Here is how to count in Hausa, from 1 to 1,000, with 17 numbers checked against reference sources (Hausa of Niger and standard Hausa (ɓ, ɗ, ƙ; tones not written)). Learn the first ten first: almost all the others are built from them.
1
From 0 to 10
biyu Nigertwo
biyar Nigerfive
bakwai Nigerseven
takwas Nigereight
tara Nigernine
goma Nigerten
2
From 11 to 19
goma sha biyu Nigertwelve
goma sha biyar Nigerfifteen
goma sha shida Nigersixteen
goma sha bakwai Nigerseventeen
goma sha takwas Nigereighteen
goma sha tara Nigernineteen
3
Tens, hundreds, thousands
ashirin Nigertwenty
talatin Nigerthirty
arba'in Nigerforty
hamsin Nigerfifty
dubu Nigerthousand
Test yourself
1. What does “biyar” mean?
2. What does “goma” mean?
3. What does “goma sha bakwai” mean?
4. What does “talatin” mean?
Where do these words come from?
The words in this article come from: Peace Corps Niger Hausa manual (2006). They are copied with their exact spelling; when two sources disagree, the variant is shown. Do you speak this language and spot a mistake? Write to us.
The words in this article come from: Peace Corps Niger Hausa manual (2006). They are copied with their exact spelling; when two sources disagree, the variant is shown. Do you speak this language and spot a mistake? Write to us.