Hindustani numerals
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2025) |
Like many Indo-Aryan languages, Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu) has a decimal numeral system that is contracted to the extent that nearly every number 1–99 is irregular, and needs to be memorized as a separate numeral.[1]
1-99
[edit]The numbers 1-99 largely evolved directly from the Sanskrit forms without being borrowed, and so are nearly all irregular.
For the number 0, Modern Standard Hindi tends to use śūnya (a Sanskrit tatsama) while Standard Urdu prefers sifr (borrowed from Arabic), though the native tadbhava-form is sunnā in Hindustani. Sometimes the ardha-tatsama form śūn is also used (semi-learned borrowing). Colloquially in Hinglish/Urdish, it is simply referred as jīro/zīro (from English zero).
| −1 | +0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +8 | +9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +0 | śūnya, sifr, sunnā, śūn | ek | do | tīn | cār | pāṅc | chaḥ | sāt | āṭh | nau | |
| +10 | das | gyārah | bārah | terah | caudah | pandrah | solah | satrah | aṭhārah | ||
| +20 | unnīs | bīs | ikkīs | bāīs | teīs | caubīs | paccīs | chabbīs | sattāīs | aṭṭhāīs | |
| +30 | untīs | tīs | ikattīs | battīs | taiṅtīs | cauṅtīs | paiṅtīs | chattīs | saiṅtīs | aṛtīs | |
| +40 | untālīs | cālīs | iktālīs | bayālīs | taiṅtālīs | cavālīs | paiṅtālīs | chiyālīs | saiṅtālīs | aṛtālīs | |
| +50 | uncās | pacās | ikyāvan, ikāvan | bāvan | tirpan | cauvan | pacpan | chappan | sattāvan | aṭṭhāvan | |
| +60 | unsaṭh | sāṭh | iksaṭh | bāsaṭh | tirsaṭh | cauṅsaṭh | paiṅsaṭh | chiyāsaṭh | saṛsaṭh | aṛsaṭh | |
| +70 | unhattar | sattar | ikhattar | bahattar | tihattar | cauhattar | pac'hattar | chihattar | sat'hattar | aṭhhattar | |
| +80 | unāsī | assī | ikyāsī, ikāsī | bayāsī | tirāsī | caurāsī | pacāsī | chiyāsī | sattāsi | aṭṭhāsī | navāsī |
| +90 | nabbe, navve | ikyānve, ikānve | bānve, bayānve | tirānve | caurānve | pacānve | chiyānve | sattānve | aṭṭhānve | ninyānve |
100-1018
[edit]After 100, the numerals repeat regularly as in any base system. Lakh and crore are common enough to have entered Indian English.
| English | Number | Forms of various names | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | das _ | _ karōṛ | ||
| Hundred | 102 | sau | ||
| Thousand | 103 | hazār | ||
| Ten〃 | 104 | das hazār | ||
| Hundred〃 | 105 | lākh | ||
| Million | 106 | das lākh | ||
| Ten〃 | 107 | karoṛ | ||
| Hundred〃 | 108 | das karōṛ | das karōṛ | |
| Billion | 109 | arab | sau karōṛ | |
| Ten〃 | 1010 | das arab | ēk hazār karōṛ | |
| Hundred〃 | 1011 | kharab | ||
| Trillion | 1012 | das kharab | ēk lākh karōṛ | |
| Ten〃 | 1013 | nīl | ||
| Hundred〃 | 1014 | das nīl | ēk karōṛ karōṛ | |
| Quadrillion | 1015 | padma | ||
| Ten〃 | 1016 | das padma | ||
| Hundred〃 | 1017 | śaṅkh | ||
| Quintillion | 1018 | gulśan | das śaṅkh | |
Written forms
[edit]In writing Hindi, numbers are usually represented using Devanagari numeral signs, while in Urdu the signs employed are those of a modified Eastern Arabic numeral system.
| Arabic | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Hindi | ० | १ | २ | ३ | ४ | ५ | ६ | ७ | ८ | ९ |
| Urdu | ۰ | ۱ | ۲ | ۳ | ۴ | ۵ | ۶ | ۷ | ۸ | ۹ |
References
[edit]- ^ McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1987), Outline of Hindi Grammar (2nd revised ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 61–62