In this episode, we’ve talked about the “literary” pronunciation of numbers. We’ve also talked about several number-related expressions and how to ask for someone’s phone number and year of birth.
(These show notes use tables and rich formatting. Please visit the episode webpage for an optimal viewing experience.)
THE TWO PRONUNCIATIONS OF TAIWANESE NUMBERS
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
Bûn-giân-im
“Literary” |
it | jī | sam | sù | ngóo** |
Pe̍h-uē-im
“Colloquial” |
“tsi̍t” (it) | “nn̄g” (jī) | sann | sì | gōo |
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
Bûn-giân-im
“Literary” |
lio̍k | tshit | pat | kiú | si̍p |
Pe̍h-uē-im
“Colloquial” |
la̍k | tshit | pe̍h | káu | tsa̍p |
*Syllables that have been greyed out require tone changes.
**For more on how to pronounce the "ng-" sound at the beginning of a syllable. Check out the Nasal Consonants & Vowels episode from our Pronounce it Like a Pro podcast series.
The “literary” reading for numbers are typically used in these contexts:
- Reading off digits, e.g. a phone number or a lottery number
- Specifying a year
- Within certain set phrases or expressions
- Some place names or people’s given names
The “colloquial” reading for numbers are used in counting things and most other contexts. Note that the colloquial pronunciations for 1 and 2 are special cases. “Tsi̍t” and “nn̄g” are only used when counting one or two things.
SENTENCES AND VOCABULARY
TAIWANESE | ENGLISH |
nn̄g tshing jī-tsa̍p-sì nî | the year 2024; 2024 years |
jī khòng jī-sù nî | the year 2024 |
khòng | zero |
Lí ê tiān-uē kuí hō? | What is your phone number? |
lí ê | your; yours |
tiān-uē | telephone |
kuí | how many; several |
hō | (designated or ordinal) number |
khòng-kiú, pat-sam-ngóo-ngóo, tshit-pat-sù-lio̍k /
khòng-kiú-pat-sam, ngóo-ngóo-tshit, pat-sù-lio̍k |
09-8355-7846
0983-557-846 |
Lí kuí nî tshut-sì? | What year were you born in? |
tshut-sì | to be born |
Guá it-kiú kiú-jī nî tshut-sì. | I was born in 1992. |
Lí kuí nî-tshù? | What year were you born in? |
nî-tshù | year (usually of birth) |
Guá it-kiú kiú-jī. | Me, 1992. |
sam-pat | foolish, silly, ditzy (usually said of women)
(literally: “38”) |
sam-pat hiann-tī | to be overly polite among close friends (usually said among men)
(literally: “38 brothers”) |
sam-tsân-ba̍h | pork belly
(literally: “3 layer meat”) |
sù-kuì | the 4 seasons |
sù-hái | the 4 seas; figuratively “the whole world” |
sù-ki | the 4 limbs |
sù-thong-pat-ta̍t | an expression describing really convenient and accessible transportation networks |
ngóo-hiang | the 5 spices (usually star anise, cloves, fennel, cinnamon, and Sichuan pepper) |
ngóo-kok | the 5 grains (usually rice, millet, corn, wheat, and soybeans); crops, grains in general |
ngóo-kim | the 5 metals (usually gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin); hardware or ironware |
ngóo-kuan | the 5 sensory organs (usually referring to the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and body or heart); facial features |
ngóo-tshái | really colorful |
lio̍k-ha̍p | the 6 directions: East, West, South, North, Up, and Down; figuratively “everything under the sun” or “the entire universe” |
lio̍k-thiok | the 6 domesticated animals (cow, horse, sheep, chicken, dog, pig); domesticated animals in general |
si̍p-jī-lōo | the intersection, crossroads |
si̍p-tsuân-si̍p-bí | a common saying expressing that something is completely perfect
(literally: “10 completely 10 beautiful”) |
For more about numbers, literary and colloquial pronunciations and related expressions, go check out our downloadable workbook! It also gives you additional vocabulary with characters, pronunciation notes, grammar explanations, culture tips, and fun exercises to help your practice.
Music Credit: TeknoAXE