Learn the words first
零
líng
zero
一
yī
one
二
èr
two
三
sān
three
四
sì
four
五
wǔ
five
六
liù
six
七
qī
seven
八
bā
eight
九
jiǔ
nine
十
shí
ten
岁
suì
years old
A small number system
十一 is ten + one: eleven. 十二 is twelve. 二十 is two tens: twenty. 二十五 is twenty-five. Practise single digits first, then combine them. 一 is yī when counting alone; its tone can change in other contexts, which we will study later.
Age without 是
我二十五岁。means I am twenty-five years old. Use 我 + number + 岁; do not add 是 in this basic pattern. Asking an adult’s age can be personal, so learn the sentence without assuming it belongs in every first conversation.
Examples to read and repeat
十一，二十，二十五。
Shíyī, èrshí, èrshíwǔ.
Eleven, twenty, twenty-five.
我二十五岁。
Wǒ èrshíwǔ suì.
I am twenty-five years old.