta
9	IX	novem	19	XIX	ūndēvīgintī	90	XC	nōnāgintā	900	CM	nōngentī, nōngentae, nōngenta
10	X	decem	20	XX	vīgintī	100	C	centum	1000	M	mīlle

I often refer to simple wiki.

https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/latin-word-for

About The Author
Angela Lansbury B A Hons
I am a teacher of English and other languages. I teach business English, bilingual meet and greet, telephone courtesy, and more to colleges and businesses.
See my posts on other languages and share links to your favourite posts.

How To Learn Chinese Numbers

Where can you see Chinese numbers?

Flag of China.

In China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore.

Flag of Singapore.

But also in Japan which uses the same symbols.

Japanese flag.

Plus of course in Chinese restaurants worldwide. Such as in the USA.

And in the UK.









And websites.

The Chinese numbers one to three and ten are easy, just like the Roman numerals but turned sideways.

The Roman numersals one to three are 1 11 111. Ten is X.

Chinese one is a horizontal line.
Chinese two is two horizontal lines, one above the other.
Chinese three is three horizontal lines.

Chinese ten is like a cross or plus sign. +

You can now read 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13.

How often will you see these if you don't know anything else? Surprisingly often. Look at the sign on a dooway or website giving the opening hours or dates of an event in English and you can see the equivalent in the Chinese.

Sometimes you see only the Chinese. If it's lunchtime and the sign is about opening or closing times and the times. If it is the first three days of the month, you can recognize the date. If you have a 24 hour clock you can read some signs.

Now that you have learned several easy numbers, you might have the confidence to learn some more and be interested in doing so.

Useful Websites
Free Chinese course on the internet
Duolingo.com
singaporeairlines.com
https://holidays.singaporeair.com/en-uk/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Learn To Read Chinese - First steps - one, two, three and ten

Problem
I ran around bookshops in Singapore, adult sections, children's sections, language sections, trying to find a children's book which would teach me a few signs in Chinese.

Solutions
The four solutions were
the internet
placemats
Chineasy
Duolingo and similar language course - harder.

Simplest signs - numbers
The numbers one, two, three, are like Roman numerals turned sideways. Roman numerals for one and two and three are parallel vertical lines.
I
II
III
Chinese signs for one, two and three are horizontal lines.

Look closely at the Chinese sign for two and you'll see the lowest line is wider, which is the same in many Chinese characters. the Chinese think a wide base line gives a pleasing sense of balance, like a building which won't fall over.

Look closely at the three and you'll see the middle line is slightly smaller, like the filling of a sandwich is hidden by the larger pieces above and below. But to recognize the signs, it's eough to remember the Roman numerals hint.

The Chinese make the sign for ten by placing their right index finger (fingernail showing) over  their left index finger (fingernail underneath).

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Orchard Hotel, Orchard Road grand clock

The grand clock in the lobby of Orchard Hotel .

How To Learn Chinese Numbers zero and 1-10: Elizabeth II, WWII, Sixth Avenue, Henry VIII

Problems
Why do we need numbers? We need them when shopping. We need to read prices in the supermarket or market, read the signs, understand when the price is said.

We see Roman signs a lot in English. Queen Elizabeth 1. Queen Elizabeth II. In the newspaper we read about Queen Elizabeth II. In the history books we read about Henry VIII, and in the art galleries. At the theatre we see Shakespeare's plays Henry IV and Henry V.

I tried Google Translate. Then I tried asking on Facebook where I have lots of Chinese speaking friends from Toastmasters International clubs in Singapore.

Two is a double horizontal line. Here the top line is slightly smaller than the lower line.

英国女王伊丽莎白二世

Queen of England 英国女王
Elizabeth 伊丽莎白
THE 2ND 二世


We slso have the Arabic numerals on calendars and car number plates.

In Chinese the numbers are on calendars in hotels and restaurants. If you've forgotten the date, in China you can check with their calendar. What if it's wrong? You might even spot the calendar is wrong and tell somebody.

Here's a Chinese calendar for 2017 from Wikipedia. After learning the numbers 1-10, you can start to recognize some numbers. Looking at a calendar, you realise it would be helpful to know the numbers 1-31 in any language you are learning, as well as the year.

The Chinese also use numbers in names. Number one son.

Streets are named with dates and numbers. In Singapore there's an MRT station called Sixth Avenue. I recognised the number six on the station platform. You could do the same.

1 I learned the numbers using Duolingo. I learned them years ago, went back, and I'd forgotten them.
2 I couldn't tell the differentce bewetween the sound for four and ten.
3 I couldn't work out which number was yuan.
4 The numbers seven and nine looked the same.
5 Duolingo doesn't teach the numbers in order, but randomly.
6 On Duolingo I assumed all the numbers were one to ten. I didn't realise they included zero.

