一～九十九

Structure

[Number 2-9] + 十 + [Number 1-9]

How it works

Chinese numbers from 1 to 99 are built logically. Numbers 1-10 are single characters; 11-19 are formed by 'ten' (十) plus the digit; multiples of ten start with the digit plus 'ten'; and compound numbers like 21-99 follow the pattern of 'number + ten + number'.

Examples

Common mistakes

Forgetting the '十' (shí) in the middle of numbers like twenty-one, saying '二一' (èr yī) instead of the correct '二十一' (èrshíyī).

Tip

Think of the '十' as a placeholder for the tens column; if you can count to ten, you can count to ninety-nine just by combining the sounds.

More HSK 1 grammar