Chinese Numerals
A traditional numeral system using Chinese characters
About Chinese Numerals
Chinese numerals are characters used to write numbers in Chinese. The system uses traditional Chinese characters to represent numbers and follows specific rules for combining them. This system is still widely used in modern Chinese writing, alongside Arabic numerals.
The Chinese numeral system is a decimal (base-10) positional system that uses characters for digits 1-9, multipliers for powers of 10 (十 for 10, 百 for 100, 千 for 1000, 万 for 10,000), and 零 (zero) as a placeholder. Numbers are read from left to right, with each character representing either a digit or a power of 10.
Key Features:
- Uses traditional Chinese characters for digits 1-9: 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九.
- Decimal (base-10) positional system with multipliers: 十 (10), 百 (100), 千 (1000), 万 (10,000).
- Uses 零 (zero) as a placeholder when a place value is empty.
- Special rule: 一 (one) is often omitted before 十 (ten) for numbers 10-19.
- Read from left to right, with each character representing a digit or multiplier.
- Still used in formal writing, financial documents, and traditional contexts in modern China.
- Can represent very large numbers by combining multipliers (e.g., 万 for 10,000, 十万 for 100,000).
Formation Rules:
- Digits 1-9 are written with their character equivalents.
- Multipliers (十, 百, 千, 万) follow the digit they multiply.
- When a place value is zero, 零 (zero) is inserted as a placeholder.
- For numbers 10-19, 一 before 十 is usually omitted (e.g., 十二 for 12, not 一十二).
- Multiple consecutive zeros are simplified to a single 零.
- Trailing zeros are omitted (e.g., 一百 for 100, not 一百零).
Further Reading: