Russian Numbers 1 to 100: How to Count in Russian
Numbers come up everywhere — prices, your age, phone numbers, addresses, dates, time. Counting in Russian is mostly systematic: once you know 1–10 and the patterns for tens and teens, you can say any number up to 100 without memorising 100 separate words. This guide gives you all of them with stress marks, pronunciation, and the few quirks that trip up beginners.
- Russian numbers 1–10 with stress and pronunciation
- The "-надцать" pattern for teens (11–19)
- Tens 20–100 and how to combine them
- The gender rule for 1 and 2 (most learners miss this)
- Saying your age, prices, and phone numbers
- Ordinal numbers (first, second, third)
Russian Numbers 1 to 10
Master these first — every other number builds on them.
- 0 — ноль (nol') — zero
- 1 — оди́н (a-DEEN)
- 2 — два (dva)
- 3 — три (tree)
- 4 — четы́ре (chee-TY-rye)
- 5 — пять (pyat')
- 6 — шесть (shest')
- 7 — семь (syem')
- 8 — во́семь (VO-syem')
- 9 — де́вять (DYE-vyat')
- 10 — де́сять (DYE-syat')
The apostrophe (') after consonants marks a soft sign (ь) — soften the consonant by raising the middle of your tongue, like the "y" sound at the start of "yes." Most numbers above 5 end with this soft sign.
Russian Numbers 11 to 19: The "-надцать" Pattern
Numbers 11 through 19 are formed by adding -надцать (-nadtsat', literally "on top of ten") to the base number. This is the same logic as English thir-teen, four-teen, fif-teen.
- 11 — оди́ннадцать (a-DEEN-nad-tsat')
- 12 — двена́дцать (dvee-NAD-tsat')
- 13 — трина́дцать (tree-NAD-tsat')
- 14 — четы́рнадцать (chee-TYR-nad-tsat')
- 15 — пятна́дцать (peet-NAD-tsat')
- 16 — шестна́дцать (shes-NAD-tsat')
- 17 — семна́дцать (seem-NAD-tsat')
- 18 — восемна́дцать (va-seem-NAD-tsat')
- 19 — девятна́дцать (dee-veet-NAD-tsat')
The stress in 11–19 falls on the -на́- in -надцать, not on the base number. Saying деся́ть (10) followed by оди́н (1) won't be understood — it has to be оди́ннадцать with stress on -на́-.
Russian Tens: 20 to 100
The tens have a few patterns and one outlier (40):
- 20 — два́дцать (DVAD-tsat')
- 30 — три́дцать (TREED-tsat')
- 40 — со́рок (SO-rak) — irregular, no -дцать
- 50 — пятьдеся́т (peet-dee-SYAT)
- 60 — шестьдеся́т (shes-dee-SYAT)
- 70 — се́мьдесят (SYEM-dee-syat)
- 80 — во́семьдесят (VO-syem-dee-syat)
- 90 — девяно́сто (dee-vee-NOS-ta) — irregular
- 100 — сто (sto)
Why is 40 different? Historians think сорок originally meant a bundle of 40 fur pelts (the standard trade unit in medieval Russia for sable furs). It became the default word for forty and replaced an older Slavic form. So when you say сорок, you're using the only number in this range that didn't follow the rule.
Combining tens and units (21–99)
Just say the ten, then the unit — no "and," no hyphen:
- 21 — два́дцать оди́н
- 35 — три́дцать пять
- 48 — со́рок во́семь
- 77 — се́мьдесят семь
- 99 — девяно́сто де́вять
The Gender Rule: One and Two Change Form
This is the part most beginners miss. The numbers один (1) and два (2) change ending depending on the gender of the noun that follows.
Один — One
- оди́н (masculine) — оди́н дом (one house), оди́н мужчи́на (one man)
- одна́ (feminine) — одна́ кни́га (one book), одна́ же́нщина (one woman)
- одно́ (neuter) — одно́ окно́ (one window), одно́ письмо́ (one letter)
- одни́ (plural-only nouns) — одни́ часы́ (one watch — часы is plural-only)
Два — Two
- два (masculine and neuter) — два до́ма, два окна́
- две (feminine) — две кни́ги, две же́нщины
After два/две, три, четы́ре (and any compound number ending in 2, 3, 4 like 22, 33, 84), the noun goes into the genitive singular:
- два до́ма — two houses (genitive singular ending)
- три кни́ги — three books
- два́дцать четы́ре дня — twenty-four days
After 5–20 (and any compound ending in 5–9 or 0), the noun goes into the genitive plural:
- пять домо́в — five houses
- де́сять книг — ten books
- два́дцать пять студе́нтов — twenty-five students
This is connected to Russian's case system. Different numbers historically come from different grammatical sources, so they govern different cases. We have a deeper guide on Russian cases explained simply if you want to understand the system properly — it's a CEFR A2/B1 milestone.
Saying Your Age in Russian
Use the formula Мне + [number] + год / го́да / лет:
- год — after numbers ending in 1 (except 11): Мне два́дцать оди́н год. (I'm 21.)
- го́да — after numbers ending in 2, 3, 4 (except 12–14): Мне три́дцать четы́ре го́да. (I'm 34.)
- лет — after numbers ending in 5–9, 0, and 11–14: Мне де́сять лет. (I'm 10.)
Мне три́дцать оди́н год. — I'm 31. Мне со́рок два го́да. — I'm 42. Мне пятьдеся́т семь лет. — I'm 57.
The genitive case rules apply here automatically: 1 → singular (год), 2–4 → genitive singular (года), 5+ → genitive plural (лет). The same logic governs nouns after numbers everywhere in Russian.
Prices, Phone Numbers, and Quantities
Prices
The Russian word for "rouble" follows the same case rules:
- оди́н рубль — 1 rouble
- три рубля́ — 3 roubles (genitive singular)
- сто рубле́й — 100 roubles (genitive plural)
- Ско́лько э́то сто́ит? — How much does this cost?
Phone numbers
Russians read phone numbers in chunks, not digit-by-digit:
+7 (495) 123-45-67 = семь, четы́реста девяно́сто пять, сто два́дцать три, со́рок пять, шестьдеся́т семь
Quantity questions
- Ско́лько? — How much / how many?
- Ско́лько вам лет? — How old are you? (formal)
- Ско́лько э́то сто́ит? — How much does this cost?
Ordinal Numbers (First, Second, Third)
Ordinal numbers behave like adjectives — they change with gender and case (we'll keep it to the nominative form here):
- 1st — пе́рвый / пе́рвая / пе́рвое (first)
- 2nd — второ́й / втора́я / второ́е (second)
- 3rd — тре́тий / тре́тья / тре́тье (third)
- 4th — четвёртый / четвёртая / четвёртое
- 5th — пя́тый / пя́тая / пя́тое
- 10th — деся́тый / деся́тая / деся́тое
Used for dates, floors, classes, and order:
Я живу́ на пя́том этаже́. — I live on the fifth floor. Сего́дня пе́рвое ма́я. — Today is the first of May.
A 7-Day Practice Plan
- Day 1–2 — Memorise 1–10 with stress. Count objects in your room out loud.
- Day 3 — Add 11–20. Practise reading prices in a Russian online store.
- Day 4 — Tens 20–100. Read your age, your friends' ages, family members' ages.
- Day 5 — Combine. Generate random numbers 1–99 and say them aloud.
- Day 6 — Apply the gender rule. Say "one book, two books, five books" with real Russian nouns.
- Day 7 — Live test. Read a Russian receipt, watch a Russian YouTube video and write down every number you hear.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to memorise Russian numbers?
For most learners, 1–10 takes a few days, 11–100 takes a week to two weeks of daily practice, and the case rules (genitive after numbers) become reflexive after a few months of conversation. It's part of the broader timeline to learn Russian — numbers are usually solid by mid-A2.
Why do Russians say раз instead of оди́н when counting?
When counting aloud (steps, repetitions, like "1, 2, 3, go!"), Russians often start with раз (literally "time, occurrence") instead of оди́н. Раз, два, три! is the standard way to start any countdown.
Do I need to learn ordinal numbers right away?
No. Cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3) come first — you'll use them for prices, age, and quantities every day. Ordinals (first, second, third) are needed mainly for dates and floors, and you can pick them up at A2.
What's the most confusing part of Russian numbers for beginners?
The gender rule for 1 and 2 (один/одна/одно, два/две) and the case shift after numbers (genitive singular after 2-4, genitive plural after 5+). These don't exist in English, so they take active practice — not just memorisation of word lists.
Practice with a Native Speaker
Numbers feel awkward to read silently — you need to say them out loud with feedback. In our Russian lessons, we drill numbers with prices, ages, dates, and phone numbers from your first lesson, and our teachers correct stress and gender agreement on the spot.
Master numbers, prices, and dates with a native teacher. Book a free trial lesson and practice real conversations from day one.