Hindi Numbers: Complete Guide to Counting in Hindi
Learning Hindi words for numbers is essential for everyday communication, from shopping at markets to telling time and discussing quantities. This guide will help you learn Hindi numbers systematically, with pronunciation guides and practical examples.
Essential Numbers Vocabulary
Below are the core Hindi words for numbers that every learner needs to know. Hindi uses a unique counting system, so memorizing these foundational numbers is crucial.
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| एक | ek | one (1) | मुझे एक चाय चाहिए। (Mujhe ek chai chahiye.) – I need one tea. |
| दो | do | two (2) | दो मिनट रुको। (Do minute ruko.) – Wait two minutes. |
| तीन | teen | three (3) | मेरे तीन भाई हैं। (Mere teen bhai hain.) – I have three brothers. |
| चार | chaar | four (4) | चार बजे मिलते हैं। (Chaar baje milte hain.) – Let's meet at four o'clock. |
| पाँच | paanch | five (5) | पाँच सेब दीजिए। (Paanch seb dijiye.) – Give me five apples. |
| छह | chhah | six (6) | छह घंटे लगेंगे। (Chhah ghante lagenge.) – It will take six hours. |
| सात | saat | seven (7) | सप्ताह में सात दिन होते हैं। (Saptaah mein saat din hote hain.) – There are seven days in a week. |
| आठ | aath | eight (8) | मैं आठ बजे उठता हूँ। (Main aath baje uthta hoon.) – I wake up at eight o'clock. |
| नौ | nau | nine (9) | नौ नंबर की बस आ गई। (Nau number ki bus aa gayi.) – Bus number nine has arrived. |
| दस | das | ten (10) | दस रुपये दो। (Das rupaye do.) – Give ten rupees. |
| बीस | bees | twenty (20) | बीस लोग आए थे। (Bees log aaye the.) – Twenty people came. |
| पचास | pachaas | fifty (50) | पचास प्रतिशत छूट है। (Pachaas pratishat chhoot hai.) – There is a fifty percent discount. |
| सौ | sau | one hundred (100) | एक सौ रुपये में मिल जाएगा। (Ek sau rupaye mein mil jayega.) – You'll get it for one hundred rupees. |
| हज़ार | hazaar | one thousand (1000) | यह हज़ार रुपये का है। (Yeh hazaar rupaye ka hai.) – This costs one thousand rupees. |
| लाख | laakh | one hundred thousand (100,000) | दस लाख लोग रहते हैं। (Das laakh log rehte hain.) – Ten lakh (one million) people live here. |
| करोड़ | karor | ten million (10,000,000) | भारत में सौ करोड़ से ज़्यादा लोग हैं। (Bharat mein sau karor se zyada log hain.) – India has more than one hundred crore (one billion) people. |
| शून्य/ज़ीरो | shunya / zero | zero (0) | तापमान शून्य से नीचे है। (Taapman shunya se neeche hai.) – The temperature is below zero. |
| आधा | aadha | half (½) | आधा किलो चीनी दो। (Aadha kilo cheeni do.) – Give half a kilogram of sugar. |
Common Phrases Using Numbers
When you learn Hindi numbers, it's important to practice them in context. Here are useful expressions you'll hear and use frequently:
- कितने? (Kitne?) – How many?
- कितना? (Kitna?) – How much?
- इसकी कीमत क्या है? (Iski keemat kya hai?) – What is the price of this?
- एक बार और (Ek baar aur) – One more time
- पहली बार (Pehli baar) – First time
- दूसरी बार (Doosri baar) – Second time
- तीसरी मंज़िल (Teesri manzil) – Third floor
- सवा चार बजे (Sawa chaar baje) – Quarter past four
- साढ़े पाँच बजे (Saadhe paanch baje) – Half past five
- पौने छह बजे (Paune chhah baje) – Quarter to six
Usage Notes
Understanding these cultural and grammatical points will help you use Hindi words for numbers correctly:
- Unique number names: Unlike English where numbers 13-19 follow a pattern (thirteen, fourteen...), Hindi has unique names for every number from 1 to 100. For example, 11 is gyarah, 12 is baarah, 13 is terah—each must be memorized individually.
- The lakh-crore system: India uses lakh (1,00,000) and crore (1,00,00,000) instead of million and billion. Written numbers use commas differently: 10,00,000 (ten lakh) rather than 1,000,000.
- Ordinal numbers: First is pehla/pehli, second is doosra/doosri, third is teesra/teesri. After that, add -vaan/-veen suffix: chauthaa (4th), paanchvaan (5th).
- Gender agreement: When counting objects, the number itself doesn't change for gender, but ordinal numbers and words like "half" change: aadha kilo (masc.) vs. aadhi roti (fem.).
- Time expressions: Hindi has special terms for quarter past (sawa), half past (saadhe), and quarter to (paune) that are essential for telling time.
- Bargaining culture: Knowing numbers well is essential for shopping in Indian markets, where prices are often negotiated.
Practice Sentences
Practice these sentences to reinforce your knowledge of Hindi numbers in everyday situations:
- मेरी उम्र पच्चीस साल है। (Meri umar pachees saal hai.) – I am twenty-five years old.
- यह किताब तीन सौ रुपये की है। (Yeh kitaab teen sau rupaye ki hai.) – This book costs three hundred rupees.
- ट्रेन ग्यारह बजे आएगी। (Train gyarah baje aayegi.) – The train will arrive at eleven o'clock.
- मुझे बारह अंडे चाहिए। (Mujhe baarah ande chahiye.) – I need twelve eggs.
- हमारे परिवार में पाँच लोग हैं। (Hamare parivaar mein paanch log hain.) – There are five people in our family.
- अगला मोड़ दूसरा है। (Agla mor doosra hai.) – The next turn is the second one.
- मैंने सात फ़िल्में देखीं। (Maine saat filmein dekhin.) – I watched seven movies.
- यहाँ से स्टेशन दो किलोमीटर दूर है। (Yahan se station do kilometer door hai.) – The station is two kilometers from here.
- तुम्हारा फ़ोन नंबर क्या है? (Tumhara phone number kya hai?) – What is your phone number?
- साढ़े तीन बजे मिलते हैं। (Saadhe teen baje milte hain.) – Let's meet at half past three.