Language/Sinhala/Vocabulary/Numbers-and-Counting
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As a Sinhala language teacher for over 20 years, I'm excited to help you start your journey in learning Sinhala in this "Complete 0 to A1 Sinhala Course"!
In this lesson, "Numbers and Counting", we will learn how to count from 1 to 100 and use numbers in everyday situations. Numbers are an essential part of any language, and Sinhala is no exception. After all, how else could we go shopping or talk about time? Let's dive into the basics of Sinhala numbers...
Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Greetings and Introductions & Classroom.
Sinhala Numbers
The Sinhala numbering system is pretty simple and straightforward. It is based on a decimal system, and the digits are similar to those used in Arabic numerals. Here are the Sinhala numbers from 1 to 10:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| එක | ɛka | One |
| දෙක | dɛka | Two |
| තුන | tuɳa | Three |
| හතර | hatara | Four |
| පහ | paɦa | Five |
| සහය | sahaɲa | Six |
| අට | ata | Seven |
| අස | asə | Eight |
| නවය | navaya | Nine |
| දහය | dahaya | Ten |
Note that "එක" (eka) and "දෙක" (dɛka) can be used as first and second, respectively, for a series of items or ranking things.
For numbers 11-19, simply add "එකොළහ" (ekaolaha) to the ones place. For example, 11 is "එකොළහ එක" (ekaolaha ɛka), 12 is "දෙකොළහ එක" (dɛkaolaha ɛka), and so on.
For numbers 20-99, add the tens place and the ones place with "කොටස" (kotasa) in between. For example, 20 is "විස්ස" (wissa), 30 is "තිස්ස" (tissa), 40 is "හතරකොටස" (hatara kotasa), and 99 is "අසින්නකොටස නවය" (asinna kotasa navaya).
For one hundred, the word is "හතලේ" (hatalla).
Practice saying these numbers out loud, as repeating them helps to memorize them better.
Counting in Everyday Situations
Now that we know how to count in Sinhala, let's examine how we can use these numbers in everyday situations. Here are some examples:
- Asking someone their age: "ඔබට ඇතුළු කොට වර්ෂයක් තියෙනවා?" (Obata athulu kot warshayak tiyenneva?) meaning "How old are you?"
- Buying goods at a store: "මෙම දැන්වීම ඇතුලත් කෙරේවා, කොටස කිසි මුදල් සඳහා සම්පූර්ණ ගෙවීමක් සඳහා අවශ්ය එකක් මතක වන්න." (Mēma dānawīma āthulath karēvā, kotasa kissi mudal sadahā sampūrṇa gevīmak sadahā awashyay ekak matkavannā.) meaning "This receipt includes everything to pay for any amount, please align this to pay for any amount required."
- Telling the time: "මේක කොටස පස්සේ තියෙන්නේ සෙල්ලම් පලාපල පාරම්" (Mēka kotasa passē tiyennē shelem pallapala pāram) meaning "It is quarter past six."
- Counting objects: "මම කොටස කිසිම දෙනවා." (Mama kotasa kissi dennenawa.) meaning "I'm buying any number of things."
These are just a few examples of how numbers are used in everyday conversation. By using numbers, you can be more particular in your communication, making your interactions more efficient, and making an excellent impression on your Sinhala speaking peers.
Conclusion
That's it for our lesson on Sinhala numbers and counting. By now, you have learned how to count from one to a hundred, and use Sinhala numbers in several everyday scenarios. Even though these are the basics, knowing these numbers will help you a lot when communicating with Sinhala-speaking people. Remember to practice, practice, and practice some more. In the next lesson, we will learn about the Sinhala alphabet and consonants used to write Sinhala words.
Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Health & Education.
Other Lessons
- Days of the week
- Family and Relationships
- Transportation and Directions
- Greetings and Introductions
- People
- Verbs
- Classroom
- Useful phrases
- Health
- Clothes
Sources
Videos
Numbers in Sinhala 1-20 (ඉලක්කම් 1-20) - YouTube
Count in Sinhala - Numbers - YouTube
Korean sino number 1~100 sinhala / english - YouTube
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