十
ten
shí
What does 十 mean?
十 (shí) means 'ten' and is one of the first numbers every Mandarin learner memorizes. It is the gateway to all numbers above ten because Chinese builds them transparently: 十一 (eleven, 'ten-one'), 十二 (twelve, 'ten-two'), 二十 (twenty, 'two-ten'), 二十五 (twenty-five, 'two-ten-five'), and so on up to 九十九 (ninety-nine). This logical structure makes Chinese numbers far easier to learn than English's 'eleven, twelve, thirteen' irregularities.
十 also appears in dates (十月 'October'), idioms (十分 'completely / very much', literally 'ten parts'), and the formal/secure financial form 拾, used on checks to prevent forgery. Cultural note: the character 十 is a simple cross shape — sometimes mistaken by beginners for a plus sign — and is one of the most-frequent Chinese characters in everyday text.
Character breakdown
ten
Memory hook: 十 looks like a plus sign (+). Easy to remember: '+' means 'add', and 十 is the foundation you 'add' all other numbers onto.
Example sentences
我有十块钱。
Wǒ yǒu shí kuài qián.
I have ten yuan.
neutral
现在是十点。
Xiànzài shì shí diǎn.
It's ten o'clock now.
neutral
我今年十八岁。
Wǒ jīnnián shíbā suì.
I'm eighteen this year.
spoken
他买了十个苹果。
Tā mǎi le shí ge píngguǒ.
He bought ten apples.
neutral
Common phrases with 十
Synonyms
拾 is the formal financial form of 十, used on checks, contracts, and invoices to prevent forgery. Everyday writing always uses 十.
Don't confuse 十 with
FAQ
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