Numbers in Russian | How to Count from 1-100 (And Beyond)

Russian Numbers || A Complete Guide with Quiz, Flashcards & Fun Facts

One of the first things you will need to learn in any language is the numbers and that is exactly what we focus on today as we teach you how to say Russian numbers.

Numbers unlock many doors and our comprehensive guide to the numbers in Russian will have you speaking them with confidence in no time.

Our guide to Russian numbers will cover numbers all the way up to a billion so be sure to bookmark this page and come back for more.

We’ll also include a FREE QUIZ at the end of the article to see how many numbers you remembered.

Let’s go…

Russian Numbers || What is a Numeral in Russian?

Russian Numbers || The Basics (1-100)

Russian Numbers || Three Digit Numbers

Russian Numbers || Four, Five & Six Digit Numbers

Russian Numbers || Beyond a Million

Russian Numbers || Cardinal Numbers

Russian Numbers || Ordinal Numbers

Russian Numbers || Collective Numbers

Russian Numbers || Fractional Numbers

Russian Numbers || Fun Facts

BONUS | FREE Quiz

Russian Numbers | FAQ’s

What is a Russian Numeral?

Numerals are an independent part of speech that can perform various functions.

They can be used to show the quantity of something when making statements or responding to questions, they can be used to indicate the order of something in a sequence, and of course they can be used in science and mathematics when describing values and equations.

Fortunately for many Russian-language learners, written Russian employs the Arabic numeral system (1, 2, 10, 47…) that most people are familiar with.

This makes reading Russian texts relatively easy for learners.

However it’s when learners are expected to read such texts aloud that they suddenly regret not dedicating more time to understanding the nuances of how numbers are spoken in different contexts.

But have no fear!

This guide is here to help introduce you to the Russian number system and understand the differences between the different usages of numbers in Russian.

Broadly speaking numerals in Russian are divided into four grammatical categories:

1. Cardinal: one, two, ten, forty-seven
2. Ordinal: first, second, tenth, forty seventh
3. Collective: both, dozen, all five
4. Fractional: one third, three fourths, two-sevenths

In this guide we’re going to introduce you to the Russian numbers, dive into each of these categories, and set you on your path to using Russian numerals like a pro!

Russian Numbers || The Basics (1-100)

Once you learn the Russian numbers you will find that doing things like shopping, or catching a train or bus will become much easier.

You will be able to understand when people give you the price of something.

In this section we’ll explain how numbers between one and one billion are expressed…

Russian Numbers 1-10

But first let’s start with the basics, here are the numbers 1-10 in Russian.

Russian Numbers 11-19

Similarly to the English numbers 13-19, many of these are formed simply by adding a suffix after the corresponding single digit number.

In English the suffix -teen is used, but in Russian, it’s -надцать (na-dsat).

Do keep in mind that when adding the suffix the final vowels or soft signs of the stem tend to change or disappear altogether.

Want to practice your pronunciation? Check out this useful video where the Russian numbers come to life.

Russian Numbers 20-39

The numbers 20 and 30 are formed by adding the suffix -дцать after two (два) and (три) respectively.

For double-digit numbers over 20 where the second number is not zero, you just add the number of the second digit unchanged, similar to in English (though without the hyphen you’d encounter in written English).

Here are the numbers from 20-32 – can you complete the table up to 39?

Tell us in the comments below and if you need help, we’ll reply straight away.

Russian Numbers 40-49

The number 40 is something of an “exception,” but unlike other infamous Russian exceptions it won’t take you too long to memorise it.

The Russian word for 40 is сорок [sorak].

The rest of the numbers from 41 to 49 are simple, following the same structure as the numbers from 21-29 and 31-39.

• 40 – сорок [sorak]
• 41 – сорок один [sorak adeen]
• 42 – сорок два [sorak dva]

And so on…

Russian Numbers 50-89

The numbers for 50, 60, 70, and 80 are the easiest of all to remember.

You just need to add the suffix -десят, which is literally the word for ten.

Additional digits are added as previously described.

Russian Numbers 90-99

The number 90 is also an exception, though not as confusing as 40!

In Russian the word for ninety is девяносто [dyevyenosta], and additional digits are added as previously described.