I shall look at the numbers in order, starting with the easy ones.
For reference, here's what Wikipedia says:

 Listen to audio (help·info)

• 0: 〇 (零)： líng
• 1: 一 (壹) yī
• 2: 二 (Traditional:貳) èr
• 3: 三 (Traditional:參) sān
• 4: 四 (肆) sì
• 5: 五 (伍) wǔ
• 6: 六 (Traditional:陸) liù
• 7: 七 (柒) qī
• 8: 八 (捌) bā
• 9: 九 (玖) jiǔ
• 10: 十 (拾) shí
• 100: 百 (佰) bǎi
• 1,000: 千 (仟) qiān
• 10,000: 万 (萬) wàn (1'0000)
• 100,000: 十万 (萬) shíwàn (10'0000)
• 1,000,000: 一百万 (萬) yībǎi wàn (100'0000)
• 100,000,000: Traditional 一亿 (億) yīyì (1'0000'0000)
• 1,000,000,000,000: 一兆 yīzhào (1'0000'0000'0000)

The symbols in brackets are the complex and formal forms, which are used mainly in notarized, official documents, and when writing checks. An exception is zero; the complex form is much more widely used than a casual circle. The complex forms are known in English as banker's anti-fraud numerals, in Chinese as 大寫 dàxiě (which is the same term for "capital letter"). They are necessary because, since normal Chinese characters are so simple, a forger could easily change 三十 to 五千 with just three strokes. See Standard numbers for more information.

This time I shall start with zero because that is in the Duolingo lessons.

ZERO

Zero visual Chinese writing symbol

Zero, surprisingly, is not simple, like the zero we use, a simple circle, just the opposite, lots of little lines. My memory aid is: I have zero time to learn all those lines! 

Zero sound

The word is ling. You would have to linger longer to learn to write that. But I have zero time. Ting-a-ling, open the cash register. I, the cashier, counted the money and you now owe me zero so I'll open the cash register, ting-a-LING!

ONE to THREE in Chinese Characters - Visuals

One to three or one, two, three.  What a funny pun.

One is easy, one horizontal line. It's like the Roman one, fallen over like a tombstone because it is so old.

Two is similarly two horizontal lines. Like the roman two but sideways.

Three is similarly three horizontal lines. Like the Roman three but sideways.

One to three in Chinese - the sounds.

ee er san

One to three - The Spelling

Yi but a silent y.

Ten looks like a Roman ten which is an X but topped over like a T with a spike on top. think of it as a cross or a plus sign. Plus ten.

Now, where can you test yourself?

USEFUL WEBSITES
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/2JvHmk3/chinese-numbers

Video starting with zero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ow3SXtz5i4

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Learn Numbers One To Ten In Chinese and You'll Know Three Tones

The first line is the Arabic notation which we use in English, starting with zero. Ten is one followed by zero. 

Roman numerals are third row down.  Four is the V for five, with the prefix of one on the left, for subtract one. Five is a V. For six you have five and one. Nine is ten minus one. Ten is X (pronounced ex).

The Chinese are the seventh or last row, starting with zero. 

Problems
1 REMEMBERING SAYING NUMBERS
I can't remember the numbers one to ten in Chinese (Mandarin).

2 WHICH TONES ?
I don't know the Chinese tones.

3 FOUR OR TEN?
When taxi drivers or others tell me the numbers I can't tell the difference between four (si) and ten (si)/shi which sounds like see or sir or she sher both times - and, even if I can tell, I afterwards forget which is which!

4 RECOGNIZING SYMBOLS
NUMBERS 1-3
I can easily recognise the numbers one to three when I see them. They look like Roman numerals turned sideways. However, I forget all the others, four to ten.

Answers
Today for the first time I looked at the accents on the numbers, as well as listening, and thought, I can tackle this, so long as I do it slowly and methodically. Not only that, I will have other skills.

1 TONES
I will find it easy to remember and reproduce at least three of the Chinese tones! Just think of the numbers one to ten to get the tones right.
Listen to the sounds and look at the accents on the words.

2 RECOGNIZING SYMBOLS - CALENDARS
The numbers are also used for days of the week. So I will be able to recognize days of the week on calendars. If I keep looking at calendars, I can remind myself of the numbers.

Wikipedia is very enlightening. It told me that
3 CHINES FOUR SYMBOL IS CURTAINS, DEATH
Americans often refer to 9/11, for September 11th (attack on twin towers, New York). The Chinese refer to 6/4, June 4, also month then day, for the Tianmen Square event in Beijing.

Looking at the symbol for four, in 6/4, it's easy to remember the four-sided square window and the curtains, curtains being a metaphor for death, and death sounding like four in Chinese, which makes four an unlucky or inauspicious number.

Let's start with remembering the symbols for each of the numbers one to ten.

Again, Wikipedia is very enlightening.

