Chinese Numbers and Prices for Beginners

For shopping, the key pieces are price and quantity. Learn one to ten first, then practice teens and tens.

Use the same item and change the quantity: “我要一个”, “我要两个”, “我要三个”.

Watch “两” versus “二”: before quantities, “两” is common, as in “两杯咖啡” and “两个苹果”.

When shopping, you will often hear “块”, “元”, and “毛”. In everyday speech, “十块” and “十元” both mean 10 yuan. “五毛” means 0.5 yuan.

If you miss the price, ask “多少钱？” or “可以再说一遍吗？” Do not rush to guess numbers, especially at checkout, markets, or when paying for a ride.

Mandarin numbers are regular: 11 is “十一”, 20 is “二十”, 25 is “二十五”, 99 is “九十九”. 100 is “一百”, 120 is colloquially “一百二”, and 200 is “两百”.

For prices, just read the number plus the unit: 25 kuai = “二十五块”, 99 yuan = “九十九元”, 128 = “一百二十八”. Hearing “number + 块/元” a few times beats memorizing digits alone.

At street stalls, small markets, and souvenir shops you can often bargain: “太贵了”, “便宜一点可以吗？”, and “能不能算便宜点？” are all common.

But in supermarkets, chains, malls, and cafes, prices are fixed and bargaining is not expected. There you will use “一共多少钱？”, “可以刷卡吗？”, or “可以扫码吗？” instead.

You: 你好，这个多少钱？ Staff: 二十五块一个. You: 太贵了，便宜一点可以吗？ Staff: 两个四十. You: 好，我要两个，可以扫码吗？ Staff: 可以，一共四十.

Listen once, then repeat line by line. Replace “二十五块” with other prices you hear, and “两个” with “一个” or “三个”, so the numbers get more automatic.

Understanding prices is harder than saying them because real sellers speak quickly and may omit “块”. PandaKiko recommends repeating the price back immediately: “二十八，对吗？”

When shopping, do not only drill “多少钱”. Add quantity: 一瓶水, 两杯咖啡, 三斤苹果. Numbers, measure words, and prices should be practiced together because that is how real shopping works.

Minute one is only for the core lines: “这个多少钱？”、“一共多少钱？”、“我要两个。”. Do not add new vocabulary yet; first make sure you can read the characters aloud and turn the English meaning back into Mandarin.

Minutes two to four change one real variable: place, quantity, time, person, or preference. In the final minute, close the page and say the idea with your own details. PandaKiko treats this guide as learned only when you can turn “这个多少钱？” into your own sentence.