Language/Hausa/Vocabulary/Numbers-1-20

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Hausa → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Numbers and Time → Numbers 1-20

Hausa is a West African language that is spoken as a first language by about 44 million people and as a second language by millions more. In this lesson, we will learn how to count from 1 to 20 in Hausa and how to use these numbers in sentences. Knowing the numbers is essential in daily life, especially when telling time, buying goods, and handling money.

Numbers 1-10

Let's start with the numbers 1-10:

Hausa	Pronunciation	English
goma	gó-ma	one
biyu	bí-yu	two
uku	ú-ku	three
huɗu	hù-ɗù	four
biyar	bí-yàr	five
shida	shì-dá	six
bakwai	bà-kwáy	seven
takwas	tàk-wàs	eight
tara	tà-rá	nine
goma sha shida	gó-ma shà shì-dá	ten

Some interesting facts about the Hausa numbers:

- The Hausa language is a tonal language, which means that the tone of a word can change its meaning. In the case of the Hausa numbers, the tone accent usually falls on the first syllable.

- The number "5" in Hausa, "biyar", is also the word for "to participate". This is because "biyar" is considered to be the halfway point between 1 and 10, representing a balance between one and many.

- The word for "10" in Hausa is "goma sha shida", which means "one on top of six". This reflects the way the number 10 is represented in the Hausa counting system, which is based on the number 6. In other words, "goma sha shida" means "six plus four".

Let's see some examples of how to use the Hausa numbers in sentences:

Goma ne domin masu alkawarin su deshe gida. (One is enough for the students to sweep the house.)
Biyu suna cikin farkon. (There are two of them in the room.)
Ina goma da uku a wani lokaci. (I have three of them at once.)
Huɗu ana bakin sallah. (Four is behind the Eid prayer.)
Suna da biyar wanda suke fara zubar. (They have five and are starting to run.)
Rana shida a kawo shirye-shirye. (Six days brings a week.)
Bakwai sun kashe waɗansu mata kuma yara cikin dakin gari. (Seven have killed some women and children in the town.)
Takwas jiran Allah ya shirya mana cikin su. (Eight is close to God and is among them.)
Tara kowane yaro ya danganta akan sabuwar riƙo. (Nine every child is excited about the new dress.)
Tun ɗan goma sha shida zai zo kusa da masoyana. (In ten minutes, my friends will come.)

Numbers 11-20

Now let's move on to the numbers 11-20.

To form the numbers 11-19, you simply add the number "10" to the corresponding units digit from 1 to 9. For example, "eleven" in Hausa is "goma sha biyu" (one on top of two), and "twelve" is "biyu sha biyu" (two on top of two). Here are the numbers 11-19 in Hausa:

Hausa	Pronunciation	English
goma sha biyu	gó-ma shà bí-yu	eleven
biyu sha biyu	bí-yu shà bí-yu	twelve
uku sha biyu	ú-ku shà bí-yu	thirteen
huɗu sha biyu	hù-ɗù shà bí-yu	fourteen
biyar sha biyu	bí-yàr shà bí-yu	fifteen
shida sha biyu	shì-dá shà bí-yu	sixteen
bakwai sha biyu	bà-kwáy shà bí-yu	seventeen
takwas sha biyu	tàk-wàs shà bí-yu	eighteen
tara sha biyu	tà-rá shà bí-yu	nineteen

For "twenty" in Hausa, the word is "ashirin", which literally means "two tens". Here's how to count from 11 to 20 in Hausa:

Goma sha biyu (eleven)
Biyu sha biyu (twelve)
Uku sha biyu (thirteen)
Huɗu sha biyu (fourteen)
Biyar sha biyu (fifteen)
Shida sha biyu (sixteen)
Bakwai sha biyu (seventeen)
Takwas sha biyu (eighteen)
Tara sha biyu (nineteen)
Ashirin (twenty)

Let's see some examples of how to use the Hausa numbers from 11 to 20 in sentences:

Kusan ashirin nagari ya kara yi waɗansu rikodin. (At least twenty towns have made races.)
Ba ni su abi ba cikin goma sha biyu. (I did not see them until eleven o'clock.)
Biyar sha biyu ake tsaye cikin wata kotu. (Fifteen minutes is passing in one show.)
Ashirin ne zai haura zuwa asuba. (Twenty will be too early for breakfast.)
Daga uku sha biyu duk lokacin ya bai waɗannan matsaloli duriɓinsu. (From thirteen onwards, it's when these problems start.)
Shida sha biyu mayar daɗi a gefe. (Sixteen units sell for cheap in the afternoon.)
Bakwai sha biyu tsyau sosai a kan kuɗi. (Seventeen is too much in a wallet.)
Tara sha biyu lokacin da duhun nyaɗan za su tafi. (Nineteen when the children's bellies will go.)
Goma sha biyu da biyar shine bai dawo ba. (Eleven and five will not come.)

Review and Practice

Now that we've learned the Hausa numbers from 1 to 20, let's practice by counting up and down. Here are some activities you can do to reinforce your knowledge:

Count from 1 to 20, then count back down from 20 to 1
Say the Hausa numbers in random order and try to memorize them
Practice asking and answering questions involving numbers, such as "What time is it?" and "How much does this cost?"
Use the Hausa numbers to tell your age or your phone number
Make associations between the Hausa numbers and their equivalents in your own language, if applicable

With consistent practice, you'll be able to use the Hausa numbers with confidence in no time!

Table of Contents - Hausa Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Greetings and Introductions

Nouns and Pronouns

Numbers and Time

Verbs and Conjugation

Everyday Activities

Adjectives and Adverbs

Food and Dining

Prepositions and Conjunctions

Travel and Tourism

Hausa Customs and Traditions

Shopping and Bargaining

Negation and Questions

Hausa Proverbs and Sayings

Videos

NUMBERS IN HAUSA LANGUAGE (1 - 20) PART 1 - YouTube

Hausa Numbers - YouTube

NUMBERS IN HAUSA LANGUAGE (21- 100) || PART 2 - YouTube

Other Lessons

Sources

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