4. Numbers I

Cardinal Numbers (0-10)

We use cardinal numbers to count something.

ling4
zero
jat1
one
ji6
two
saam1
three
sei3
four
ng5
five
luk6
six
cat1
seven
baat3
eight
gau2
nine
sap6
ten

Ordinal Numbers

We use ordinal numbers to indicate order. English words like first, second and third are ordinal numbers in English.

🔍 Observe!

In this book, you will sometimes be asked to observe patterns in grammar or vocabulary by yourself. It can help you develop observation skills for learning a language.

Observe the ordinal numbers below and complete the description.

第一
dai6 jat1
first
第二
dai6 ji6
second
第三
dai6 saam1
third
...
第十
dai6 sap6
tenth

We add ________ before a cardinal number to form an ordinal number.

We add dai6 before a cardinal number to form an ordinal number.

第一
dai6 jat1
first
第二
dai6 ji6
second
第三
dai6 saam1
third
第四
dai6 sei3
fourth
第五
dai6 ng5
fifth
第六
dai6 luk6
sixth
第七
dai6 cat1
seventh
第八
dai6 baat3
eighth
第九
dai6 gau2
ninth
第十
dai6 sap6
tenth

Culture: Special Meaning of Numbers

Some numbers have special meaning because their pronunciation is similar to the pronunciation of another word.

Number
Word with Similar Pronunciation
1.
saam1  three
saang1  to grow
2.
sei3  four
sei2  death
3.
baat3  eight
faat3  to get rich

sei3 is associated with 死 sei2. Some people believe that 四 sei3 will bring bad luck. Therefore, some shopping malls or buildings don’t have a fourth floor.

On the other hand, 三 saam1 and 八 baat3 are associated with something good. Some people believe that 三 saam1 and 八 baat3 can bring good luck. Therefore, they prefer 三 saam1 and 八 baat3 in numbers like their flat number, license plate number or telephone number.

Activity

Get a deck of poker cards. Split the cards into equal piles for each person in your group. Draw a card in turn. The person who says the number of the card the fastest will get the card. Say 1 for the aces and 0 for cards without a number (J, Q, K and jokers). The game ends when everyone has used up their cards. The person who got the most cards will win the game.

Made with in Hong Kong.

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