• 90 – девяносто [dyevyenosta]
• 91 – девяносто один [dyevyenosta adeen]
• 92 – девяносто два [dyevyenosta dva]

The Russian Alphabet | A Complete Guide (with Quiz & FREE Flashcards)

Ready to start your Russian adventure? It’s time to learn the Russian Alphabet. Our guide comes complete with tips, tricks, flashards and even a quiz.

Russian Numbers || Three Digit Numbers

The Russian for the number 100 is сто [sto].

The word for 200 is двести [dvesty], and the words for 300 and 400 are formed by adding the suffix -ста after three (три) and four (четыре) respectively.

The remaining multiples of 100 are formed by adding the suffix -сот after the regular numeral.

Unlike in English, subsequent single or double-digit numbers are added without an and conjunction.

Russian Numbers || Four, Five & Six Digit Numbers

Coming into the thousands unfortunately forces us into an early encounter with the Russian language’s case system 🥵

In this blog we won’t be explaining Russian’s case system or the various reasons and ways that parts of Russian speech can decline.

IMPORTANT | For now, if you haven’t yet learned about the cases, it’ll be good to at least keep in mind that the numbers above 1,000 don’t just follow some strange and random pattern, but instead decline the way they do because they follow the genitive case!

The number for thousand is fairly straightforward and is just тысяча [teesyacha], or in slightly fuller form одна тысяча [adna teesyacha] (this would be the equivalent of one thousand).

The tricky part is that multiples of тысяча such as 2,000 or 7,000 treat it as a countable noun, forcing it to become modified according to the rules of the genitive case.

In practice this means that for numbers between 2,000-4,999 are written as тысячи [teesyachee] and for numbers above 5,000 it is written as тысяч [teesyach].

Additionally, for the number 2,000 два turns into две.

More on this shortly – for now let’s show you the list up to 19,000.

Got a headache yet? Well, the fun doesn’t end there!

For numbers above 20 the previously described pattern picks up again, with two-digit multiples of 1,000 changing form depending on whether they end in 1, 2-4, or 5-9.

See if you can spot the pattern here:

Finally, here are a few more examples to help make this point clearer as we head towards a million in Russian!

Russian Numbers || Beyond a Million

Larger order numbers are also treated as countable units and have to follow the genitive case as described above.

Rather than talk about all the variations, we’ll leave that up to you to figure out as part of your study of the genitive case.

For now we’ll just introduce you to the easy-to-remember numerals for million and billion.

• 1,000,000 – миллион [meelleeon]
• 1,000,000,000 – миллиард [meelleeyard]

Russian Numbers || Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal numerals in Russian function similarly to in English and are often used for counting and for denoting amounts of things.

DID YOU KNOW | In Russian these are known as количественные (from the word количество – quantity) and that’s why you might see some sources call these “quantitative numbers.”

We’ve already introduced the numerals themselves in the previous section, although they do have alternate forms when they decline according to the Russian case system.

As a beginner, you could use these before nouns to make yourself understood, but proper usage of the numbers will require attention to the cases.

BONUS | If you want to understand more about declension in Russian, check out this article.

Whilst you should understand this concept if you are serious about fluency in Russian, we would advise you not to worry too much about this just yet if you are a complete beginner.

Russian Numbers || Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numerals are words which denote the order of objects when counting or help indicate the location of an object in a series, including years and calendar dates.

Ordinal numerals function as adjectives and their form depends on the gender of the noun that they are modifying.

As you may already know, Russian has four genders, and so each ordinal numeral has four different possible forms in the nominative case (there are additional forms in other cases but we won’t go into those here).

Much like in English, the Russian equivalents of first and second don’t resemble the words for one and two, but all the subsequent ordinal numerals have roots similar to their cardinal ones.

Here are the ordinal numerals for the numbers 1-10 in their basic masculine forms:

You likely noticed that the numerals end with different endings such as -ый or -ой.

This largely depends on the phonetics/spelling of the adjective’s stem, and it’s something you’ll get a hold of the more you delve into adjectives.

BONUS | For now, here is a table of the possible endings that can appear at the end of each adjective depending on the gender of the noun it modifies.

As an example, look at how the numeral for fifth, пятый, changes depending on the gender of the following noun:

• Masculine | The fifth waiter – пятый официант [pyatiy afeetseeant]
• Feminine | The fifth actress – пятая актриса [pyataya aktreesa]
• Neutral | The fifth sea – пятое окно [pyataye akno]
• Plural | The fifth (set of) visitors – пятые посетители [pyatiye pasyeteetyelee]

Additional ordinal numerals up to 1,000 are as follows:

Similarly to the smaller numbers, each of these numbers are written according to case and gender.

