How to Count to Ten in Mandarin

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Master the four different tones to be able to speak Mandarin properly.

   This four tones are denoted (in hanyupinyin format) by the symbols as:
   - / V \ .
   
   Basically, the tones follow the gradation of these symbols.
   
   For example, the first tone is represented by a horizontal dash (-), which means that there are no fluctuations of pitch; rather, the tone is held steady and high.
   
   The second tone (/) requires an upward rise in pitch, while the last tone (\) sounds as when you're extremely mad, it's the same tone as the word, "No!" when you're mad.
   
   The third tone (V) requires the tone to dip down and then rise again.
   
   This 4 tones can otherwise be written down as 1, 2, 3 or 4 respectively.
2. 2

   Step 2: Learn the pronunciations of the numbers.

   The following are the (simplified) Chinese characters from one to ten, followed by the hanyupinyin version, and then the pronunciation spelled out phonetically with the tone next to it. 一 yī (yi) 二 èr (er) 三 sān (san) 四 sì (si)
   - like a snake with 'uh' (say the vowel in the back of your throat) 五 wǔ (wu) (Not to be confused with wo meaning I or me.) 六 lìu (liu) 七 qī (qi) (say it in the front of your mouth, with your teeth together and your lips pulled to the sides) 八 bā (ba) 九 jiǔ (jiu) 十 shí (shi) (This time, say the vowel in the front of your mouth, with your teeth together) , For numbers up to 99, just say the number in the tens place, then say "十" "shi"
   
   then the number in the one's place, for example. 46 is pronounced ”四十六“ "sì shí lìu (si shi liu)," and 82 is pronounced “八十二” "bā shí èr (ba shi er)."
3. 3

   Step 3: Learn how to say two or more digit numbers.

Detailed Guide

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