NUMBER PATTERNS · LESSON 2 OF 4
Hundreds and zero
Read 100–999 and use 零 for an empty place.
One short session · about 5–10 minutes. See the four-lesson path
How the pattern works
- 百 (bǎi) means hundred. Keep 一 before 百: 一百 = 100, not just 百. 三百 = 300.
- Add the smaller number after the hundreds: 三百二十五 = 300 + 20 + 5 = 325. Keep 一 in the tens place after hundreds: 一百一十 = 110.
- If the tens place is empty but there are ones, use 零 (líng): 一百零五 = 105. Do not add 零 at the end of exact hundreds.
- Both 二百 and 两百 can mean 200. 两 is common before 百, 千 and 万; 二 stays in 二十 and the ones place.
Listen to the building blocks
Read the examples
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 一百 | yī bǎi | |
| 101 | 一百零一 | yī bǎi líng yī | |
| 105 | 一百零五 | yī bǎi líng wǔ | |
| 110 | 一百一十 | yī bǎi yī shí | |
| 120 | 一百二十 | yī bǎi èr shí | |
| 200 | 两百 / 二百 | liǎng bǎi / èr bǎi | |
| 222 | 两百二十二 | liǎng bǎi èr shí èr | |
| 325 | 三百二十五 | sān bǎi èr shí wǔ | |
| 999 | 九百九十九 | jiǔ bǎi jiǔ shí jiǔ |
Pinyin here shows the dictionary tone yī for 一. In natural speech, 一 usually becomes yì before a first, second or third tone, and yí before a fourth tone: 一百 yì bǎi; 一千 yì qiān; 一万 yí wàn. At the end of a number it stays yī, as in 十一 shí yī.
Say it and use it
Read three price tags aloud: 105 yuan, 120 yuan and 325 yuan. Say the complete number before adding 元 (yuán).
Check your number patterns
Try all six questions. Each learner has separate progress.