Chinese Grammar Bank
BIG NUMBERS IN CHINESE
It’s crucial to notice that we tend to say three digits in a group in English while expressing big numbers.
While in Chinese, we place the comma at every four digits.
DIFFERENT UNITS IN CHINESE
First, let’s review some ordinary numerical units in Chinese, which are used to describe small numbers within four digits:
| CHINESE SMALL NUMBER UNITS | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 个 | gè | Ones |
| 十 | shí | Tens |
| 百 | bǎi | Hundreds |
| 千 | qiān | Thousands |
Now, we mainly use these specific numerical units to say huge numbers:
1) 万 (wàn) = ten thousand
- 十万 (shí wàn) = one-hundred thousand
- 百万 (bǎi wàn) = one million
- 千万 (qiān wàn) = ten million
2）亿 (yì ) = one-hundred million
- 十亿 (shí yì) = one billion
- 百亿 (bǎi yì) = ten billion
- 千亿 (qiān yì) = one-hundred billion
3）兆 (zhào) / 万亿 (wàn yì) = one trillion
So as you can probably tell, there are three fundamental units (万、亿).
Just with a few subsidiary characters, you are able to tell all the huge numbers under thirteen digits in Chinese!
Next, let’s see how to apply these numerical units.
TEN THOUSAND 万 (wàn)
万 is a numerical unit that stands for “ten thousand” in English.
Ten thousand is “一万 (yī wàn )” in Chinese.
However, “万” is commonly traded as a major obstacle for most people.
This is mainly because we break numbers up into groups of four in Mandarin.
Split in the Chinese way, “15000” should be divided as “1,5000” and is read 一万两千 (yīwàn liǎng qiān).
| TYPICAL SPLIT | CHINESE SPLIT | CHARACTERS | PINYIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 1,0000 | 一万 | yī wàn |
| 18,000 | 1,8000 | 一万八千 | yī wàn bā qiān |
| 40,000 | 4,0000 | 四万 | sì wàn |
Then, if we apply the small number units into this:
| TYPICAL SPLIT | CHINESE SPLIT | CHARACTERS | PINYIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40,005 | 4,0005 | 四万零五 | sì wàn líng wǔ |
| 40,050 | 4,0050 | 四万零五十 | sì wàn líng wǔ shí |
| 40,500 | 4,0500 | 四万零五百 | sì wàn líng wǔ bǎi |
| 45,000 | 4,5000 | 四万五千 | sì wàn wǔ qiān |
| 31,240 | 3,1240 | 三万一千两百四十 | sān wàn yī qiān liǎng bǎi sì shí |
ONE HUNDRED MILLION 亿 ( yì)
First of all, the numerical unit 亿 should be applied when you meet even bigger numbers.
It means “one hundred million,” “100,000,000” in Arabic numeral form.
You can use just the same method to read or write these huger numbers: divide the number into groups of four digits and collocate it with the right numerical units.
So for example:
“1,500,000,000” should be written out as “十亿五千万 (shí yì wǔ qiān wàn).”
SUMMARY
Following this, we’ll show you how to write a big number in Chinese characters and how to say it right step by step.
For instance, take the number “3,056,200”
- STEP 1 | Write down the number and place commas at every four digits. In this case, “305,6200”
- STEP 2 | The first three numbers are “305”, which you normally say “三百零五.” And it is under the “万 (wàn)” unit. So we combine them as “三百零五万”
- STEP 3 | The last four numbers are “6200”, which you will say “六千二百”
- STEP 4 | Combine steps 2 & 3. This is how you say this number：三百零五万六千二百
Using steps may seem complicated at first, but don’t worry, here is also a shortcut!
SHORTCUT
The simple way to write out large numbers is to pick one or two frequently used numbers and just memorise them.
一百万 (yībǎi wàn), for example, is a recommended number to memorise.
If you can remember it, then going to 一千万 (yīqiān wàn) is way easier and faster since you don’t have to count all those zeroes one by one.
You can just count one more zero instead.
| TYPICAL SPLIT | CHINESE SPLIT | CHARACTERS | PINYIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34,054 | 3,4354 | 三万四千三百五十四 | sān wàn sì qiān sān bǎi wǔ shí sì |
| 5,670,890 | 567,1890 | 五百六十七万一千八百九十 | wǔ bǎi liù shí qī wàn yī qiān bā bǎi jiǔ shí |
| 9,560,435 | 956,4435 | 九百五十六万四千四百三十五 | jiǔ bǎi wǔ shí liù wàn sì qiān sì bǎi sān shí wǔ |
| 30,456,720 | 3045,6720 | 三千零四十五万六千二十 | sān qiān líng sì shí wǔ wàn liù qiān èr shí |
| 200,800,000 | 2,0080,0000 | 两亿零八十万 | liǎng yì líng bā shí wàn |
| 2,400,360,899 | 24,0036,089 | 二十四亿三十六万零八百九十九 | èr shí sì yì sān shí liù wàn líng bā bǎi jiǔ shí jiǔ |
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FAQs
What is the main difference between the commas in English and in Chinese?
So first, in English, we place the comma at every 3 digits.
But in Chinese, it is a bit different, because we place the comma at every 4 digits.
How to say ten billion in Chinese?
In Chinese, ten billion is: 百亿 (bǎi yì).
What is the Chinese split for 1,200,080,000?
The Chinese split for 1,200,080,000 is: 12, 0008,0000, and we say it:十二亿零八万 (shí èr yì líng bā wàn).
What are the four steps you need to remember for writing big numbers in Chinese?
STEP 1 | Write down the number and place commas at every four digits. In this case, “305,6200”
STEP 2 | The first three numbers are “305”, which you normally say “三百零五.” And it is under the “万 (wàn)” unit. So we combine them as “三百零五万”
STEP 3 | The last four numbers are “6200”, which you will say “六千二百”
STEP 4 | Combine steps 2 & 3. This is how you say this number：三百零五万六千二百
Of course, if you do not want to learn this step, there is also another method: shortcut.
The simple way to write out large numbers is to pick one or two frequently used numbers and just memorise them.
For example: “一百万 (yībǎi wàn),” is a recommended number to memorise.
If you can remember it, then going to 一千万 (yīqiān wàn) is way easier and faster since you don’t have to count all those zeroes one by one.
Another example:
34,054, in Chinese we will write it like this: 3,4354.
In Chinese characters: 三万四千三百五十四 (sān wàn sì qiān sān bǎi wǔ shí sì)
How to say thousand in Chinese?
In Chinese, thousand is: 千 (qiān).
What is the Chinese split for 40,000, and how to say it?
The Chinese split for 40,000 is: 4,0000, and we say it: 四万 (sì wàn).