Numbers in Hausa



Learn numbers in Hausa

Knowing numbers in Hausa is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Hausa. Learning to count in Hausa may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Hausa is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Hausa.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Hausa?

Hausa (Harhsen, هَرْشَن هَوْسَ‎) is an Afroasiatic language that belongs to the West chadic languages. Spoken in West Africa, and more specifically in Niger and Nigeria, it counts about 80 million speakers. The Hausa language can be written in the boko alphabet (a Latin-based alphabet), and in ajami (an Arabic-based alphabet). Hausa is a tonal language. However, the tone and vowel length are not marked in writing.

List of numbers in Hausa

Here is a list of numbers in Hausa. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Hausa from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Hausa. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Hausa.

• 1) ɗaya
• 2) biyu
• 3) uku
• 4) huɗu
• 5) biyar
• 6) shida
• 7) bakwai
• 8) takwas
• 9) tara
• 10) goma
• 11) (goma) sha ɗaya
• 12) (goma) sha biyu
• 13) (goma) sha uku
• 14) (goma) sha huɗu
• 15) (goma) sha biyar
• 16) (goma) sha shida
• 17) (goma) sha bakwai
• 18) (goma) sha takwas
• 19) (goma) sha tara
• 20) ashirin
• 30) talatin
• 40) arba’in
• 50) hamsin
• 60) sittin
• 70) saba’in
• 80) tamanin
• 90) tis’in
• 100) ɗari
• 1,000) dubu
• one million) miliyan

Numbers in Hausa: Hausa numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Hausa is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Hausa you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Hausa with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Hausa is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Hausa. Also, learning how to number in Hausa yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Hausa at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Hausa

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Digits from zero to nine are rendered by specific words: sifiri [0] (from the Arabic sifr), ɗaya [1], biyu [2], uku [3], huɗu [4], biyar [5], shida [6], bakwai [7], takwas [8], and tara [9].

Numbers from eleven to nineteen are formed starting (optionally) with the word for ten (goma), followed by the particule sha (and), and the unit: (goma) sha ɗaya [11], (goma) sha biyu [12], (goma) sha uku [13], (goma) sha huɗu [14], (goma) sha biyar [15], (goma) sha shida [16], (goma) sha bakwai [17], (goma) sha takwas [18], and (goma) sha tara [19].

Tens above ten are Arabic-based: goma [10], ashirin [20], talatin [30], arba’in [40], hamsin [50], sittin [60], saba’in [70], tamanin [80], and tis’in [90].

Compound numbers above twenty are formed starting with the ten, followed by the conjonction da (and), then the unit (e.g.: ashirin da ɗaya [21], saba’in da uku [73]).

Hundreds are formed starting with the word for hundred (ɗari), followed by the multiplier unit, except for one hundred: ɗari [100], ɗari biyu [200], ɗari uku [300], ɗari huɗu [400], ɗari biyar [500], ɗari shida [600], ɗari bakwai [700], ɗari takwas [800], and ɗari tara [900].

Thousands are formed starting with the word for thousand (dubu), followed by the multiplier unit, except for one thousand: dubu [1,000], dubu biyu [2,000], dubu uku [3,000], dubu huɗu [4,000], dubu biyar [5,000], dubu shida [6,000], dubu bakwai [7,000], dubu takwas [8,000], and dubu tara [9,000].

The word for million is miliyan.

Hausa, by Philip J. Jaggar, John Benjamins Publishing Company (2001)