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 numbers

(bøo), cit, nng, svaf, six, go, lak, chid, pøeq, kao, zap

Cardinal numbers

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, from Cidbøea Hii:

cidbøea hii, nngxciaq køef, svazaang chiu'ar, ...

a tail of fish, a pair of chickens, three trees, ...

Zap is 10. From 11, use id and ji, instead of cit & nng, in the ones place. For example:

zab'id-bøea (11-bøea), zabji-ciaq (12-ciaq), zabsvaf-zaang (13-zaang), ...

Jixzap is 20.

jixzab'id-bøea (21-bøea), jixzabji-ciaq (22-ciaq), ...

Paq is 100. Count how many hundred with cit, nng, svaf. Khoxng (空^† zero) is for the blank tens place. We omit the classifier below but don't forget to include it.

100 cidpaq, 101 cidpaq-khoxng-id, 102 cidpaq-khoxng-ji, ...

110 cidpaq-zap, 111 cidpaq-zab'id, 112 cidpaq-zabji, ...

There are shortcuts when the ones place is blank:

110 pah'id, 111 cidpaq-zab'id, 112 cidpaq-zabji, ...

120 pahji, 121 cidpaq-jixzap-id, 122 cidpaq-jixzap-ji, ...

As we said, the next hundreds place is counted with nng.

200 nngxpaq, 201 nngxpaq-khoxng-id, 202 nngxpaq-khoxng-ji, ...

210 nngxpaq-zap (nngxpaq-id?), 211 nngxpaq-zab'id, ...

220 nngxpaq-jixzap (nngxpaq-ji?)

Above 200, there's a shortcut using ar as a "weak form" of "hundred" (paq -> aq -> ar):

210 ji-ar-id, 211 nngxpaq-zab'id, ...

220 ji-ar-ji, 221 nngxpaq-jixzap-id, ...

510 goxafid, 520 goxafji, ... (here go has changed tone before "ar", violating a tone sandhi exception)

Zhefng is 1000:

1000 cidzhefng, 1001 cidzhefng-khoxng-id, ...

1100 zheng'id / cidzheng'id, 1101 cidzhefng-cidpaq-khoxng-id

1200 zhefng-ji, 1201 cidzhefng-nngxpaq-khoxng-id, ...

2000 nngxchiefn

Ban is 10000:

1,0000 cidban, 1,1000 cidbaxn'id, ..., 2,0000 nngxban, ...

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

2,2000 jixban-ji, ..., 3,0300 svaban-svapaq, ...

Pahban (100,0000) is 1,000,000.

Ordinal numbers

For ordinal numbers, when the numerals are preceded by the prefix te (第) (also seen as tøe):

te-1 (tex'id), te-2 (texji), te-3 (texsvaf), te-4, te-5, ...

first, second, third, ...

Literary numbers

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

	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

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). 台湾語入門. Tōkyō
  • Taioaan-oe Jibmngg (MLT-parn) Liim Keahioong hoan'ek (2000).