Counting Numbers

Level 1

bir, ikki, uch, toʻrt, besh, olti, yetti, sakkiz, toʻqqiz, oʻn are one to ten. oʻn + bir → oʻn bir (11).

How It Works

One to ten
1 bir · 2 ikki · 3 uch · 4 toʻrt · 5 besh · 6 olti · 7 yetti · 8 sakkiz · 9 toʻqqiz · 10 oʻn. Zero is nol.

Watch the spelling
toʻrt, toʻqqiz and oʻn have the letter oʻ. Without it, tort is a different word: a cake. toʻqqiz has a double q, and sakkiz a double k.

Eleven to nineteen
Say the ten, then the unit, as two separate words: oʻn bir (11), oʻn ikki (12), oʻn besh (15), oʻn toʻqqiz (19). The same pattern continues after twenty: yigirma uch (23). The tens themselves are in tens, hundreds and thousands.

Before a noun
A number stands before the noun, and the noun does not take -lar: ikki olma (two apples), oʻn ikki oy (twelve months). See singular nouns after numbers.

bir also means a
bir can simply mean a or one: bir kitob (a book). When people count objects, they often add -ta: bitta, ikkita, uchta.

Examples (5)

  1. Stolda uch kitob bor.

    There are three books on the table.

    Word by Word: table-on three book there-is

    The noun after a number stays singular: kitob, not kitoblar.

  2. Ikki ukam bor.

    I have two younger brothers.

    Word by Word: two younger-brother-my there-is

    ikki comes before the noun, and the possessive goes on the noun.

  3. Sinfda oʻn besh talaba bor.

    There are fifteen students in the class.

    Word by Word: class-in ten five student there-is

    oʻn besh is ten plus five, written as two words.

  4. Bir yilda oʻn ikki oy bor.

    A year has twelve months.

    Word by Word: one year-in ten two month there-is

    bir here means one; oʻn ikki is twelve.

  5. Men oʻn toʻqqiz yoshdaman.

    I am nineteen years old.

    Word by Word: I ten nine age-at-I

    toʻqqiz is written with oʻ and a double q.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding the plural -lar after a number.

    uch kitoblar
    uch kitob

    The number already shows there is more than one, so the noun stays singular.

  • Dropping the turned comma from toʻrt.

    tort olma
    toʻrt olma

    tort is a cake. The number four is toʻrt, with the letter oʻ.

  • Writing the parts of a number as one word.

    oʻnbir
    oʻn bir

    The parts of a larger number are separate words: oʻn bir, oʻn besh.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Counting NumbersLevel 1

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

birikkiuchtoʻrtbesholtiyettisakkiztoʻqqizoʻnoʻn bir