Numbers are one of the most essential parts of learning any new language.

The Mongolian number system is highly logical and very easy to memorize.

Once you learn a few basic root words, you can count all the way to one million.

I’ll show you exactly how to build these numbers step by step.

Zero to ten

We’ll start with the foundational numbers from zero to ten.

These are the building blocks you’ll use for all larger numbers in Mongolian.

In standard Khalkha Mongolian spoken in Mongolia, the final vowels in numbers like gurav and döröv are often silent or very short.

Inner Mongolian speakers typically pronounce these final vowels much more clearly.

Eleven to nineteen

Counting from eleven to nineteen requires a simple mathematical formula.

You take the word for ten and add the single digit after it.

However, Mongolian grammar requires adding a hidden “н” (n) to the word for ten.

The word “арав” (10) changes to “арван” (arvan) when it’s placed before another number.

Counting the tens

The words for multiples of ten have their own unique names.

They share a similar root to the single digits, making them easy to recognize.

To create a combined number like twenty-five, you use the exact same hidden “н” rule we used for the teens.

The word for twenty (хорь) becomes хорин (khorin).

You then simply add the word for five (тав) at the end.

Hundreds and thousands

The word for one hundred is “зуу” (zuu).

The word for one thousand is “мянга” (myanga).

To count multiples of hundreds or thousands, you put the single digit in front of the larger unit.

Remember that most single digits will take that hidden “н” (n) when placed before a hundred or a thousand.

The numbers one (нэг) and two (хоёр) are exceptions and never take a hidden “н”.

One million and beyond

The Mongolian word for one million is “сая” (saya).

You build massive numbers by simply stringing the units together in descending order.

This works exactly like reading long numbers in English.

When “зуу” (hundred) comes directly before “мянга” (thousand), it also takes a hidden “н” to become “зуун”.

You now have all the tools you need to count from zero to one million in Mongolian.