一
one
Also part of larger numbers.
Mandarin guided learning
Read a price, hear a number
Learn the number-building rule so you can decode new amounts instead of memorizing every price.
Picture the idea
Above ten, put the number of tens before 十, then the remaining units after it. 二十五 = two tens + five. 三十五 = three tens + five. 四 sì and 十 shí sound different; pay close attention.
Useful words
二
two while counting
Use this in 二十, twenty.
三
three
三十 = thirty.
四
four
Keep it distinct from 十 shí.
五
five
Add after tens: 二十五.
十
ten
十一 = ten + one; 二十 = two tens.
元
yuan
Money unit on the display.
多少钱
how much money?
A useful question once you can hear the answer.
Read the display
| 金额 · amount | 中文 · written amount |
|---|---|
15元 15 yuan | 十五 fifteen |
25元 25 yuan | 二十五 twenty-five |
35元 35 yuan | 三十五 thirty-five |
Find the information
Which Chinese number matches 35?
- 十五
- 二十五
- 三十五
Answer and explanation
三十五
三 = three, 十 = ten, 五 = five: three tens plus five.
Build your request
How much + money. Context supplies the item you are asking about.
多少钱？
How much does it cost?
The sentence pieces
多少
how much
钱
money
Understand the reply
三十五元。
Thirty-five yuan.
What does this reply mean?
- 15 yuan.
- 25 yuan.
- 35 yuan.
Answer and explanation
35 yuan.
Thirty-five yuan.
三十五元，对吗？
35 yuan, correct?
Use it in another situation
Build 21, 24, 31 and 45 aloud. Then ask a person to say them in a different order. Knowing the counting sequence is different from hearing a price unexpectedly.