Language/Igbo/Vocabulary/Numbers
In this lesson, you will learn the Igbo numbers from 1 to 100, as well as ordinal numbers, and how to use them in sentences. Numbers are essential for basic communication and everyday life, so it's important to get a good grasp of them early on in your Igbo learning journey.
Cardinal Numbers
Igbo cardinal numbers are used to indicate quantity or number. Here are the numbers from 1 to 20 in Igbo:
| Igbo | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| otú | oh-TOO | one |
| abụọ | ah-BOO-oh | two |
| atọ | ah-TOH | three |
| anọ | ah-NOH | four |
| ise | EE-seh | five |
| isii | EE-SEE | six |
| asaa | ah-SAH-ah | seven |
| asato | ah-SAH-toh | eight |
| otu-asaa | oh-TOO-ah-SAH-ah | nine |
| iri | EE-ree | ten |
| iri-abụọ | ee-ree-ah-BOO-oh | eleven |
| iri-atọ | ee-ree-ah-TOH | twelve |
| iri-anọ | ee-ree-ah-NOH | thirteen |
| iri-ise | ee-ree-EE-seh | fourteen |
| iri-isii | ee-ree-EE-see | fifteen |
| iri-asaa | ee-ree-ah-SAH-ah | sixteen |
| iri-asato | ee-ree-ah-SAH-toh | seventeen |
| iri-otu-asaa | ee-ree-oh-TOO-ah-SAH-ah | eighteen |
| ogụ | oh-GOOH | nineteen |
| isịrị | ee-SEE-ree | twenty |
To count beyond 20, you need to know how to form compound numbers in Igbo. For example, 21 is "isịrị-na-otú" (twenty and one), 22 is "isịrị-na-abụọ" (twenty and two), and so on.
Here are the compound numbers for 30, 40, and 50:
| Igbo | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| atọ-ogụ | ah-TOH-oh-GOOH | thirty |
| anọ-ogụ | ah-NOH-oh-GOOH | forty |
| ise-ogụ | EE-seh-oh-GOOH | fifty |
And here are the compound numbers for 60, 70, 80, and 90:
| Igbo | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| isii-na-irị | EE-see-nah-EE-ree | sixty |
| asaa-na-irị | ah-SAH-ah-nah-EE-ree | seventy |
| asato-na-irị | ah-SAH-toh-nah-EE-ree | eighty |
| otu-asaa-na-irị | oh-TOO-ah-SAH-ah-nah-EE-ree | ninety |
To count from 100 to 1000, you simply combine the numbers with "nari" (hundred) and "elu" (thousand). Here are some examples:
| Igbo | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ndịna-otu | ndih-NAH-oh-TOO | one hundred |
| ndịna-abụọ | ndih-NAH-ah-BOO-oh | two hundred |
| ndịna-atọ | ndih-NAH-ah-TOH | three hundred |
| ndịna-anọ | ndih-NAH-ah-NOH | four hundred |
| ndịna-ise | ndih-NAH-EE-seh | five hundred |
| mpịa ndịna-isii | muh-PEE-ah ndih-NAH-EE-see | six hundred |
| mpịa ndịna-asaa | muh-PEE-ah ndih-NAH-ah-SAH-ah | seven hundred |
| ndịna-asato | ndih-NAH-ah-SAH-toh | eight hundred |
| mpịa ndịna-otu-asaa | muh-PEE-ah ndih-NAH-oh-TOO-ah-SAH-ah | nine hundred |
| ndịna-isịrị | ndih-NAH-ee-SEE-ree | one thousand |
Ordinal Numbers
In Igbo, ordinal numbers are used to indicate position or order. They are formed by adding "ụwa" (th) or "atọ" (nd) to the cardinal numbers above 2. Here are the ordinal numbers from 1st to 10th:
| Igbo | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mbụ | mm-BOO | first |
| ndị-ụwa | ndih-oo-WAH | second |
| atọ-atọ | ah-TOH-ah-TOH | third |
| anọ-anọ | ah-NOH-ah-NOH | fourth |
| ise-ise | EE-seh-EE-seh | fifth |
| isii-isii | EE-see-EE-see | sixth |
| asaa-asaa | ah-SAH-ah-SAH-ah | seventh |
| asato-asato | ah-SAH-toh-ah-SAH-toh | eighth |
| otu-asaa-asaa | oh-TOO-ah-SAH-ah-SAH-ah | ninth |
| iri-isi | ee-ree-EE-see | tenth |
To form ordinal numbers beyond 10th, you simply add "n'" (th) to the cardinal number. For example, 11th is "iri-na-ọkara" (ten and one-th), 12th is "iri-abụọ-na-ọkara" (ten and two-th), and so on.
Using Numbers in Sentences
Now that you know how to count in Igbo, it's important to know how to use numbers in sentences. Here are some examples:
- M ga-ekwu oké ókwa mbụ. (I can speak one language.)
- Efé nke mbụ na-eme ụta? (How much is one fruit in the market?)
- Otu na-abụọ na-atọ anọ anọ anọ-ogụ iri isii na-arụ ịkpụrụ. (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten hundred is a thousand.)
Remember to always use the correct form of the noun or pronoun with the appropriate number, and to add "na" (and) in between compound numbers.
Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned the Igbo cardinal and ordinal numbers from 1 to 100, as well as how to use them in sentences. Numbers are essential to everyday life, so it's important to practice and memorize them. Keep practicing and stay tuned for the next lesson on telling time in Igbo!
Videos
Numbers from 1 to 100 in Igbo and English (native speakers ...
LEARN IGBO LANGUAGE {NUMBERS} - YouTube
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