This may seem overwhelming but there are good news too.

In complex ordinal numbers such as 42nd or 256th only the smallest non-zero numeral takes on the ordinal form and declines. The preceding digits remain in their basic cardinal form.

Here are some examples:

• The forty-second waiter | сорок второй официант [sorak vtoroy afeetseeant]
• The forty-second actress | сорок вторая актриса [sorak vtoroaya aktreesa]

• The two hundred and fifty-sixth waiter | двести пятьдесят шестой официант [dvestee pyat’desyat shestoy afeetseeant]
• The two hundred and fifty-sixth actress | двести пятьдесят шестая актриса [dvestee pyat’desyat shestaya aktreesa]

TOP TIP | when talking about calendar dates and years in Russian the numerals will always be expressed through ordinal numbers. The numeral for a day will have the neutral-gender ending, and the numeral for a year will have the masculine-gender ending. 

Examples:

• September 2nd | второе сентября [vtaroye sentyabrya]
• 1945 (the year) | тысяча девятьсот сорок пятый год [tisyacha devyat’sot sorak pyatiy god]

Russian Numbers || Collective Numbers

Collective numerals are an interesting feature of Russian that might be less intuitive to English speakers.

They are numerals which denote the number of items in a group while emphasizing their treatment as a single unit (a collective).

TOP TIP | The easiest way to get a quick grasp of the idea is to think about the English word both, and how it emphasizes that two separate things get treated as a single unit.

Now imagine if colloquial English had similar words specific to groups of three, four, or five things too.

Very roughly speaking, that is what collective numerals are.

DID YOU KNOW | In many cases using collective numerals is optional, but it’s still important to familiarize yourself with them, and understand that they can only be used in certain situations.

There are 11 numerals in the Russian language for the numbers between 2-10.

The number two has three collective numerals, which are:

• Two – оба [oba]
• Two – обе [obye]
• Two – двое [dvoye]

Most of the collective numerals are formed by adding the suffix -ое or -еро after a root based on the cardinal numeral.

Why does the number two have three collective numerals? 

Some academics argue that the numerals оба, обе are actually demonstrative pronouns, but in most school curricula they are viewed as numerals.

Оба is used to refer to a group of things in the masculine/neutral gender, and обе is used for things in the feminine gender.

When and how do we use collective numerals?

There is a fairly set list of situations in which we use collective numerals for groups. Let’s take a look at them.

• For groups of men or mixed groups of men and women. NOT for groups that only include women.
  • FOR EXAMPLE | Three waiters Трое официантов [troye afeetseeantav]

• For groups of children, and with nouns which represent people indirectly.
  • FOR EXAMPLE | Two children Двое детей [dvoye dyetyey].
  • FOR EXAMPLE | Four unfamiliar faces Четверо незнакомых лиц [chyetvyera nyeznakomikh leets]

• For the names of baby animals.
  • FOR EXAMPLE | Four puppies Четверо щенят [chyetvyera shyenyat]

• For nouns of items that exist in pairs or nouns which only exist in the plural form.
  • FOR EXAMPLE | Two (pairs of) socks Двое носков [dvoye naskov]
  • FOR EXAMPLE | Three 24-hour periods Трое суток [troye sutak]

• When used with personal pronouns in the plural, or in the absence of a specific noun for the subject other than the numeral itself.
  • FOR EXAMPLE | There are three of us Нас трое [nas troye]
  • FOR EXAMPLE | Five (people) left Вышли пятеро [vishlee pyatero]

IMPORTANT | There are no collective numerals for numbers above ten – in such cases people just use the cardinal numeral.

The larger collective numerals like восьмеро, девятеро, and десятеро are very rarely used in colloquial settings.

One last note on declensions and cases. The decision on whether to use collective numerals is often (though not always) optional, but if you use it then that has consequences on the nature of the following noun.

This will become a bit clearer after you’ve learned the genitive case in more detail.

