HSK 1
一、二/两、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、零；十、百；半
yī 、 èr / liǎng 、 sān 、 sì 、 wǔ 、 liù 、 qī 、 bā 、 jiǔ 、 líng ； shí 、 bǎi ； bàn
Basic cardinal numbers (0 to the hundreds)
Explanation
These are the basic numbers in Chinese: 一 (yī, 1), 二/两 (èr/liǎng, 2), 三 (sān, 3), 四 (sì, 4), 五 (wǔ, 5), 六 (liù, 6), 七 (qī, 7), 八 (bā, 8), 九 (jiǔ, 9), 零 (líng, 0). 十 (shí) is 10, 百 (bǎi) is 100, 半 (bàn) is "half".
the tens use 十: 十五 (15), 二十 (20); the hundreds use 百: 二百 (200); a 0 in the middle is read as 零 (líng): 二百零六 (206).
reading ordinal numbers, cardinal numbers, and telling time. 半 is used for time and quantity: 八点半 (half past eight), 半个小时 (half an hour).
the two forms of the number 2 — 二 (èr) is used when reading numbers on their own and in compound numbers (十二 = 12, 二百 = 200); 两 (liǎng) is used right before a measure word (a counting unit, like "cái, con, quyển" in Vietnamese) (两个人 = two people, 两本书 = two books). For "200" specifically, both 二百 and 两百 are acceptable.
mistakenly saying 二个人 instead of 两个人; forgetting to read 零 when there is a 0 in the middle.
Examples
5, 15, 115, 6, 260, 206
12, 20, 200, two hundred
two people, two books
half past eight, half an hour
Practice
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Learn “一、二/两、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、零；十、百；半” effectively
The grammar point “一、二/两、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、零；十、百；半” (Basic cardinal numbers (0 to the hundreds)) is one of the key structures at HSK 1. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
Study tip: read the examples aloud many times to build a natural reflex. Then try making your own sentences for your own situations. Use the audio button to hear and practice accurate pronunciation.
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