Latin Cardinal Numbers
Latin cardinal numbers are the numbers used for counting and expressing quantity.
They answer the question:
“How many?”
Examples include:
| Number | Latin |
|---|---|
| 1 | ūnus |
| 2 | duo |
| 3 | trēs |
Cardinal numbers are used in many everyday situations such as:
- counting objects
- expressing quantity
- describing measurements
- writing numbers in historical or classical texts
Learning cardinal numbers is the foundation for understanding Latin numbers.
Latin Cardinal Numbers 1–20
The first twenty Latin numbers should be memorized because they form the foundation for larger numbers.
| Number | Latin |
|---|---|
| 1 | ūnus |
| 2 | duo |
| 3 | trēs |
| 4 | quattuor |
| 5 | quīnque |
| 6 | sex |
| 7 | septem |
| 8 | octō |
| 9 | novem |
| 10 | decem |
| 11 | ūndecim |
| 12 | duodecim |
| 13 | tredecim |
| 14 | quattuordecim |
| 15 | quīndecim |
| 16 | sēdecim |
| 17 | septendecim |
| 18 | duodēvīgintī |
| 19 | ūndēvīgintī |
| 20 | vīgintī |
You can also view the full number chart here:
Latin Cardinal Numbers 21–99
Latin numbers above twenty usually combine vīgintī (twenty) with the numbers 1–9.
Examples:
21 = vīgintī ūnus
24 = vīgintī quattuor
37 = trīgintā septem
48 = quadrāgintā octō
59 = quīnquāgintā novem
Latin sometimes places the smaller number before or after the tens, depending on the style of Latin used.
Example:
42 = quadrāgintā duo
67 = sexāgintā septem
Latin Tens
| Number | Latin |
|---|---|
| 20 | vīgintī |
| 30 | trīgintā |
| 40 | quadrāgintā |
| 50 | quīnquāgintā |
| 60 | sexāgintā |
| 70 | septuāgintā |
| 80 | octōgintā |
| 90 | nōnāgintā |
These combine with the numbers 1–9 to create larger numbers.
Example:
45 = quadrāgintā quīnque
Latin Hundreds
Latin hundreds follow a regular pattern.
Examples:
| Number | Latin |
|---|---|
| 100 | centum |
| 200 | ducentī |
| 300 | trecentī |
| 400 | quadringentī |
| 500 | quīngentī |
These numbers combine with smaller numbers to form larger values.
Example:
245
ducentī quadrāgintā quīnque
Latin Thousands
Examples:
| Number | Latin |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | mīlle |
| 2,000 | duo mīlia |
| 3,000 | tria mīlia |
The word mīlia is used for plural thousands.
Example:
2,500
duo mīlia quīngentī
Examples of Latin Cardinal Numbers
Example phrase:
trēs librī
Meaning:
three books
Another example:
quīnque annī
Meaning:
five years
Practice Latin Cardinal Numbers
You can practice Latin numbers using the interactive tools below.
Try Our Latin Numbers Interactive Translate Tool
Test Your Knowledge. Take the Latin Numbers Quiz
Related Latin Pages
Further reference: Omniglot numbers in Latin.