How to say “one thousand (1,000)” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
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一 becomes yì before the first-tone 千. Chinese groups big numbers by ten thousand, not by thousand: 一万 (yíwàn) is 10,000, so 50,000 is 五万 (wǔwàn), 'five ten-thousands', not 'fifty thousand'.
In a sentence
Zhège shǒujī sānqiān kuài.
This phone is 3,000 yuan.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "one thousand (1,000)" in Chinese?+
"one thousand (1,000)" in Mandarin Chinese is 一千, pronounced yìqiān. 一 becomes yì before the first-tone 千. Chinese groups big numbers by ten thousand, not by thousand: 一万 (yíwàn) is 10,000, so 50,000 is 五万 (wǔwàn), 'five ten-thousands', not 'fifty thousand'.
What does 一千 mean literally?+
一千 breaks down as 一 (yì) = one, 千 (qiān) = thousand. Together it means "one thousand (1,000)".
How do I get the tones right in yìqiān?+
一 becomes yì before the first-tone 千. Chinese groups big numbers by ten thousand, not by thousand: 一万 (yíwàn) is 10,000, so 50,000 is 五万 (wǔwàn), 'five ten-thousands', not 'fifty thousand'.
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