NetChai Chinese

How to Say “1 2 3” in Chinese

一二三
yī èr sān
1 2 3
A teacher points to objects while counting for young children, illustrating “1 2 3” in Chinese: 一二三 (yī èr sān)

一二三 (yī èr sān) are the fundamental numbers one, two, and three in Mandarin Chinese. They are essential for counting, expressing quantities, and many other daily situations.

What does 一二三 (yī èr sān) mean?

一二三 (yī èr sān) means “1 2 3” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “one two three.”

When to use it

Neutral. These are the standard forms. Note that for

How to pronounce it

一 (yī) sounds like

Other ways to say it

  • one
  • èrtwo (for ordinal numbers, phone numbers, math)
  • liǎngtwo (for quantities of items)
  • sānthree

Examples

一二三,跟我读。
yī èr sān, gēn wǒ dú.
One, two, three, read after me.
我有两个苹果。
wǒ yǒu liǎng ge píngguǒ.
I have two apples.
这是第三本书。
zhè shì dì sān běn shū.
This is the third book.
Pro tip: For the number

Related phrases

一二三四五六七八九十 · 1 to 10十 · 10一百 · 100
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