One line, one count — the start of everything!
Listen and practise 一 →Beginner character collection
Chinese Numbers 1–10
Learn the Chinese characters for one through ten with pinyin, meanings, stroke order, memory stories, and simple number patterns.
Why learn these Chinese characters together?
Chinese numbers are an ideal first character group because the meanings are concrete and the same ten forms appear everywhere: prices, dates, ages, addresses, phone numbers, and classroom exercises. Learn each number as a complete package—shape, pinyin, tone, and meaning—rather than as a visual symbol alone.
The first three characters show a simple visual pattern, but later numbers do not work like tally marks. Use the individual lessons to hear each pronunciation, watch every stroke, and connect the modern form with a memorable story. Then return here to compare the whole system and practise reading numbers in sequence.
What you will learn
- Recognize and pronounce the characters from 一 (one) to 十 (ten).
- Notice the difference between similar shapes such as 二, 三, and 王-like forms.
- Build larger numbers by combining 十 with the digits you already know.
10 characters in this collection
Open a full lesson for the story, historical forms, word building, example sentences, pronunciation, and animated stroke order. Use the practice link when you want the interactive version.
One line, then another — that's two!
Listen and practise 二 →One, two, three — and "three" meant "many"!
Listen and practise 三 →A frame surrounds two inner strokes.
Listen and practise 四 →Crossing middle strokes create a balanced center.
Listen and practise 五 →A short roof sits over two spreading supports.
Listen and practise 六 →One horizontal stroke meets a bent rising stroke.
Listen and practise 七 →Two strokes open away from each other.
Listen and practise 八 →A curving stroke meets a sweeping hook.
Listen and practise 九 →One vertical line crosses one horizontal line.
Listen and practise 十 →Patterns to notice
Build 11–19
Put 十 before a digit: 十一 means ten plus one, so it is eleven. 十二 is twelve, and 十九 is nineteen.
Build the tens
Put a digit before 十: 二十 means two tens, or twenty. 三十五 combines three tens with five, so it is thirty-five.
Read dates
Numbers combine with 月 for months and 日 for dates. For example, 五月 means the fifth month, or May.
Common beginner confusions
- 二 (two) has two horizontal strokes; 三 (three) has three. Keep the spacing balanced so the forms stay easy to recognize.
- 四 is not drawn with four lines. Learn it as one complete character and use the story and stroke animation to remember its enclosure.
- 七 (seven) and 九 (nine) can look similar at first. Compare their stroke directions and practise them side by side.
Try this 10-minute practice
- Say the numbers from one to ten, then say them backward without looking.
- Write your age, today’s date, or a simple price using Chinese numerals.
- Open three number lessons and complete the stroke test for each one.
Continue with another beginner collection
Move between themes to reuse characters in new contexts. Some important characters appear in more than one collection because real Chinese vocabulary overlaps.
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