Hebrew Numbers 1–100: Learn to Count in Hebrew

Hebrew Numbers 1–100: Learn to Count in Hebrew (With Pronunciation)

The numbers from 1 to 19 come in masculine and feminine forms, and that can make Hebrew counting look intimidating at first. Once you see the pattern behind those forms, the rest falls into place quickly. Numbers 20 to 100 become more predictable because the tens follow a consistent pattern and do not change for gender.
This guide walks through Hebrew numbers from 0 to 100 in the order that makes them easiest to learn. You'll get the Hebrew script, a transliteration for each number, pronunciation tips, practical examples, and a clear explanation of the masculine and feminine forms.

A quick note on transliteration. Hebrew is written right to left, and transliteration is always an approximation. In this article, ch is the raspy sound in "Bach," sh is as in "shoe," and an apostrophe (') marks a glottal stop or the letter ayin. Final e is pronounced like the e in "bed."

Hebrew Numbers 0–10: The Foundation

Everything else in Hebrew counting is built on the numbers up to ten, so start here. Zero is efes (אֶפֶס). For the rest, each number has a feminine and a masculine form.

Number	Feminine (counting form)	Masculine
1	אַחַת — achat	אֶחָד — echad
2	שְׁתַּיִם — shtayim	שְׁנַיִם — shnayim
3	שָׁלוֹשׁ — shalosh	שְׁלוֹשָׁה — shlosha
4	אַרְבַּע — arba	אַרְבָּעָה — arba'a
5	חָמֵשׁ — chamesh	חֲמִשָּׁה — chamisha
6	שֵׁשׁ — shesh	שִׁשָּׁה — shisha
7	שֶׁבַע — sheva	שִׁבְעָה — shiv'a
8	שְׁמוֹנֶה — shmone	שְׁמוֹנָה — shmona
9	תֵּשַׁע — tesha	תִּשְׁעָה — tish'a
10	עֶשֶׂר — eser	עֲשָׂרָה — asara

Pronunciation tips for 1–10

A few sounds trip up English speakers:

• Chet (ח) in chamesh and chamisha is a throaty "ch," like clearing your throat gently.
• Ayin (ע) in arba'a, shiv'a, and tish'a is often barely audible in everyday speech, so don't worry if you can't produce it yet.
• Shin (ש) is a plain "sh," which appears in most of the numbers from 2 to 9.

Stress placement varies from number to number, so it's worth listening to a native speaker, or to recordings from a course or dictionary, rather than trusting any single rule.

Masculine and Feminine Hebrew Numbers: Which Form Should You Use?

Every Hebrew noun is grammatically masculine or feminine, and numbers adjust to match. The simplest way to sort this out is to separate two situations: plain counting and counting objects.

Plain counting: use the feminine form

When you're reciting numbers, giving a phone number, doing arithmetic, or reading out a time, the feminine forms are the standard default: achat, shtayim, shalosh, arba... If you only learn one set at first, learn this one.

Counting objects: match the noun

When a number describes something, it agrees with the noun. There's a twist, though. From 3 to 10, the pattern looks reversed compared with ordinary adjectives. As the writer Philologos explains, masculine nouns take feminine numbers and feminine nouns take masculine ones. To see this in practice:

• shlosha sfarim (שְׁלוֹשָׁה סְפָרִים), "three books." The noun sefer is masculine, and the number uses its longer form ending in -a.
• shalosh tmunot (שָׁלוֹשׁ תְּמוּנוֹת), "three pictures." The noun tmuna is feminine, and the number uses its shorter form.

The numbers 1 and 2, and the teens from 11 to 19, follow the ordinary pattern instead: a masculine noun takes the masculine form, and a feminine noun takes the feminine form. Also, the number 1 goes after the noun (sefer echad, "one book"), while other numbers go before it.

Important: "two" before a noun

The forms shnayim and shtayim are the standalone and counting forms. When "two" comes directly before a noun, Hebrew usually uses the shorter forms shnei (שְׁנֵי, masculine) and shtei (שְׁתֵּי, feminine):

• shnei sfarim (שְׁנֵי סְפָרִים), "two books"
• shtei tmunot (שְׁתֵּי תְּמוּנוֹת), "two pictures"

Formal Hebrew also has special "bound" forms for 3–10 before definite nouns. That's beyond the scope of a beginner guide, but it's useful to know that the forms you see in tables are not the only ones.

