Learn Vietnamese: Numbers 1–20

Learning numbers 1 through 20 is a foundational step in Vietnamese that is essential for daily tasks like shopping at a market, telling the time, or sharing your phone number. This lesson introduces the first ten digits and demonstrates the logical system used to build larger values. Once you master the basic building blocks, counting becomes a predictable process of combining words you already know.

Vietnamese numbers follow a consistent pattern that makes the teens very easy to learn. To form numbers eleven through nineteen, you simply place the word for ten, Mười (muey), before the single digit. For instance, eleven is Mười một (muey môht) and thirteen is Mười ba (muey bah), which literally translates to ten-one and ten-three. This straightforward structure allows you to expand your vocabulary rapidly without learning entirely new words for every value.

However, you should pay attention to a few slight phonetic shifts that occur within these combinations. While the number five is normally Năm (nahm), it changes to Mười lăm (muey lahm) when expressing fifteen. Additionally, notice the subtle shift when you reach Twenty, or Hai mươi (high muey). Here, the word for ten changes from the low-toned Mười to the mid-toned mươi. Understanding these small variations will help you sound more natural as you practice counting and identifying quantities in your new language.