Welsh numerals facts for kids
The Welsh language has two main ways to count: a traditional system and a modern decimal system. The traditional way is called vigesimal. This means it's based on groups of twenty, much like how we count in tens.
In the vigesimal system, numbers like 11 to 14 are said as "x on ten." Numbers from 16 to 19 are "x on fifteen." However, 18 is usually "two nines." When you get to numbers from 21 to 39, they are "1–19 on twenty." Forty is "two twenty," sixty is "three twenty," and so on.
The other system is the decimal counting system. This is more like the system we use in English, based on tens. For example, thirty-five in the decimal system is tri deg pump (which means "three ten five"). But in the traditional vigesimal system, it's pymtheg ar hugain (meaning "fifteen on twenty").
Contents
Welsh Numbers: A Quick Guide
Here's a table showing how numbers are said in both the traditional (vigesimal) and decimal Welsh systems.
| Number | Vigesimal system | Decimal system |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | sero/dim | |
| 1 | un | |
| 2 | dau (m), dwy (f) | |
| 3 | tri (m), tair (f) | |
| 4 | pedwar (m), pedair (f) | |
| 5 | pum(p) | |
| 6 | chwe(ch) | |
| 7 | saith | |
| 8 | wyth | |
| 9 | naw | |
| 10 | deg, deng | |
| 11 | un ar ddeg ("one on ten") |
un deg un |
| 12 | deuddeg, deuddeng | un deg dau/dwy |
| 13 | tri/tair ar ddeg | un deg tri/tair |
| 14 | pedwar/pedair ar ddeg | un deg pedwar/pedair |
| 15 | pymtheg, pymtheng | un deg pump |
| 16 | un ar bymtheg ("one on fifteen") |
un deg chwech |
| 17 | dau/dwy ar bymtheg | un deg saith |
| 18 | deunaw ("two nines") |
un deg wyth |
| 19 | pedwar/pedair ar bymtheg | un deg naw |
| 20 | ugain | dau ddeg |
| 21 | un ar hugain ("one on twenty") |
dau ddeg un |
| 22 | dau/dwy ar hugain | dau ddeg dau/dwy |
| 23 | tri/tair ar hugain | dau ddeg tri/tair |
| 24 | pedwar/pedair ar hugain | dau ddeg pedwar/pedair |
| 25 | pump ar hugain | dau ddeg pump |
| 26 | chwech ar hugain | dau ddeg chwech |
| 27 | saith ar hugain | dau ddeg saith |
| 28 | wyth ar hugain | dau ddeg wyth |
| 29 | naw ar hugain | dau ddeg naw |
| 30 | deg ar hugain ("ten on twenty") |
tri deg |
| 31 | un ar ddeg ar hugain | tri deg un |
| 32 | deuddeg ar hugain | tri deg dau |
| etc. | ||
| 40 | deugain ("two twenty") |
pedwar deg |
| 41 | deugain ac un ("two twenty and one") |
pedwar deg un |
| 50 | deg a deugain | pum deg hanner cant ("half a hundred") |
| 51 | un ar ddeg a deugain | pum deg un hanner cant ac un |
| 60 | trigain ("three twenty") |
chwe deg |
| 61 | trigain ac un | chwe deg un |
| 70 | deg a thrigain ("ten and three twenty") |
saith deg |
| 71 | un ar ddeg a thrigain ("one on ten and three twenty") |
saith deg un |
| 80 | pedwar ugain ("four twenty") |
wyth deg |
| 81 | pedwar ugain ac un | wyth deg un |
| 90 | deg a phedwar ugain ("ten and four twenty") |
naw deg |
| 91 | un ar ddeg a phedwar ugain ("one on ten and four twenty") |
naw deg un |
| 100 | can(t) | |
| 200 | dau gant | |
| 300 | tri chant | |
| 400 | pedwar cant | |
| 500 | pum cant | |
| 600 | chwe chant | |
| 700 | saith cant | |
| 800 | wyth gant | |
| 900 | naw chant | |
| 1000 | mil | |
| 2000 | dwy fil | |
| 1,000,000 | miliwn | |
| 1,000,000,000 | biliwn | |
| 1,000,000,000,000 | triliwn | |
How Welsh Numbers Change
Welsh numbers can change their form depending on the word they are used with. This is a bit like how "a" changes to "an" before a vowel in English.
Masculine and Feminine Forms
Some numbers have different forms for masculine and feminine nouns.
- "Two" is dau for masculine words and dwy for feminine words.
- "Three" is tri (m) and tair (f).
- "Four" is pedwar (m) and pedair (f).
These forms must match the gender of the thing you are counting.
Shortened Forms
The numbers "five" (pump), "six" (chwech), and "hundred" (cant) have shorter versions. These are pum, chwe, and can. You use these shorter forms when the number comes right before the noun it's counting.
Other Forms
Numbers like "ten" (deg), "twelve" (deuddeg), and "fifteen" (pymtheg) also have other forms. These are deng, deuddeng, and pymtheng. These are sometimes used before certain sounds, but they are becoming less common.
Consonant Mutation
Welsh words often change their first letter depending on the word before them. This is called consonant mutation. Numbers can also cause these changes in the words that follow them.
When to Use the Decimal System
The decimal system is used a lot in modern Welsh, especially for very large numbers. For example, 1,965 is mil, naw cant chwe deg pump.
However, for dates, it can be a bit different. For years before 2000, like 1965, people often say the thousands, then the individual digits: mil naw chwe(ch) pump. But for years after 2000, like 2005, it's usually dwy fil a phump (two thousand and five).
History of the Decimal System
The Welsh decimal counting system wasn't always widely used in Wales. It was actually created in the 1800s by Welsh business people in Patagonia, Argentina. They needed a simpler way to do their accounting.
A man named Richard Jones Berwyn suggested it for the first Welsh language schools in Patagonia in 1878. Later, in the late 1940s, when Welsh-medium education started in Wales, this decimal system was adopted there too.
Numbers and Nouns: How They Work Together
When you use numbers with nouns in Welsh, there are a few rules to remember.
- Usually, you use the singular form of the noun with numbers. For example, "one dog" would be un ci.
- For larger numbers, you can also use a different form. You add o (meaning "of") and then use the plural form of the noun.
- When using the traditional system, the noun comes right after the main number, but before any parts added with ar ("on").
Noun Mutation After Numbers
Some numbers make the noun that follows them change its first letter. This is another example of consonant mutation.
- Un (one) changes the start of feminine nouns (unless they begin with "ll" or "rh"). It does not change masculine nouns.
- Dau (two, masculine) and dwy (two, feminine) both cause changes, including for words starting with "ll" and "rh."
- Tri (three, masculine) and chwe (six) also cause changes.
- Several higher numbers, like pum (five), saith (seven), and deng (ten), cause a different type of change when used with blynedd (year/years).
The part of the number directly before the noun decides how the noun changes. If you use the plural form with o, the noun will change in a specific way that is normal after o.
Here's an example to help you understand:
| English | Thirty-six dogs |
|---|---|
| Traditional system |
Un One ci dog ar on bymtheg fifteen ar on hugain twenty |
|
Un One ar on bymtheg fifteen ar on hugain twenty o of gŵn dogs |
|
| Decimal system |
Tri Three deg ten chwe six chi dog |
|
Tri Three deg ten chwech six o of gŵn dogs |
