Number words

Number words are adjectives that imply a specific number of items:

  • पञ्च पाण्दवाः
    pañca pāṇdavāḥ
    the five sons of Pandu

Sanskrit's number words generally follow the patterns of the stems we have seen already. Many of these number words are the same regardless of the gender of the noun they describe:

  • पञ्च पाण्दवाः
    pañca pāṇdavāḥ
    the five sons of Pandu (masculine)

  • पञ्च फलानि
    pañca phalāni
    five fruits (neuter)

  • पञ्च नद्यः
    pañca nadyaḥ
    five rivers (feminine)

In this lesson, we'll learn about Sanskrit's number words and how to use them.

eka

eka (“one”) uses the normal pronoun endings. When eka refers to one item, it uses the singular. But eka can also be used in the sense of “a small number” or “a few” of something. When eka has this meaning, it is used in the dual and plural.

Here are the forms of eka in the masculine gender:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1एकः
ekaḥ
एकौ
ekau
एके
eke
Case 2एकम्
ekam
एकौ
ekau
एकान्
ekān
Case 3एकेन
ekena
एकाभ्याम्
ekābhyām
एकैः
ekaiḥ
Case 4एकस्मै
ekasmai
एकाभ्याम्
ekābhyām
एकैः
ekaiḥ
Case 5एकस्मात्
ekasmāt
एकाभ्याम्
ekābhyām
एकेभ्यः
ekebhyaḥ
Case 6एकस्य
ekasya
एकयोः
ekayoḥ
एकानाम्
ekānām
Case 7एकस्मिन्
ekasmin
एकयोः
ekayoḥ
एकेषु
ekeṣu

dvi

dvi (“two”) is used only in the dual. The stem dvi is used in compounds and certain suffixes, but when we add endings, we actully use the stem dva stem (or dvā for the feminine) instead.

Here are the masculine endings for dvi:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1द्वौ
dvau
Case 2द्वौ
dvau
Case 3द्वाभ्याम्
dvābhyām
Case 4द्वाभ्याम्
dvābhyām
Case 5द्वाभ्याम्
dvābhyām
Case 6द्वयोः
dvayoḥ
Case 7द्वयोः
dvayoḥ

tri

tri is always used in the plural. In the masculine, it uses the normal -i stem endings, except that the case 6 plural is trayāṇām:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1त्रयः
trayaḥ
Case 2त्रीन्
trīn
Case 3त्रिभिः
tribhiḥ
Case 4त्रिभ्यः
tribhyaḥ
Case 5त्रिभ्यः
tribhyaḥ
Case 6त्रयाणाम्
trayāṇām
Case 7त्रिषु
triṣu
Case 8त्रयः
trayaḥ

The feminine form of tri uses the stem tisṛ with the basic nominal endings. But in the case 6 plural, it uses the ending -ṇām instead:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1तिस्रः
tisraḥ
Case 2तिस्रः
tisraḥ
Case 3तिसृभिः
tisṛbhiḥ
Case 4तिसृभ्यः
tisṛbhyaḥ
Case 5तिसृभ्यः
tisṛbhyaḥ
Case 6तिसृणाम्
tisṛṇām
Case 7तिसृषु
tisṛṣu
Case 8तिस्रः
tisraḥ

Finally, the neuter follows the usual pattern of the -i stems:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1त्रीणि
trīṇi
Case 2त्रीणि
trīṇi
Case 8त्रीणि
trīṇi

catur

catur (“four”) uses the strong stem catvār in cases 1 and 8. Otherwise, it generally uses the basic nominal endings:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1चत्वारः
catvāraḥ
Case 2चतुरः
caturaḥ
Case 3चतुर्भिः
caturbhiḥ
Case 4चतुर्भ्यः
caturbhyaḥ
Case 5चतुर्भ्यः
caturbhyaḥ
Case 6चतुर्णाम्
caturṇām
Case 7चतुर्षु
caturṣu
Case 8चत्वारः
catvāraḥ

In the feminine, catur uses the feminine stem catasṛ. This stem is used like tisṛ above:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1चतस्रः
catasraḥ
Case 2चतस्रः
catasraḥ
Case 3चतसृभिः
catasṛbhiḥ
Case 4चतसृभ्यः
catasṛbhyaḥ
Case 5चतसृभ्यः
catasṛbhyaḥ
Case 6चतसृणाम्
catasṛṇām
Case 7चतसृषु
catasṛṣu
Case 8चतस्रः
catasraḥ

The neuter endings are below. In this neuter form, we lengthen the last vowel of the stem, but we don't insert a new nasal sound:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1चत्वारि
catvāri
Case 2चत्वारि
catvāri
Case 8चत्वारि
catvāri

pañcan to daśan

The numbers pañcan (“five”) to daśan (“ten”) use the same forms regardless of gender.

