Chinese Numbers: How to Count from 0 to 100, and When to Use 二 and 两

Quick Scan

• Start with 零 to 十, then build 11–99 as “tens + ones.”
• 100 is 一百. In 101, the tens place is empty, so add 零.
• Count and read 12, 20, or 22 with 二, not 两.
• Before a measure word, 两 is the usual choice: 两个人, 两本书.
• Before 百, 千, or 万, both 二百 / 两百 and 二千 / 两千 are used. Do not treat only one form as the only correct answer.
• In speech, 一 often changes tone: 一百 is commonly read yì bǎi, while the final 一 in 一百零一 stays yī.

First, the digits 0 to 10

Learn the numbers 0 to 10 and their pinyin before you try larger numbers. When you count them one by one, 一 keeps its dictionary tone yī.

零 is the ordinary word for zero in numbers such as 101. You will also see the symbol 〇 in some printed dates and forms; for reading numbers aloud in this lesson, use 零.

A short practice: say 零、一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十 slowly, then again a little faster, always in this order. 四 (sì) and 十 (shí) can sound close at first: 四 starts with s, 十 with sh, and 四 is a falling fourth tone while 十 is a rising second tone.

How 11 to 99 are built

From 11 to 19, put the ones digit after 十:

• 11 十一 shí yī
• 12 十二 shí èr
• 13 十三 shí sān
• 19 十九 shí jiǔ

From 20 upward, name the tens first, then the ones if there is a remainder:

• 20 二十 èr shí
• 21 二十一 èr shí yī
• 22 二十二 èr shí èr
• 30 三十 sān shí
• 42 四十二 sì shí èr
• 99 九十九 jiǔ shí jiǔ

The pattern is stable: 四十二 is “four tens and two,” not a new word you have to memorize for 42. In 12, 20, and 22, the digit 2 is 二. 十两, 两十, or 两十两 are not standard readings.

When 一 is the last digit of a number, as in 十一 or 二十一, it stays yī. That is different from 一 in front of a measure word, which often changes tone.

100, and why 101 needs 零

100 is 一百. In connected speech this is commonly yì bǎi: here, before 百 (bǎi), 一 is often read with a fourth tone. Dictionaries still list the citation form yī bǎi.

In 101, the tens place between 百 and 一 is empty, so the usual reading inserts 零:

• 101 一百零一 yì bǎi líng yī

The last 一 in 一百零一 stays yī, because it is the ones digit at the end of the number.

In 120 and 123, the tens place is not empty, so you do not insert 零:

• 120 一百二十 yì bǎi èr shí
• 123 一百二十三 yì bǎi èr shí sān

In casual speech, some people shorten 120 to 一百二, or 150 to 一百五, when the number stands alone. The full form 一百二十 is always clear, and it is the safer form to practice first.

Chinese also groups large numbers by 万 (wàn, ten thousand), so 10,000 is 一万, not a word built from “ten thousand” in the English way. That system matters later; you do not need it to count to 100.

When 2 is 二, and when it is 两

二 (èr) and 两 (liǎng) both mean 2, but they are not interchangeable in every position. The traditional form of 两 is 兩; the examples below use simplified characters.

Use 二 when you are:

• counting digits: 一、二、三
• reading 12, 20, or 22: 十二、二十、二十二
• making an ordinal or a labeled position: 第二 (dì èr, second), 二月 (èr yuè, February), 二楼 (èr lóu, second floor)
• reading a decimal or a fraction: 零点二 (líng diǎn èr, 0.2), 三分之二 (sān fēn zhī èr, two-thirds), 二点五 (èr diǎn wǔ, 2.5)

Use 两 when you mean “two of something,” usually before a measure word:

• 两个人 liǎng ge rén (two people)
• 两本书 liǎng běn shū (two books)
• 两点 liǎng diǎn (two o’clock)

The original tone of 个 is gè (fourth tone), but in this measure-word position it is often a neutral tone, written ge. This lesson therefore writes liǎng ge rén, not liǎng gè rén.

两点 for clock time and 二点五 for the decimal 2.5 look similar in English, but they are different patterns. The 点 in 两点 behaves like a measure word for the hour; the 点 in 二点五 is the decimal point.

Before 百, 千, and 万, both 二 and 两 are used. 二百 and 两百 can both be 200; 二千 and 两千 can both be 2,000. Everyday speech often favors 两 before 千 and 万, and you will hear both 二百 and 两百.

A note on the tone of 一

一 is yī when you say it alone, when you count 一、二、三, and when it sits at the end of a number, as in 十一 or 一百零一.

In many other phrases it changes tone:

• before a fourth-tone syllable, it is often yí, as in 一次 (yí cì)
• before a first-, second-, or third-tone syllable, it is often yì, as in 一天 (yì tiān), 一年 (yì nián), and 一百 (yì bǎi)

These are regular spoken patterns, not a second meaning of the character. If a dictionary shows yī, it is giving the citation tone; the forms above are what you are more likely to hear in a complete number or phrase.

Practice

Read each item aloud, then check the key. If two answers are marked as acceptable, either one is fine.

1. Read 0 to 10 in order, with pinyin.
2. Write and read 17, 20, 22, 48, and 99.
3. Write and read 100, 101, and 120.
4. Fill in 二 or 两: ___ people; the number 22; 第___层楼; 2.5; ___ o’clock.
5. Say whether 两百 can be used for 200.

Suggested answers:

1. 零 líng，一 yī，二 èr，三 sān，四 sì，五 wǔ，六 liù，七 qī，八 bā，九 jiǔ，十 shí

2. 十七 shí qī；二十 èr shí；二十二 èr shí èr；四十八 sì shí bā；九十九 jiǔ shí jiǔ

3. 一百 yì bǎi；一百零一 yì bǎi líng yī；一百二十 yì bǎi èr shí

4. 两个人；二十二；第二层楼；二点五；两点

5. Yes. 两百 and 二百 are both used.

If an item felt uncertain, go back to the matching section and say a few nearby numbers in the same pattern, rather than only repeating the one you missed.

References

These pages were used to check pronunciation and usage.

• 一百, Wiktionary — citation form and the common spoken reading yì bǎi
• Appendix on the tone changes of 一 and 不, Wiktionary
• Two in Chinese: 两 or 二, Numbers in Chinese
• Numerals, Chingram