Language/Yoruba/Grammar/Counting-in-Yoruba
Learning a new language means starting from the basics. One of the basics of the Yoruba language is counting. As a Yoruba language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I believe that understanding the number system is a crucial part of the Yoruba language learning process. In this lesson, we will cover how to count from 1 to 100 in Yoruba, along with understanding the number systems, including ordinal and cardinal numbers.
Yoruba Number System
The Yoruba number system is a base-10 system, meaning it is based on 10 digits (0-9). In Yoruba, numbers are formed by combining different digits. Unlike English, each digit has a distinct name, which makes counting and understanding numbers in Yoruba relatively easy.
Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers are used when counting physical quantities such as people, objects, or money. Below is a table of cardinal numbers in Yoruba:
| Yoruba | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ọ̀kan | oh-kahn | one |
| meji | meh-jee | two |
| mẹta | meh-tah | three |
| mẹrin | meh-rin | four |
| marun | mah-roon | five |
| mefa | meh-fah | six |
| mẹsan | meh-sahn | seven |
| merinlógún | meh-rin-loh-goon | eight |
| mẹfa-dojú | meh-fah-doh-joo | nine |
| mẹwa | meh-wah | ten |
| mọ́ọ̀kanla | moh-ohk-ahn-lah | eleven |
| mẹ́jìlẹ̀ | meh-jee-leh | twelve |
| mẹ́tàalẹ̀ | meh-tah-ah-leh | thirteen |
| mẹ́rìnlẹ̀ | meh-rin-leh | fourteen |
| màrùnlọgbọ̀n | mah-roon-low-gbohn | fifteen |
| mẹ́fàdó jú | meh-fah-doh-jooh | sixteen |
| mẹ́ẹ̀tàdó jú | meh-eh-tah-doh-jooh | seventeen |
| mẹ́rìn lẹ́tì | meh-rin-leh-tee | eighteen |
| màrùnlọ́gbọ̀n ààrẹ | mah-roon-loh-gbohn-ahh-reh | nineteen |
| ogún | oh-goon | twenty |
| okan-ógún | oh-kahn-oh-goon | twenty-one |
| meji-ógún | meh-jee-oh-goon | twenty-two |
| mẹta-ógún | meh-tah-oh-goon | twenty-three |
| mẹrin-ógún | meh-rin-oh-goon | twenty-four |
| marun-ógún | mah-roon-oh-goon | twenty-five |
| mefa-ógún | meh-fah-oh-goon | twenty-six |
| mẹsan-ógún | meh-sahn-oh-goon | twenty-seven |
| merinlógún-ógún | meh-rin-loh-goon-oh-goon | twenty-eight |
| mẹfá-dojú-ógún | meh-fah-doh-joo-oh-goon | twenty-nine |
| Ogorin | oh-goh-reen | thirty |
| Ṣẹkarù | sheh-kah-roo | forty |
| Ẹsan | eh-sahn | fifty |
| Adọ | a-doh | sixty |
| Irinwọ | e-reen-woh | seventy |
| Ọgọrun | oh-goh-roon | eighty |
| Ọgbọnrin | oh-gbohn-reen | ninety |
| Ẹdọ | eh-doh | one hundred |
It is also important to note that just like in English, cardinal numbers must agree with the nouns they modify in terms of gender.
Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers are used to indicate the position of something or someone in a sequence. In Yoruba, ordinal numbers are typically formed by adding the suffix "-kan" to each cardinal number, except for "one" and "two", which have their unique ordinal forms. Here is a table of the Yoruba ordinal numbers:
| Yoruba | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ọ̀kan | oh-kahn | First |
| meji | meh-jee | Second |
| mẹta kan | meh-tah kahn | Third |
| mẹrin kan | meh-rin kahn | Fourth |
| marun kan | mah-roon kahn | Fifth |
| mefa kan | meh-fah kahn | Sixth |
| mẹsan kan | meh-sahn kahn | Seventh |
| merinlógún kan | meh-rin-loh-goon kahn | Eighth |
| mẹfa-dojú kan | meh-fah-doh-joo kahn | Ninth |
| ọ̀kanlá | oh-kahn-lah | Tenth |
| mẹ́jìlẹ̀ kan | meh-jee-leh kahn | Twelfth |
| mẹ́tàalẹ̀ kan | meh-tah-ah-leh kahn | Thirteenth |
| mẹ́rìnlẹ̀ kan | meh-rin-leh kahn | Fourteenth |
| màrùnlọgbọ̀n kan | mah-roon-low-gbohn kahn | Fifteenth |
| mẹ́fàdó jú kan | meh-fah-doh-jooh kahn | Sixteenth |
| mẹ́ẹ̀tàdó jú kan | meh-eh-tah-doh-jooh kahn | Seventeenth |
| mẹ́rìn lẹ́tì kan | meh-rin-leh-tee kahn | Eighteenth |
| màrùnlọ́gbọ̀n ààrẹ kan | mah-roon-loh-gbohn-ahh-reh kahn | Nineteenth |
| ogún kan | oh-goon kahn | Twentieth |
| okan-ógún kan | oh-kahn-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-first |
| meji-ógún kan | meh-jee-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-second |
| mẹta-ógún kan | meh-tah-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-third |
| mẹrin-ógún kan | meh-rin-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-fourth |
| marun-ógún kan | mah-roon-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-fifth |
| mefa-ógún kan | meh-fah-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-sixth |
| mẹsan-ógún kan | meh-sahn-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-seventh |
| merinlógún-ógún kan | meh-rin-loh-goon-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-eighth |
| mẹfá-dojú-ógún kan | meh-fah-doh-joo-oh-goon kahn | Twenty-ninth |
| Ogorin kan | oh-goh-reen kahn | Thirtieth |
| Ṣọ́jọ́ kan | shoh-joh kahn | Fortieth |
| Ẹsan kan | eh-sahn kahn | Fiftieth |
| Adọ kan | a-doh kahn | Sixtieth |
| Irinwọ kan | e-reen-woh kahn | Seventieth |
| Ọgọrun kan | oh-goh-roon kahn | Eightieth |
| Ọgbọnrin kan | oh-gbohn-reen kahn | Ninetieth |
| Ẹdọ kan | eh-doh kahn | One hundredth |
Telling Time
Telling time in Yoruba is relatively straightforward. The Yoruba generally use the 24-hour system for time-telling, and the words "ọ̀wúrọ̀" (morning), "àárọ̀" (afternoon), and "alẹ̀" (evening) determine the time of day. Below are some common phrases for telling time in Yoruba:
- Adájọ́ - now
- Ọ̀la - hour
- Kẹ́ẹ̀dì - minute
- Mẹ́rìndínlógún - quarter past
- Kọ́ọ̀kanlá - half past
- Mẹ́rìndínlógún mẹ́jì - quarter to
Here's how to tell the time in Yoruba:
| Yoruba | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM | Àárọ̀ kan ọ̀la méji | 6:00 AM |
| 12:00 PM | Ọ̀wúrọ̀ kan ọ̀la mẹ́ta | 12:00 PM |
| 3:15 PM | Àárọ̀ kan ọ̀la mẹ́rinlógún mẹ́jì | 3:15 PM |
| 7:30 PM | Alẹ̀ kan ọ̀la kọ́ọ̀kanlá | 7:30 PM |
| 11:45 PM | Ọ̀wúrọ̀ kan
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