In an old 'rod' symbolism for numbers, sometimes used on boards in markets in places such as Hong Kong, the symbol T is used for five/six?, and Roman verticals would be 11, 12, 13 and so on. So watch out for that. Before paying, be sure whether you are being asked for 3 or 13.

5-10
FIVE The Chinese symbol for five looks like our five (English from Arabic) in line one of the chart, but squared off with a flat line at the top, a slight angle coming down, and a line at the base. Alternatively, think of it as a T and a B; say 'great to be five'.

SIX (Sign on Sixth Avenue on Downtown line, Singapore; six men strolling down sixth avenue)

SEVEN - Easy the Chinese for seven looks like an upside down seven symbol.

EIGHT ('Ba ba black sheep,' as the nurserty rhyme says, looks like a frowning sheep with half an eyebrow on the right eye.)

NINE

TEN (Looks like a plus sign or a Roman ten which is an x rotated)


TONES
(From Simple Wikipedia. For clarity, I have inserted spaces and repeated some words.)

In Mandarin, the sentence ma ma ma ma (麻媽罵馬) includes four different words. If numbers identify the tones, they can be written ma2 ma1 ma4 ma3, which means 

"the hemp's 

mother 

scolds 

(the) horse." 

Some ways of romanization write each tone with a different spelling; ma2 ma1 ma4 ma3 in Pinyin would be written ma mha mah maa in Gwoyeu Romatzyh romanization. Most use numbers or accent marks 

(mā má mǎ mà in Pinyin). 

mā 

má 

mǎ 

mà 

There is a poem called Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den (施氏食獅史). It has 92 characters; all read the same way in Mandarin ("shi") but with different tones.

Mandarin does not have many syllables: the words for "mother," "hemp," "horse," "scold," and a word put at the end of sentences to make it a question are all pronounced "ma:"

• "Mother" is "ma" that is high and level.
• "Hemp" is "ma" that starts low and ends high.
• "Horse" is "ma" that starts fairly high, dips very low, and then goes back up again.
• "Scold" is "ma" that starts high and ends low.
• To make a question, "ma" is added at the end, but it is kept very soft and short and about the same level.

Mandarin has "first tone," "second tone," "third tone," "fourth tone," and "neutral tone." Other Chinese dialects have more tones, some as many as 12.

More later. I shall be adding to this as time permits.

Useful Websites:
You tube video on numbers 1-10, by a jolly Chinese girl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOAvfeu6APE
The same girl teaches you to say: I speak a little Chinese.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A-le2mGfco

To travel to a place with Chinese speakers:
UK
Many Chinese restaurants, one in every city, one or two in most high streets. They might speak Cantonese (from Hong Kong) but the symbols on the menu and prices are likely to be the same.
Chinatowns in London and Manchester.
Also Japanese restaurants in London using the same symbols.
visitbritain.org
visitengland.com
visitlondon.com

USA
Chinatowns in major cities.
visittheusa.co.uk

CANADA
Large Chinatowns in major cities including Vancouver.

SINGAPORE
Mandarin is one of the four main languages and taught in schools. Many people speak Singlish, or might speak other dialects at home, Cantonese or another from southern China.
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com

CHINA - Beijing, and officially everywhere Mandarin taught in schools. Chinese symbols.

TAIWAN - Taiwanese.

JAPAN - Uses the same written language (symbols) as Chinese.
https://us.jnto.go.jp/
seejapan.co.uk

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Learn Chinese with Duolingu Flashcards

Problem
How do you learn Chinese?
Answers
At last Duolingo, from which I have been learning German and Italian, has started Chinese. I just discovered the Duolingo flashcards.

Story
I've been living in Singapore on and off for twenty years but still can't put together a sentence. I really want to start.
What do I know? The easy first three numbers which I learned from a children's placemat. The numbers start like the Roman numerals but horizontal. One is a horizontal line. Two is two parallel hormonal lines. Three is three parallel horizontal lines.

Chinese Numbers
Chinese is similar to Roman numerals which have one as an upright line, two as two parallel upright lines, three as three parallel upright lines. Just imagine the Roman numerals are bowing to the East.

The number ten is also like the Roman ten. The Chinese ten is a cross with a horizontal and a vertical. (The Roman ten has turned the cross slightly clockwise into an X.)

Tips
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/237da03b-f290-4d86-80ac-f50f5d37842d (the page with the Chinese numbers)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker, teacher of English and languages.

Pinner's Coffin In The Sky inscriptions and Roman numerals

This inscription on the front of the coffin in the sky is hard to read.

You have to translate the date in Roman numerals. Here's a reminder
I 0ne
II Two
III Three
IV Four (five minus one - anything left of five is minus, whilst to the right of the symbol is plus)
V Five
VI Six
VII seven
VIII Eight
IX nine
X ten
XII eleven
L Fifty
C One hundred
D Five hundred
M One thousand
See Wiipedia roman_numerals