三十
sānshí
Thirty
三十 (sānshí) is the number thirty in Mandarin Chinese. It is used in counting, stating ages, times, and quantities.
What does 三十 (sānshí) mean?
三十 (sānshí) means “thirty” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “three ten.”
When to use it
Neutral and universally applicable. It's a basic number used in all contexts. For numbers like "thirteen," you'd say 十三 (shísān), reversing the order of "ten three."
How to pronounce it
Sounds like “SAHN-shir.” The first syllable has a high, flat tone, and the second is a rising tone.
Other ways to say it
- 三十岁sānshí suìthirty years old
- 三十分钟sānshí fēnzhōngthirty minutes
- 三十多sānshí duōover thirty / thirty something
Examples
我今年三十岁。
wǒ jīnnián sānshí suì.
I am thirty years old this year.
这本书有三十页。
zhè běn shū yǒu sānshí yè.
This book has thirty pages.
从这里到那里大约需要三十分钟。
cóng zhèlǐ dào nàlǐ dàyuē xūyào sānshí fēnzhōng.
It takes about thirty minutes from here to there.
Pro tip: In Chinese, numbers like "thirty" (三十) are formed by combining the digit "three" (三) with "ten" (十). This pattern applies to all multiples of ten from twenty to ninety.
Related phrases
明年 · Next year去年 · Last year亿 · 100 million (yì)
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