Hindi numbers — learn the tens, guess the rest

Every number is 'one-less-than-the-next-ten' in disguise.

The question

What is 39 in Hindi?

The trick

Hindi numbers look impossible because all 100 seem different. They are not. Learn the ten multiples, then notice that 9, 19, 29, 39 all begin with — meaning 'one less than' the next ten.

Worked example

1Learn the tens: , , , , , , , , ,
2+ next ten = one less: (29), (39), (49)
3Most others are unit + ten: (21), (22), (23)

So:

Remember it like this

means one short. Whenever you hear at the start, the answer is the next ten minus one.

In the exam

Learn numbers in written words, not digits. Hindi exams ask you to write and — in digits and in words — and it is always the words that lose marks.

Why it works

Hindi numbers are compressed Sanskrit compounds, worn down by centuries of speech. The prefix is the surviving trace of 'one less than' — the same idea as Roman IX.

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Try it yourself

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1
What is 20 in Hindi?
What is 20 in Hindi?
2
What is 29 in Hindi?
What is 29 in Hindi?
3
What does the उन prefix mean?