Numbers are essential in daily life — from phone numbers to prices to addresses. Hindi numbers are unique: unlike English (where you can predict 'thirteen' from 'three' + 'teen'), Hindi numbers from 1-100 each have their own distinct word. Don't panic — we'll start with just 1-20 today. You'll practice them in a realistic scenario: exchanging phone numbers at work. Let's count!
Learning tips
- Hindi numbers 1-20 must be memorized individually — there's no simple pattern like English '-teen.' The good news: once you know 1-20, the pattern for 21-99 becomes more regular.
- Phone numbers in India are 10 digits long and usually said one digit at a time: नौ-आठ-एक-दो... [nau-āṭh-ek-do...]
- कृपया [kr̥payā] (please) and दीजिए [dījie] (please give) are your first polite request words — you'll use them constantly in India.
- कितने [kitne] (how many) changes for gender: कितने [kitne] (masc. plural), कितनी [kitnī] (fem.), कितना [kitnā] (masc. singular).
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| काम | kām | work, job |
| करना | karnā | to do |
| पढ़ना | paṛhnā | to study, to read |
| पढ़ाना | paṛhānā | to teach |
| छात्र | chātr | student |
| अध्यापक | adhyāpak | teacher, professor |
| डॉक्टर | ḍŏkṭar | doctor |
| दफ़्तर | daftar | office |
| कहाँ | kahā̃ | where |
| कौन | kaun | who |
Dialog
Ravi is at his office in Gurgaon where a new colleague (Sita) has just joined. They need to exchange phone numbers for work. Notice how numbers are spoken one at a time when giving phone numbers. The word कृपया [kr̥payā] (please) and the polite command दीजिए [dījie] (please give) are used for polite requests. कितने [kitne] (how many) is used to ask about quantity. This is a very typical first-day-at-work interaction in India.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| एक | ek | /eːk/ | one | Also means 'a/an' in Hindi: एक किताब [ek kitāb] = 'a book' |
| दो | do | /d̪oː/ | two | Simple and short — easy to remember! |
| तीन | tīn | /t̪iːn/ | three | Note the long ī sound: तीन [tīn], not 'tin' |
| चार | cār | /t͡ʃaːr/ | four | Similar to Urdu चار [cār] — from Sanskrit चत्वारि [catvāri] |
| पाँच | pā̃c | /paː̃t͡ʃ/ | five | The nasal mark (chandrabindu) is important: पाँच [pā̃c] |
| नंबर | nambar | /nəm.bər/ | number | Borrowed from English — universally used in Hindi |
| फ़ोन | fon | /foːn/ | phone | Borrowed from English — the nuqta dot under फ़ [f] indicates the English 'f' sound |
| कृपया | kr̥payā | /kr̩.pə.jaː/ | please | Sanskrit-origin — the standard polite word, used in requests |
| दीजिए | dījie | /d̪iː.d͡ʒi.e/ | please give (formal) | Polite imperative of देना [denā] — used to make requests: कृपया दीजिए [kr̥payā dījie] |
| कितने | kitne | /kit̪.neː/ | how many, how much | Changes for gender: कितने [kitne] (masc. pl.), कितनी [kitnī] (fem.), कितना [kitnā] (masc. sing.) |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| छह | chah | /t͡ʃʰəh/ | six | |
| सात | sāt | /saːt̪/ | seven | |
| आठ | āṭh | /aːʈʰ/ | eight | Retroflex ठ [ṭh] — tongue touches the roof of the mouth |
| नौ | nau | /nɔː/ | nine | |
| दस | das | /d̪əs/ | ten | |
| ग्यारह | gyārah | /gjaː.rəh/ | eleven | Not predictable from एक [ek] + दस [das] — must be memorized |
| बारह | bārah | /baː.rəh/ | twelve | |
| तेरह | terah | /t̪eː.rəh/ | thirteen | |
| चौदह | caudah | /t͡ʃɔː.d̪əh/ | fourteen | |
| पंद्रह | pandrah | /pən.d̪rəh/ | fifteen |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| कृपया दीजिए | kr̥payā dījie | Please give (polite request) |
| कितने लोग? | kitne log? | How many people? |
| फ़ोन नंबर दीजिए | fon nambar dījie | Please give your phone number |
Grammar: Hindi number system — एक [ek] से बीस [bīs] तक
| Number | Hindi | IAST | Number | Hindi | IAST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | एक | ek | 11 | ग्यारह | gyārah |
| 2 | दो | do | 12 | बारह | bārah |
| 3 | तीन | tīn | 13 | तेरह | terah |
| 4 | चार | cār | 14 | चौदह | caudah |
| 5 | पाँच | pā̃c | 15 | पंद्रह | pandrah |
| 6 | छह | chah | 16 | सोलह | solah |
| 7 | सात | sāt | 17 | सत्रह | satrah |
| 8 | आठ | āṭh | 18 | अठारह | aṭhārah |
| 9 | नौ | nau | 19 | उन्नीस | unnīs |
| 10 | दस | das | 20 | बीस | bīs |
Hindi numbers 1-20 are each unique words — unlike English where you can partially predict 'thirteen' from 'three + teen.' Each Hindi number must be memorized individually.
