Here is how to count in Yoruba, from 1 to 1,000, with 26 numbers checked against reference sources (standard Nigerian Yoruba, with tones). Learn the first ten first: almost all the others are built from them.
1
From 0 to 10
òdozero
oókanalso: kanone
eéjìalso: méjìtwo
ẹẹ́taalso: mẹ́tathree
ẹẹ́rinalso: mẹ́rinfour
aárùnúnalso: márùnún, aárùn-únfive
ẹẹ́fàalso: mẹ́fàsix
eéjealso: méjeseven
ẹẹ́jọalso: mẹ́jọeight
ẹẹ́sànánalso: mẹ́sànán, ẹẹ́sàn-ánnine
ẹẹ́wàáalso: mẹ́wàáten
2
From 11 to 19
oókànláalso: mọ́kànláeleven
eéjìláalso: méjìlátwelve
ẹẹ́tàláthirteen
ẹẹ́rìnláfourteen
aárùnúndínlógúnfifteen
ẹẹ́rìndínlógúnsixteen
ẹẹ́tàdínlógúnseventeen
eéjìdínlógúneighteen
oókàndínlógúnnineteen
3
Tens, hundreds, thousands
ogúntwenty
ọgbọ̀nthirty
ogójìforty
àádọ́tafifty
ọgọ́rùnúnalso: ọgọ́rùn-únone hundred
ẹgbẹ̀rúnone thousand
Test yourself
1. What does “oókan” mean?
2. What does “eéje” mean?
3. What does “ẹẹ́tàlá” mean?
4. What does “oókàndínlógún” mean?
Where do these words come from?
The words in this article come from: Yorùbá Yé Mi textbook (COERLL, University of Texas at Austin). 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: Yorùbá Yé Mi textbook (COERLL, University of Texas at Austin). 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.