Hokkien numerals
Sorji (數字 Hokkien numerals; numbers in Taiwanese) come in two different sets:
| 1 | 2 | 3 / 三 | 4 / 四 | 5 / 五 | 6 / 六 | 7 / 七 | 8 / 八 | 9 / 九 | 10 / 十 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peh | cit (蜀) | nng (兩) | svaf | six | go | lak | chid | pøeq | kao | zap |
| Buun | id (一) | ji (二) | safm | sux | gvor | liok | pad | kiuo | sip |
To count "how many"
To count "how many", "cardinal numbers" are used. Use the colloquial system (cit, nng, svaf) together with a classifier (the classifier will change tone when spoken). For example:
- cidtaai tiexnsi 🔊, nngxtaai chiaf 🔊, svataai lefngkhix 🔊, ...
- one television, two cars, three air conditioners ...
From 11, id and ji begin to be used instead of cit & nng. For example:
From 100, count the hundreds place with cit, nng, svaf... and from 101, the blank tens place is khoxng (空† zero):
- cidpaq 🔊-taai, cidpaq-khoxng-id 🔊-taai, cidpaq-khoxng-ji 🔊, ...
- 100, 101, 102, ...
There are shortcuts when the ones place is blank:
- pah'id 🔊, cidpaq-zab'id 🔊, ..., pahji 🔊, cidpaq-jixzap'id 🔊
- 110, 111, ..., 120, 121
As we said, the next hundreds place is counted with nng.
- nngxpaq 🔊, nngxpaq-id 🔊, nngxpaq-ji 🔊
- 200, 210, 220
Above 200, there's a shortcut using ar as a "weak form" of "hundred" (paq -> aq -> ar):
- jixar-id, jixar-ji, ...
- 210, 220, ...
- goxar-id, goxar-ji, ...
- 510, 520, ...
Thousands:
- cidzhefng 🔊, zheng'id 🔊 / cidzheng'id 🔊, nngxchiefn 🔊
- 1,000, 1,100, 2,000
Ten thousand:
Other cases
Ordinal numbers
For ordinal numbers, when the numerals are preceded by the prefix te:
Telephone digits
Telephone digits are read using the literary system. The digits are grouped according to certain rules and tone sandhi is applied. For example, 3945068 is read: 394, 50, 68 (samkiwsux, gvofkhoxng, liogpad, safm-kiuo-sux, gvor-khoxng, liok-pad; see Khax Tiexn'oe).
Date
The year is also read using the literary system. For example: 1998 is read: Itkiuo, kiwpatnii (see Jidkix Cidphvy).