Key patterns to notice:
- 1-10: Completely unique words
- 11-19: Loosely related to 1-9 but with significant sound changes
- 20: बीस [bīs] — a completely new word
For example, 3 is तीन [tīn] and 13 is तेरह [terah] — you can see a faint connection, but it's not as transparent as English 'three/thirteen.'
Using numbers in context:
- कितने लोग? [kitne log?] = How many people?
- पाँच लोग [pā̃c log] = five people
- रूम नंबर तीन [rūm nambar tīn] = room number three
- Phone numbers are read digit by digit: नौ-आठ-एक [nau-āṭh-ek] = 9-8-1
कितने [kitne] / कितनी [kitnī] / कितना [kitnā] = 'how many/how much' — it changes for gender like other Hindi adjectives.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word.
- कृपया अपना दीजिए।(phone / number)
- हमारी टीम में लोग हैं।(a number — fifteen)
- एक, दो, तीन।(number / number / number — counting)
- यहाँ लोग काम करते हैं?(how many)
- मीटिंग रूम में आइए।(please / a number)
Grammar Application
Answer with the correct Hindi number.
- 5 + 3 = (Hindi word)(5 + 3 = ?)
- 10 + 5 = (Hindi word)(10 + 5 = ?)
- What comes after चार [cār]? → (what comes after four?)
- What comes before दस [das]? → (what comes before ten?)
- 'How many?' in Hindi → (question word for quantity)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- Please give me your phone number.
- How many people are here?
- My number is nine-eight-one-two-three.
- Our team has fifteen people.
- One, two, three, four, five!
Creative Construction
Write 2-3 sentences using numbers. Imagine you're at work giving directions or exchanging phone numbers.
Writing: Consonants — ṭa-group (ट ठ ड ढ ण)
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| ठीक | ṭhīk |
| डॉक्टर | ḍŏkṭar |
| ढाबा | ḍhābā |
Today's consonant group is the ṭa-group (टवर्ग [ṭavarga]) — retroflex consonants. These sounds are made by curling your tongue back so the underside touches the roof of your mouth. English doesn't have true retroflex sounds, but the American English 'r' in 'cart' uses a similar tongue position.
Today's consonants:
- ट [ṭa] — like 't' but with tongue curled back
- ठ [ṭha] — like ट [ṭa] with a puff of air
- ड [ḍa] — like 'd' but with tongue curled back
- ढ [ḍha] — like ड [ḍa] with a puff of air
- ण [ṇa] — like 'n' but with tongue curled back (rare in everyday Hindi)
The retroflex vs. dental distinction (ट [ṭa] vs. त [ta]) is one of the hardest things for English speakers to hear and produce. Don't worry about perfecting it now — awareness is the first step!
Takeaway
Hindi numbers 1-20 are unique words that must be memorized — but once you know them, you can handle phone numbers, prices, and counting! Start by mastering 1-10, then add 11-20. Practice by reading phone numbers aloud in Hindi.