Your #1 Guide To Mastering Telugu Numbers

Numbers are essential, no matter the language or culture. So much so that numbers appeared at least a couple thousand years before humanity even developed basic communication tools. On top of that, many cultures have their unique style, script, and background. So what about Telugu numbers, then?

We know Telugu is a language with very distinct grammar rules, conventions, and styles. So, how are its numbers different? Is there anything that makes Telugu numbers unique and special? How are they written? What’s their pronunciation like? If you are also wondering this, you’ll be happy to know that we’re going to learn all of it here. So let’s get started.

Introduction To Telugu Numbers

Telugu numbers have been around for ages. They were derived from the ancient Brahmi script somewhere around 300 BC. This script also gave birth to other numbers like Sanskrit, Kannada, and more. Though all these Brahmi numbers share the same roots, they later evolved into language-specific numbers.

One interesting fact is that these Brahmi numbers were later adopted by Arabic mathematicians. They brought them to Persia somewhere around 825 CE and then to Europe, where they were developed further. So, in essence, the numbers many of us now use, which are called Arabic numbers, are actually Hindu numbers! And that’s where Telugu numbers belong.

But what does this mean? Because of this shared history, Telugu numbers share a very similar base 10 system, so it’s really easy to learn as long as you remember the script for 10 numbers.

Now that we’ve covered the introduction and history, let’s learn some numbers in Telugu.

Telugu Numbers In The Telugu Script

Here’s how you write and pronounce the numbers 1 to 10 in Telugu script.

Fun fact: The numbers written in Telugu script are usually found in traditional Telugu calendars.

Here’s how you write and pronounce numbers 11 through 20.

From 20 onward, you can simply place the number after every multiple of 10 in Telugu, just like in English. But remember that it’s different from 11 to 19.

Here’s how we pronounce numbers 21 through 30.

And finally, here are the multiples of 10 from 1 to 10 in Telugu.

Another interesting point to note: Just like English has the term “naught” for zero, Telugu uses Nooru or Nooti (నూరు/నూటి) for 100. While it’s not commonly used to describe multiples of 100, it plays a key role in pronouncing numbers from 101 to 119 and other numbers based on 100 multiples. Here’s a table to make it clearer.

And finally, here are some large numbers in Telugu. You’ll notice some of them are different from the ones we’re used to. That’s because the Indian numbering system has the terms lakh and crore. One lakh (written as 1,00,000) is one hundred thousand, and one crore (1,00,00,000) is ten million.

Telugu Ordinal Numbers

Till now, we’ve learned the numbers and their pronunciation in terms of counting. But what about numbers in terms of positions? And fractional numbers? No harm in learning them, right? So let’s see ordinal numbers.

Ordinal numbers are the ones you use to denote a position. First, second, third, and so on. These are very similar, with slight changes in the way they are pronounced. Due to the influence of Sanskrit, Telugu has two varieties of ordinal numbers. Let’s learn them through the table below.

If you have to use these ordinal numbers in a phrase, here’s an example:

• He bagged the 10th place – Athanu Padava stanamlo vacchadu (అతను పదవ స్థానంలో వచ్చాడు)

Fractions In Telugu

We’ve almost covered everything related to Telugu numbers. The only thing left is fractions, such as 1/2, 3/4, etc. Let me share a few terms that’ll cover that, and we can wrap this up.

• The term for half in Telugu is Sagam (సగం), Artha (అర్థ) or Ara (అర).
  
  
• The term for the quarter is Paavu (పావు).
  
  
• The term for 3/4, or three quarters, in Telugu is Muppavu (ముప్పావు).
  
  
• The term for one and a half is Okatinnara (ఒకటిన్నర).
  
  
• The term for two and a half is Rendunnara (రెండున్నర), which goes on with the number and the suffix Ara (హాఫ్) for further half numbers.

How Do You Say “Numbers” In Telugu?

Numbers are called Sankhyalu (సంఖ్యలు) in Telugu. It is pronounced as san-khya-alu. This is how you can use this term in a sentence: “How many numbers are there?” – Enni Sankhyalu unnayi? (ఎన్ని సంఖ్యలు ఉన్నాయి?)

FAQs About Telugu Numbers

1. Where Are Telugu Numbers Derived From?

Telugu numbers are derived from ancient Indian numeric systems and follow a base-10 structure based on the ancient Brahmi script. The influence of Sanskrit on the Telugu alphabet is apparent in its numerical representation.

2. Is Learning The Telugu Numbers Harder Than English Numbers?

Not at all! Telugu numbers follow a logical pattern very similar to English. Once you learn the first 10, combining them to create larger numbers becomes easy.

3. Can Telugu Numbers Be Used Alongside Other Languages?

Yes! Telugu numbers are often used in conjunction with English in schools and businesses. This blend of two languages is common in Telugu-speaking regions.

Wrapping Up

Now, in this article, we’ve successfully learned how Telugu numbers evolved and their historical connection to Arabic numbers. We’ve also learned the script and pronunciation of these numbers, including fractions and ordinal numbers in Telugu. So, I’m confident you’ll do good going forward whenever you’ll need to use Telugu numbers.

If you’ve liked this blog, please check out our other language resources at the Ling Telugu blog. I’m sure they’ll help you immensely.