The forms of pañca (“five”) are below. The stems saptan (“seven”), navan (“nine”), and daśan (“ten”) all follow the same pattern as pañcan:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1पञ्च
pañca
Case 2पञ्च
pañca
Case 3पञ्चभिः
pañcabhiḥ
Case 4पञ्चभ्यः
pañcabhyaḥ
Case 5पञ्चभ्यः
pañcabhyaḥ
Case 6पञ्चानाम्
pañcānām
Case 7पञ्चसु
pañcasu
Case 8पञ्च
pañca

ṣaṣ (“six”) follows a similar pattern, but the last of ṣaṣ causes many sandhi changes:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1षट्
ṣaṭ
Case 2षट्
ṣaṭ
Case 3षड्भिः
ṣaḍbhiḥ
Case 4षड्भ्यः
ṣaḍbhyaḥ
Case 5षड्भ्यः
ṣaḍbhyaḥ
Case 6षण्णाम्
ṣaṇṇām
Case 7षट्सु
ṣaṭsu
Case 8षट्
ṣaṭ

aṣṭa (“eight”) also follows a similar pattern, but it has some optional forms that are more irregular:

 SingularDualPlural
Case 1अष्ट, अष्टौ
aṣṭa, aṣṭau
Case 2अष्ट, अष्टौ
aṣṭa, aṣṭau
Case 3अष्टभिः, अष्टाभिः
aṣṭabhiḥ, aṣṭābhiḥ
Case 4अष्टभ्यः, अष्टाभ्यः
aṣṭabhyaḥ, aṣṭābhyaḥ
Case 5अष्टभ्यः, अष्टाभ्यः
aṣṭabhyaḥ, aṣṭābhyaḥ
Case 6अष्टानाम्
aṣṭānām
Case 7अष्टसु, अष्टासु
aṣṭasu, aṣṭāsu
Case 8अष्ट, अष्टौ
aṣṭa, aṣṭau

ekādaśa to navadaśa

You can see the numbers 11 to 19 in the examples below. All of them use the same endings as daśa:

  • एकादश
    ekādaśa
    eleven

  • द्वादश
    dvādaśa
    twelve

  • त्रयोदश
    trayodaśa
    thirteen

  • चतुर्दश
    caturdaśa
    fourteen

  • पञ्चदश
    pañcadaśa
    fifteen

  • षोडश
    ṣoḍaśa
    sixteen

  • सप्तदश
    saptadaśa
    seventeen

  • अष्टादश
    aṣṭādaśa
    eighteen

  • नवदश
    navadaśa
    nineteen

viṃśati to navati

All of the numbers belew are used in the feminine singular:

  • विंशतिः
    viṃśatiḥ
    twenty

  • त्रिंशत्
    triṃśat
    thirty

  • चत्वारिंशत्
    catvāriṃśat
    forty

  • पञ्चाशत्
    pañcāśat
    fifty

  • षष्टिः
    ṣaṣṭiḥ
    sixty

  • सप्ततिः
    saptatiḥ
    seventy

  • अशीतिः
    aśītiḥ
    eighty

  • नवतिः
    navatiḥ
    ninety

śata to koṭi

All of these numbers are used in the singular. All of these stems are neuter, except for koṭi, which is feminine.

  • शतम्
    śatam
    one hundred

  • सहस्रम्
    sahasram
    one thousand

  • अयुतम्
    ayutam
    ten thousand

  • लक्षम्
    lakṣam
    one hundred thousand (i.e. one lakh)

  • प्रयुतम्
    prayutam
    one million

  • कोटिः
    koṭiḥ
    ten million (i.e. one crore)