A Thematic Learning Approach – Learning Numerals in Chinese Characters

I started my Chinese writing practice by learning the characters for numbers. The characters representing Chinese numerals from one to nine contain only a few strokes. In fact, “one,” “two,” and “three” are just one, two, and three horizontal strokes, respectively. These simple characters can be combined to represent any number you can think of. Additionally, some of these characters also serve as radicals in more complex Chinese characters.

Constructing Numbers

Multiple-digit numbers up to 99 are constructed using a multiplicative principle: first a digit from one to nine, then “ten”, and finally the next digit (if necessary). For example:

• 50 = 五十 (wǔ shí)
• 88 = 八十八 (bā shí bā)

Months of the Year

By adding the character 月 (yuè) to a numeral from one to twelve, you can form the names of the months:

• 一月 (yī yuè) – January
• 二月 (èr yuè) – February
• 三月 (sān yuè) – March
• 四月 (sì yuè) – April
• 五月(wǔ yuè) – May
• 六月(liù yuè) – June
• 七月(qī yuè) – July
• 八月(bā yuè) – August
• 九月(jiǔ yuè) – September
• 十月(shí yuè) – October
• 十一月 (shíyī yuè) – November
• 十二月(shí’èr yuè) – December

Days of the Month

To express the day of the month, use the character 日 (rì). For example:

• 六月三日 (liù yuè sān rì) – June 3
• 十月二十九日 (shí yuè èr shí jiǔ rì) – October 29

By learning these 12 Chinese characters, you can already write more than one hundred Chinese words. This simple method of learning numbers and dates is an effective way to build your foundation in Chinese. Keep practicing, and you’ll find that learning Chinese can be both fun and rewarding!

Further learning tips:

For beginners, grasping the basics of Chinese characters is essential. A helpful resource for this is the Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Characters. Additionally, using the topic-oriented character learning method can be an effective strategy to enhance your understanding.