Russian Numbers – Count in Russian from 1 to 1000 like a pro!

Russian Numbers – Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers answer the question how much? / сколько?

Russian cardinal numbers from 1 to 10

1️⃣=один

2️⃣=два

3️⃣=три

4️⃣=четыре

5️⃣=пять

6️⃣=шесть

7️⃣=семь

8️⃣=восемь

9️⃣=девять

🔟=десять

Listen to the pronunciation!

Russian cardinal numbers from 11 to 19

are formed by adding the root of the initial number + Old Slavic version of word “ten” (десять).

E.g. 11 in archaic Russian is literally 1 over 10 (один+на+десять), with time some assimilations took place (десять>дцать) and now the word looks like одиннадцать.

While 20 (двадцать) is literally 2×10 (two times ten = два+ дцать).

Learn how to pronounce them correctly:

Russian cardinal numbers 20 to 90

Russian numbers 20 and 30 use archaic word ten (дцать):

2 times ten = два + дцать, три+дцать.

50 , 60 , 70 , 80 use modern ten (десять) in their structure.

40 is an exception of this range, so just remember it. 

The origin of the numeral “сорок” (40) in Russian

The origin of number 40 (“сорок”) is still disputable. According to the most common version in the Max-Vasmer dictionary, the word comes from the concept of “a bundle of fur skins” (sables, martens, etc.). A bundle of 40 skins was a unit of measure, trade and storage, since 40 sable skins were required for sewing a single sable fur coat. The skins were wrapped in a cloth, “soroka”, in Old Russian.

However, according to Trubachev, this etymology is not quite convincing. It is not excluded that the word “sorok” dates back to the ancient Eastern Slavic *srk, which is an early borrowing from the Turkic languages kırk “forty”.

90 девяносто is an exception as well.

Russian cardinal numbers from 100 to 1000

Russian numbers 100-400 are formed by adding simple number (2 for example) and word hundred “ста” (“сто” in Genitive Case Singular):

100 – сто , 200 – двести, 300 – триста, 400 – четыреста.

Russian numbers 500-900 are formed by adding simple number (5 for example) and word hundred “сот” (“сто” in Genitive Case Plural)

500 – пятьсот, 600 – шестьсот, 700 – семьсот, 800 – восемьсот, 900 – девятьсот. 1000 is тысяча [‘ty-sya-cha]

Compound Russian Numbers

How to say, for example 125 in Russian?

Just use the numbers you already know!

125 = сто двадцать пять

525 = пятьсот двадцать пять

1025 = одна тысяча двадцать пять

Cardinal and Ordinal numbers – Complete table

In linguistics, ordinal numerals or ordinal number words are words representing position or rank in a sequential order (Wikipedia)

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