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Farsi Numbers 1 to 100 — Persian Counting with Script & Pronunciation
Learning Farsi numbers unlocks a surprising amount of everyday Persian — shopping, telling the time, giving your phone number, and understanding prices. The good news: Persian numbers follow a very logical pattern. Once you know 1–10 and the tens (10, 20, 30…), you can build any number up to 100 by combining them.
💡 How Persian numbers work
Persian numbers are written right to left in script but combined left to right in logic. Numbers 21–99 are built by saying the ten first, then the unit with “و” (va — and) between them. So 21 is بیست و یک (bist-o-yek — twenty and one). Simple and consistent — no exceptions.
Numbers 1–10 — اعداد یک تا ده
⚠️ Two tricky pronunciations
سه (se — 3) is pronounced with a short “e” — like “seh”. Do not say “say.” نه (noh — 9) is also the word for “no” in Persian when pronounced “na” — different vowel, completely different meaning. Context always makes it clear.
Numbers 11–20 — اعداد یازده تا بیست
| Number | Farsi | Romanisation | Pronunciation note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | یازده | Yāzdah | yāz + dah — not “eleven” pattern |
| 12 | دوازده | Davāzdah | davāz + dah |
| 13 | سیزده | Sizdah | siz + dah — Sizdah Bedar is Iran’s 13th-day Nowruz tradition |
| 14 | چهارده | Chahārdah | chahār + dah |
| 15 | پانزده | Pānzdah | pānz + dah |
| 16 | شانزده | Shānzdah | shānz + dah |
| 17 | هفده | Hafdah | haf + dah |
| 18 | هجده | Hijdah | hij + dah |
| 19 | نوزده | Nuzdah | nuz + dah |
| 20 | بیست | Bist | New word — memorise this one |
The Tens 10–100 — ده، بیست، سی…
💡 The و (va/o) rule — building any number
To say any number between 21 and 99, use the formula: ten + و + unit. Examples: 21 = بیست و یک (bist-o-yek), 35 = سی و پنج (si-o-panj), 47 = چهل و هفت (chehel-o-haft), 83 = هشتاد و سه (hashtād-o-se). In spoken Farsi, و is often pronounced “o” — so بیست و یک sounds like “bist-o-yek”.
Numbers 21–100 — Complete Reference
| Number | Farsi | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | بیست و یک | Bist-o-yek |
| 22 | بیست و دو | Bist-o-do |
| 25 | بیست و پنج | Bist-o-panj |
| 30 | سی | Si |
| 31 | سی و یک | Si-o-yek |
| 33 | سی و سه | Si-o-se |
| 40 | چهل | Chehel |
| 41 | چهل و یک | Chehel-o-yek |
| 45 | چهل و پنج | Chehel-o-panj |
| 50 | پنجاه | Panjāh |
| 55 | پنجاه و پنج | Panjāh-o-panj |
| 60 | شصت | Shast |
| 65 | شصت و پنج | Shast-o-panj |
| 70 | هفتاد | Haftād |
| 75 | هفتاد و پنج | Haftād-o-panj |
| 80 | هشتاد | Hashtād |
| 85 | هشتاد و پنج | Hashtād-o-panj |
| 90 | نود | Navad |
| 95 | نود و پنج | Navad-o-panj |
| 99 | نود و نه | Navad-o-noh |
| 100 | صد | Sad |
Ordinal Numbers — اعداد ترتیبی
Ordinal numbers (first, second, third…) are formed by adding م (om) to the cardinal number. Easy rule, no exceptions.
| Cardinal | Ordinal | Farsi | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| یک (yek) | اول (avval) | اول | First — irregular, memorise |
| دو (do) | دوم (dovvom) | دوم | Second |
| سه (se) | سوم (sevvom) | سوم | Third |
| چهار (chahār) | چهارم (chahārom) | چهارم | Fourth |
| پنج (panj) | پنجم (panjom) | پنجم | Fifth |
| ده (dah) | دهم (dahom) | دهم | Tenth |
| صد (sad) | صدم (sadom) | صدم | Hundredth |
Numbers in Real Persian Life
🎉 سیزده — the unlucky 13
سیزده (sizdah — 13) is considered unlucky in Iranian culture — the opposite of the Western unlucky Friday 13th but with the same instinct. On the 13th day of Nowruz (the Persian New Year), Iranians celebrate سیزدهبدر (Sizdah Bedar — “thirteen out”), a tradition where families leave their homes and spend the day outdoors in nature to avoid the bad luck of being inside on the 13th. It is one of the most joyful days of the Iranian calendar.
💡 چهل — forty and its meaning
The number چهل (chehel — 40) appears throughout Persian culture and religion. The Chehel Sotoun (چهل ستون — Forty Columns) is one of Iran’s most famous palaces. The mourning period of اربعین is forty days. Forty is a symbolic number across Persian, Arabic, and Turkish cultures — representing completion, purification, and transformation. When someone says “forty years” in Persian, they often mean “a very long time.”
Counting in Persian — Practical Phrases
| Farsi | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| چند تا؟ | Chand tā? | How many? |
| یک عدد | Yek adad | One (of something) |
| دو تا | Do tā | Two (informal counter) |
| چند نفر؟ | Chand nafar? | How many people? |
| هزار تومان | Hezār tomān | A thousand tomans |
| شماره تلفن | Shomāre-ye telefon | Phone number |
Learn to Use Farsi Numbers Naturally
Numbers in a table are a start. Using them at speed — giving your number, understanding prices, counting on the phone — takes practice with a native speaker.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you count to 10 in Farsi?
1 to 10 in Farsi: یک (yek), دو (do), سه (se), چهار (chahār), پنج (panj), شش (shesh), هفت (haft), هشت (hasht), نه (noh), ده (dah). These are the foundation — once you know them you can build any number.
How do you say 100 in Farsi?
100 in Farsi is صد (sad). 200 is دویست (devist), 300 is سیصد (sisad), 500 is پانصد (pānsad), and 1000 is هزار (hezār).
What is the number 13 in Persian culture?
13 in Farsi is سیزده (sizdah) and is considered an unlucky number. This is why the 13th day of Nowruz is celebrated with سیزدهبدر (Sizdah Bedar) — Iranians leave their homes to spend the day in nature, sending away the bad luck of 13 by being outside.
