Hokkien numerals

Sorji (數字 Hokkien numerals; numbers in Taiwanese) come in two different sets:

• colloquial (peh): used the most
• literary (buun): mostly for telephone numbers and dates

In normal speech, a mix of both types is used. Let's start with colloquial.

colloquial: cit, nng, svaf, six, go, lak, chid, peq, kao, zap

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:

ji-zap-taai chiaf 🔊, ji-zap-id-taai chiaf 🔊, ji-zap-ji-taai chiaf 🔊, ...

20, 21, 22, ...

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:

cidban 🔊, cidban-id 🔊, ..., nngxban 🔊, ...

10,000, 11,000, ..., 20,000

Table of literary and colloquial numbers

	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

literary: id, ji, safm, sux, gvor, liok, chid, pad, kiuo, sip

Other cases

Ordinal numbers

For ordinal numbers, when the numerals are preceded by the prefix te:

texid, texji, texsvaf, texsix, texgo, ...

first, second, third, ...

Telephone digits

telephone number: 3945068

Telephone digits are read using the literary system, with 0 read as khoxng. 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: 19, 98-nii (itkiuo, kiwpatnii; see Jidkix Cidphvy).

References

• Oong Iogteg (1972-3). Taioaan-oe Jibmngg (MLT-parn) Liim Keahioong hoan'ek (2000).