Everyday speech is looser than the textbook

Rules like these have an official standard, but speech doesn't always follow it. A linguistic study of spoken Israeli Hebrew found a bias toward using the unmarked feminine form of numerals regardless of the noun, though the bias is not absolute and depends on the situation. Another linguist notes that most Israelis say eser shekel rather than the prescribed asara shekalim. As a beginner, learn the standard forms, and expect everyday speech to be a little looser.

Numbers in Hebrew 11–19

The teens are built by joining the unit number and the word for ten. The masculine forms use -asar for "ten," and the feminine forms use -esre. Both parts agree with the noun.

Number	Feminine	Masculine
11	אחת עשרה — achat-esre	אחד עשר — echad-asar
12	שתים עשרה — shtem-esre	שנים עשר — shneim-asar
13	שלוש עשרה — shlosh-esre	שלושה עשר — shlosha-asar
14	ארבע עשרה — arba-esre	ארבעה עשר — arba'a-asar
15	חמש עשרה — chamesh-esre	חמישה עשר — chamisha-asar
16	שש עשרה — shesh-esre	שישה עשר — shisha-asar
17	שבע עשרה — shva-esre	שבעה עשר — shiv'a-asar
18	שמונה עשרה — shmone-esre	שמונה עשר — shmona-asar
19	תשע עשרה — tsha-esre	תשעה עשר — tish'a-asar

In fast speech, these run together and shrink. Shtem-esre, shva-esre, and tsha-esre are common spoken shortenings. Think of them as normal contractions, like "gonna" in English.

Hebrew Numbers 20–100: The Tens

From here on, counting in Hebrew becomes more predictable. The tens don't change for gender, so you only learn them once. They are built from the units with the plural ending -im.

Number	Hebrew	Transliteration
20	עשרים	esrim
30	שלושים	shloshim
40	ארבעים	arba'im
50	חמישים	chamishim
60	שישים	shishim
70	שבעים	shiv'im
80	שמונים	shmonim
90	תשעים	tish'im
100	מאה	me'a

Building 21–99

To make any number between the tens, say the tens word, then "and," then the units word. The word for "and" is a one-letter prefix (ו) attached to the units number. It may be pronounced ve- or u- depending on the sound that follows, and you'll often hear u- in forms such as u-shtayim and u-shmone. You don't need to memorize a rule. The ending table below shows the forms most learners meet, and listening will do the rest.

Here are the endings to attach after any tens word:

Plus	Feminine	Masculine
+1	ve'achat	ve'echad
+2	ushtayim	ushnayim
+3	veshalosh	ushlosha
+4	ve'arba	ve'arba'a
+5	vechamesh	vechamisha
+6	veshesh	veshisha
+7	vesheva	veshiv'a
+8	ushmone	ushmona
+9	vetesha	vetish'a

Here are some worked examples, one from each decade:

• 21 (f): esrim ve'achat
• 34 (f): shloshim ve'arba
• 45 (m): arba'im vechamisha
• 56 (f): chamishim veshesh
• 67 (m): shishim veshiv'a
• 78 (f): shiv'im ushmone
• 89 (m): shmonim vetish'a
• 99 (f): tish'im vetesha

With the ten tens words and this one ending table, you can produce every number from 1 to 100. Beyond 100, the next words to learn are matayim (200) and elef (1,000).

Hebrew Numbers in Real Life

Numbers stick faster when you see them in situations you'll actually meet. Here are four.

At a shop. Ask the price with kama ze ole? (כמה זה עולה?), "How much does this cost?" A vendor might answer esrim shekel (עשרים שקל), "twenty shekels," using the looser spoken form described above.

Phone numbers. Phone numbers are read digit by digit using the feminine forms, with zero as efes. A number starting 052 would begin efes, chamesh, shtayim...

