Serene Zawaydeh: Are there any special numbers in Chinese? by Serene Zawaydeh. June 8, 2026

Are there any special numbers in Chinese? by Serene Zawaydeh. June 8, 2026

When I started learning Chinese, my teacher introduced us to idioms and famous Chinese sayings right from HSK1, which made learning Chinese more interesting right from the beginning. There is a saying: 三人行，必有我师. This means when three people walk together, one must be my teacher. We should be around people who can teach us something. This comes from Confucius in the Analects (论语, Lún Yǔ), one of the most famous sayings in Chinese philosophy. The full quote is:

三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。
(Sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī yān. Zé qí shàn zhě ér cóng zhī, qí bù shàn zhě ér gǎi zhī.)
"When three people walk together, there is certainly a teacher for me. I select their good qualities and follow them. I take their bad qualities and correct them in myself."

As today is June 8, 2026, I thought of sharing some information about numbers in Chinese, and information that I did not know before learning Chinese.

Numbers 1 , 2, 3, and 10 are very easy to write. Number 8 is similar to ٨ in Eastern Arabic numerals.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
一	二	三	四	五	六	七	八	九	十
Yī	èr	sān	sì	wǔ	liù	qī	bā	jiǔ	shí

Number 8 八(bā)is viewed as the luckiest number in Chinese, and is related to wealth and prosperity发(fā)财(cái). The new year’s greeting in Chinese is 恭(gōng)喜(xǐ)发(fā)财(cái)May you be happy and prosperous.

China chose 8/8/08 at 8:08 PM for the Opening Ceremony for Beijing Summer Olympic Games 2008. The 2008 Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Bird's Nest in Beijing, on Friday, 8 August 2008. It was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who is considered as one of the most successful filmmakers in the world. The 2008 Olympics opening ceremony and movies by Zhang Yimou were featured in Chinese movie recommendations by teacher Ken from Chinese Zero to Hero.

The double eights (88) visually resemble the Chinese character for "double happiness" (囍). Additionally, it mimics the infinity symbol (∞), suggesting limitless wealth.

People and businesses are willing to pay massive premiums for addresses, phone numbers, and license plates that feature the number 8.

666 (六(liù)六(liù)六(liù)) is a popular phrase used to praise someone for being awesome, impressive, or highly skilled. It is the digital equivalent of saying "bravo," "well done," or "you rock”.

On the other hand, number 4 四(sì)in Chinese is considered an unlucky number in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and is strongly avoided. Buildings often skip floor numbers containing 4 (4, 14, 24, 40-49).

Number 4 in Chinese is 四 (sì)，which is close to the the sound of 死(sǐ) which means death in Chinese. Number 14 十四would sound like 是死 would sound like saying “is death”, where 是 is the verb “is” and 死being death.

Number 4 is strictly prohibited at hospitals in South Korea, and number 4 may be replaced by F in elevators. Number 4 is also skipped in building floor numbering in Singapore and Malaysia, and can be avoided in Vietnam as well.

Number 4 is also considered unlucky in Japan. Number 9 (ku) is also avoided as it means suffering.

Examples of skipping 4 in China:

· Just as the 13th floor is sometimes skipped in Western hotels, buildings in China often omit the fourth floor, labeling it as 3A or jumping straight to 5. Number 13, it is viewed neutrally or even positively in China.

· Many Chinese individuals will intentionally pay a premium for phone numbers or car plates that do not contain the number 4.

· Major brands, including smartphone and tech companies, often skip releasing "Series 4" products in the Chinese market to avoid offending consumers or deterring sales.

· When offering gifts—such as flowers, fruit, or money—it is highly inappropriate to give 4 of anything. Even numbers are generally preferred, but 4 is strictly taboo.

Bigger Numbers in Chinese

Certain characters are associated with numbers that have zeros. In English, three zeros separate big numbers, such as Thousand and Million and Billion. In Chinese, the character万 is Ten Thousand, and 亿 is a hundred million. So to say one million, we have to say one hundred ten thousand; to say ten million, we need to say one thousand ten thousand; and to say one billion, we should say ten hundred million in Chinese.

Ten

100
Hundred

1000
Thousand

10,000
Ten Thousand

Million

1,000,000

Ten Million

10,000,000

Hundred Million
100,000,000

Billion

1000,000,000

十(shí)