Be warned: Hindi numbers are one of the hardest parts of the language, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling a course. In Spanish, once you know veinte and uno, you can build veintiuno. Hindi does not work that way. Nearly every number from 1 to 100 has its own form that must be learned individually.
There is a pattern, though, and it makes the task far less frightening than it looks.
| Digit | Hindi | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · १ | एक | ek |
| 2 · २ | दो | do |
| 3 · ३ | तीन | teen |
| 4 · ४ | चार | chaar |
| 5 · ५ | पाँच | paanch |
| 6 · ६ | छह | chhah |
| 7 · ७ | सात | saat |
| 8 · ८ | आठ | aath |
| 9 · ९ | नौ | nau |
| 10 · १० | दस | das |
These ten words carry the whole system. Learn them cold:
10 दस das · 20 बीस bees · 30 तीस tees · 40 चालीस chaalees · 50 पचास pachaas · 60 साठ saath · 70 सत्तर sattar · 80 अस्सी assee · 90 नब्बे nabbe · 100 सौ sau
Numbers between the tens follow a loose rule: the unit comes first, then a squashed version of the ten. It is the reverse of English.
The endings are reliable. Anything in the twenties ends -ees, the thirties -tees, the forties -aalees. So even when you cannot recall a number exactly, you can usually tell which ten it belongs to — and in real conversation that is often enough to follow along.
Numbers ending in 9 are built downwards from the next ten, using un- (meaning "one less"):
19 उन्नीस unnees (one less than 20) · 29 उनतीस unatees · 39 उनतालीस unataalees · 49 उनचास unachaas · 59 उनसठ unsath · 69 उनहत्तर unahattar · 79 उन्यासी unyaasee · 89 नवासी navaasee · 99 निन्यानवे ninyaanave
Here is the honest truth: in Indian cities, prices, phone numbers and years are very often said in English. A shopkeeper in Delhi will say "two hundred fifty" as readily as "do sau pachaas". Nobody will think less of you for using English numbers while you learn.
So do not let numbers block you. Learn 1–20 and the tens — that covers most daily situations — and pick up the rest gradually. Trying to memorise all hundred before you start speaking is the fastest way to give up.
Lakh and crore. Indians do not count in millions. One lakh (लाख) is 100,000 and one crore (करोड़) is 10,000,000. Written with different comma placement too: 12,34,567 rather than 1,234,567. You will meet these constantly in prices and news.
Half and a half. आधा aadha is half. ढाई dhaai means 2½ and साढ़े saadhe before a number adds a half — साढ़े तीन is 3½. These come up every day when telling the time.
Reading about pronunciation only takes you so far — the sounds English does not have need someone listening and correcting you. EkGuru tutors teach one to one, from $6 a lesson, and most offer a trial.
See the tutors More free guides
Lessons run at times that suit you wherever you are — see the hours for your location.