For now we’ll just summarise this point with an example of how the phrase “three waiters work here” can be expressed in two ways:

• Cardinal | Здесь работают три официанта. [zdes’ rabotayut tri afeetseeanta]
• Collective | Здесь работают трое официантов. [zdes’ rabotayut troye afeetseeantav]

Both of the above forms are grammatically acceptable, but the decision of whether to use the cardinal or the collective affects the declension of the noun waiters.

Russian Numbers || Fractional Numbers

Fractional numbers denote the quantity of fractions, for example one-third (⅓), four-fifths (⅘) or two and three-sevenths (2³⁄₇).

Fractional numerals in Russian are not too difficult to learn because they somewhat resemble the English system.

The numerator (the part being divided) is expressed like a cardinal number, and the denominator (the part doing the dividing) is expressed like an ordinal number.

Examples:

• One-half (½) | Одна вторая [adna vtaraya]
• One-tenth (⅒) | Одна десятая [adna dyesyataya]
• Two-fifths (⅖) | Две пятых [dvye pyatikh]
• Three-eighths (⅜) | Три восьмых [tri vas’mikh]
• Six-elevenths (⁶⁄₁₁) | Шесть одиннадцатых [shest’ odeennadtsatikh]
• Seventy-seven hundredths (⁷⁷⁄₁₀₀) | Семьдесят семь сотых [sem’dyesyat sem’ sotikh]

Looking at these examples there are a few nuances to fractional numerals that you’ll want to keep in mind:

• Fractions that have the number one as their numerator will always begin with одна rather than один. The denominator will take on the ending -ая (the singular feminine ending).
• Fractions that have the number two as their numerator will always begin with две rather than два. The denominator will take on the ending -ых (the genitive plural ending).
• All the other fractions that have the number three and above as their numerator will always begin with the ordinary corresponding cardinal number. The denominator will take on the ending -ых.

Some common fractions also have their own short-form words.

Here are four of them to try and memorise:

• Half | половина [palaveena]
• One and a half | полтора [paltara]
• One-third | треть [tryet’]
• One-quarter | четверть [chyetvyert’]

Russian Numbers || Fun Facts

The Number 5

Curious where the numeral пять for five came from?

In ancient times, the word пясть meant hand or fist (in fact the derived word запястье still means wrist).

Hands of course have five fingers.

Even Numbers + Flowers

Beware of even numbers in Russian cultural settings, particularly when giving people flowers!

Even numbers of flowers can bear an association with death, and so if you are giving flowers to someone as a gift, you’ll want to give them exactly 1, 3, 5, 7, or any other odd number of flowers.

TOP TIP | On the other hand, if you are bringing flowers to a funeral or cemetery, an even number of flowers may be appropriate.

Days of the Week

The names of three out of seven of the days of the week are easier to remember if you know the Russian ordinal numerals!

• The second (второй) day of the week | Tuesday Вторник
• The fourth (четвертый) day of the week | Thursday Четверг
• The fifth (пятый) day of the week | Friday Пятница

Curious Words for Numbers

In the past clever and neat little metaphors were used to denote larger numbers.

In the early days the word тысяча (thousand) was used to denote essentially any large number, like a zillion or umpteen in English.

If people wanted to express the number ten thousand, they used the word тьма [t’ma], which means darkness.

Then the Slavs borrowed words from other languages like легион [lyegeeon] (legion in Greek) to express one hundred thousand.

Ворон [voran] means raven, a bird which was associated with immortality, and so it was used to refer to the number ten million.

The Intriguing Case of 40

The numeral “forty” is somewhat odd.

With сорок having no clear phonetic connection to четыре, it’s clear that it wasn’t formed according to the same rules as the other two-digit numerals.

It is believed that the ancient Slavs used the work сорок to refer to a sack which contained a bunch of sable pelts used to make a coat.

Apparently, sacks like this typically contained forty pelts.

That concludes our mammoth guide to Russian numbers. If you’ve gotten this far – hats off, you were born to learn Russian!

Now it’s time to put you to the test. How much did you remember? Let’s find out…

BONUS || Russian Number Quiz

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If you love the wonderful world of numbers like we do, why not check out our guides on Chinese numbers, Japanese numbers, Korean numbers and Vietnamese numbers also?!

There’s plenty to learn and if you fancy testing yourself out with a native speaking, live and fully certified teacher, why not check out Flexi Classes and come and study Russian with our top team of teachers?

Russian Numbers || FAQ’s

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