Large Numbers: 千、万、亿 and Approximate Numbers
Chinese counts large numbers in units of 万 (10,000), not thousands, so 12,000 is 一万二千. This page covers 千 (1,000), 万 and 亿 (100 million) and how 多 makes a number approximate.
In English
Chinese groups large numbers by 万 (ten thousand) and 亿 (one hundred million), not by thousands and millions. So 100,000 is 十万, one million is 一百万, and 一亿 is one hundred million. 千 is a plain thousand.
When a zero falls inside a number you must say 零, as in 一千零五, because 一千五 means 1,500. To say 'a bit more than' after a round number, put 多 right after it and before the measure word, as in 三十多个人.
| 数字 | 汉字 | 拼音 |
|------|------|------|
| 1,000 | 千 | qiān |
| 10,000 | 万 | wàn |
| 100,000,000 | 亿 | yì |
规则： 中文用万进位，不说”十千”，说一万。12,000 = 一万二千。
近似数： 用相邻数字表示，如三四个 (3 or 4)。也可用 X多 表示超过 X，如三十多 (more than 30)。
✅ 五千人 (5,000 people)
✅ 两万三千 (23,000)
✅ 一百多块钱 (more than 100 yuan)
❌ 十千 (wrong — use 一万)
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 这个城市有五千万人口。 | Zhège chéngshì yǒu wǔqiān wàn rénkǒu. | This city has a population of 50 million. | 五千万 = 5,000 × 万 = 50,000,000. 万 is the key unit — multiply: 五千 × 万. |
| 这本书要一万二千块钱。 | Zhè běn shū yào yī wàn èr qiān kuài qián. | This book costs 12,000 yuan. | 一万二千 = 10,000 + 2,000 = 12,000. No need for an 'and' connector in Chinese. |
| 我们班有三十多个学生。 | Wǒmen bān yǒu sānshí duō gè xuésheng. | Our class has more than 30 students (around 30-something). | 三十多 = 30+. 多 after a round number means 'some more beyond that number'. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
千 (qiān)
Is the unit for one thousand.
Structure: Number + 千 (+ 零 + number)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这台电脑要四千块。 | Zhè tái diàn nǎo yào sì qiān kuài. | This computer costs four thousand yuan. |
| 我们学校有两千多个学生。 | Wǒ men xué xiào yǒu liǎng qiān duō gè xué sheng. | Our school has more than two thousand students. |
| 北京到上海大约一千公里。 | Běi jīng dào shàng hǎi dà yuē yì qiān gōng lǐ. | Beijing to Shanghai is about a thousand kilometres. |
Not: 我有两千五个朋友。 A zero inside a number must be said: 两千零五; 两千五 means 2,500.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 1, numerals.
万 (wàn)
Is the unit for ten thousand, so Chinese counts in tens of thousands.
Structure: Number + 万
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一年有两万多人来这里旅游。 | Yì nián yǒu liǎng wàn duō rén lái zhè lǐ lǚ yóu. | More than twenty thousand people visit here each year. |
| 他买了一辆十五万块的车。 | Tā mǎi le yí liàng shí wǔ wàn kuài de chē. | He bought a car for a hundred and fifty thousand yuan. |
| 我的手机里有一万张照片。 | Wǒ de shǒu jī lǐ yǒu yí wàn zhāng zhào piàn. | My phone holds ten thousand photos. |
Not: 这个手机一百千块。 A hundred thousand is 十万, not 一百千.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 2, numerals.
亿 (yì)
Is the unit for one hundred million.
Structure: Number + 亿
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 中国有十四亿人。 | Zhōng guó yǒu shí sì yì rén. | China has 1.4 billion people. |
| 这个公司一年赚了二十亿。 | Zhè gè gōng sī yì nián zhuàn le èr shí yì. | This company earned two billion in a year. |
| 太阳离地球大约一亿五千万公里。 | Tài yáng lí dì qiú dà yuē yí yì wǔ qiān wàn gōng lǐ. | The sun is about 150 million kilometres from the earth. |
Not: 中国有十四个亿人。 亿 is a number unit, not a measure word, so 个 does not go before it.
多 (duō)
Means 'a bit more than' after a round number.
Structure: Round number + 多 + measure word + noun
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这条路有三十多公里。 | Zhè tiáo lù yǒu sān shí duō gōng lǐ. | This road is more than thirty kilometres long. |
| 他今年四十多岁。 | Tā jīn nián sì shí duō suì. | He is over forty this year. |
| 来了一百多个人。 | Lái le yì bǎi duō gè rén. | More than a hundred people came. |
Not: 我有二十个多苹果。 多 comes right after the round number, before the measure word: 二十多个苹果.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 1, pronouns (疑问代词); level 2, adverbs (程度副词); level 2, numerals; level 6, quasi-prefixes.
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Large Numbers among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Questions about Large Numbers
What does 大数词 (Large Numbers) mean in Chinese?
Chinese counts large numbers in units of 万 (10,000), not thousands, so 12,000 is 一万二千. This page covers 千 (1,000), 万 and 亿 (100 million) and how 多 makes a number approximate. It is an HSK 2 grammar point.
How do you use 大数词 (Large Numbers) in a sentence?
这个城市有五千万人口。 — Zhège chéngshì yǒu wǔqiān wàn rénkǒu. — This city has a population of 50 million. 五千万 = 5,000 × 万 = 50,000,000. 万 is the key unit — multiply: 五千 × 万.
What do you need to know before 大数词 (Large Numbers)?
Number-Measure Phrases (HSK 1). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 大数词 (Large Numbers) lead to?
Quantity Complements (HSK 2). Each of them names 大数词 (Large Numbers) among its own prerequisites.
How do I say 100,000 and a million in Chinese?
100,000 is 十万 and a million is 一百万. Chinese counts in 万 (ten thousand) and 亿 (a hundred million), so the next jump after 一千万 is 一亿。 For example, 这个城市有一百万人。
Do I say 二千 or 两千?
In ordinary counting 两千 is more natural, as in 两千块. 二 is used when you read digits or a year, as in 二千零二十年.
Large Numbers is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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