Telling time. The word for "hour," sha'a, is feminine, so the hour uses the feminine number: ha-sha'a shalosh (השעה שלוש), "It's three o'clock."

Counting things. Order two coffees or three books, and the noun decides the form: shnei sfarim, shlosha sfarim, but shtei tmunot, shalosh tmunot.

Hebrew Letters as Numbers

You may also see Hebrew letters used as numerals, for example in Hebrew calendar dates or numbered lists. Each letter has a value: aleph (א) is 1, bet (ב) is 2, gimel (ג) is 3, and so on through yod (י) for 10. The tens then run kaf (כ) 20, lamed (ל) 30, mem (מ) 40, nun (נ) 50, samekh (ס) 60, ayin (ע) 70, pe (פ) 80, tsadi (צ) 90, and qof (ק) 100. If you're still getting comfortable with the letters themselves, our guide tothe Hebrew alphabet for beginners is a good place to start.

For everyday life (prices, phone numbers, street addresses), Israelis use the same digits you already know, written left to right inside right-to-left text.

Tips for Practicing Hebrew Counting

Learning tip: Start with feminine forms 1–10, then add 11–19, and only then the tens. Saying numbers aloud in real contexts, like counting steps, reading prices, or telling the time, tends to stick better than reciting a list.

A few practical habits help:

• Count daily objects in Hebrew, switching to the form that matches the noun.
• Read prices and phone numbers aloud as they appear in signs or apps.
• Pair numbers with vocabulary. Once you know a few dozen words, try our list of common Hebrew words and pair them with numbers ("three books," "five coffees").
• Practice useful sentences. Many of the basic Hebrew phrases include numbers, such as asking for a price or the time.

Conclusion

Hebrew numbers are easier to manage than they first appear. Learn the feminine counting forms from 1 to 10, add the teens, memorize the nine tens words, and use the simple "tens + and + units" pattern to fill in every number up to 100. The masculine forms and the shnei/shtei shortcuts for "two" will come naturally as you start describing real objects.

Keep your expectations realistic, and keep listening to native speech: spoken Hebrew is often a little looser than the formal rules. Start counting in Hebrew today, even if it is only to ten.

FAQ

Why do Hebrew numbers have two forms?
Hebrew nouns are masculine or feminine, and numbers agree with them. The numbers 1–10, and the units in 11–19, have distinct masculine and feminine forms. The tens (20, 30, and so on) have a single form for both.

Which form should beginners learn first?
The feminine forms. They're the standard default for plain counting, phone numbers, and math, and they're also the shorter versions.

What is the difference between shnayim and shnei?
Shnayim (masculine) and shtayim (feminine) are the standalone and counting forms of "two." Directly before a noun, Hebrew usually uses shnei and shtei, as in shnei sfarim ("two books") and shtei tmunot ("two pictures").

Do Israelis always use the grammatically "correct" forms?
Not always. Everyday speech often simplifies the forms, especially with the feminine form used as a neutral default. The standard forms are still the best starting point for learners.

How long does it take to learn Hebrew numbers 1–100?
It varies from learner to learner. Because the tens and the unit endings repeat, many learners find 20–100 quicker to pick up than 1–19.

Author Note

Learnora Books creates practical language-learning resources for beginners. The numeral forms and usage notes in this guide were cross-checked against the published linguistic references listed below. For formal grammar questions, a qualified Hebrew teacher or a reference grammar is the best next step.

Sources

1. Irit Meir, "Numerals: Modern Hebrew," Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics (2013). View source
2. Philologos, "The Hebrew Language's Wildly Unpredictable Gender System," Mosaic (Tikvah), August 15, 2024. View source
3. "Gender Neutralization in Hebrew: The Case of the Numerals in Colloquial Hebrew," Brill's Journal of Afroasiatic Languages and Linguistics 7(1), 2015. View source
4. Ghil'ad Zuckermann, paper on the Academy of the Hebrew Language and "polarity-of-gender agreement," University of Adelaide repository. View source
5. Pealim, "Numerals and nouns: singular vs. plural." View source

These sources were consulted to support the linguistic information, grammatical explanations, and usage notes presented in this article.