Numbers in Kannada 1 to 100

Numbers in Kannada are one of the first things a child learns at home, often before any letter. On this page your child can tap any number from 1 to 100 and hear its Kannada name, such as ಒಂದು (ondu, one) or ಐವತ್ತು (aivattu, fifty), followed by English. Press Count with me to hear a whole run of Kannada counting, and count along out loud together.

Kannada numbers 1 to 10

Start with the first ten. They are the building blocks for every bigger number, and they show up in songs, games and everyday counting.

Kannada numbers 11 to 20

The teens are built on ಹತ್ತು (ten). Most start with "hadi", as in ಹದಿಮೂರು (13, ten plus three) and ಹದಿನೈದು (15). A few are special: ಹನ್ನೊಂದು (11), ಹನ್ನೆರಡು (12) and ಹತ್ತೊಂಬತ್ತು (19). Then comes ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು (20). Tap each one in the chart to hear the difference between ಹದಿನಾರು (16), ಹದಿನೇಳು (17) and ಹದಿನೆಂಟು (18).

Counting in tens up to 100

Once your child can count to 20, the tens unlock the rest of the chart. Each tens word ends in "-vattu" or "-attu".

How Kannada number words join together

Kannada numbers from 21 to 99 are regular and friendly for children. You take the tens word and add the ones word, and the two sounds blend: ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು + ಒಂದು becomes ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತೊಂದು (21), and ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು + ಐದು becomes ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತೈದು (25). The same pattern gives ಮೂವತ್ತೈದು (35), ನಲವತ್ತೈದು (45) and ಐವತ್ತೈದು (55). The longest one children love to say is ತೊಂಬತ್ತೊಂಬತ್ತು (99). This regular pattern makes Kannada counting to 100 easier than Hindi ginti, where many numbers must be memorised one by one.

Kannada numerals in school textbooks

Kannada has its own digits: ೦ ೧ ೨ ೩ ೪ ೫ ೬ ೭ ೮ ೯. Everyday life in Karnataka mostly uses the international digits 1, 2, 3, but the Kannada numerals still appear in state board textbooks, on some calendars, clock faces and older signboards. Children in Kannada-medium and many state-syllabus schools learn both. Show your child the tables above and play "spot the twin": which Kannada numeral matches the 3?

How to count in Kannada at home

• Stairs and steps. Count each step aloud in Kannada. Stop at ಹತ್ತು for a three-year-old.
• Kitchen counting. Count idlis on a plate, spoons in a drawer or peas in a pod.
• Market maths. At the vegetable stall, count bananas into the bag: ಒಂದು, ಎರಡು, ಮೂರು.
• Festival counting. At Deepavali, count the lamps. At Sankranti, count the pieces of sugarcane.
• Goli Jar. Every game here ends with a marble. Tap the jar and count the marbles in Kannada together.

Age guide: 2-3 year olds enjoy 1 to 5, 3-4 year olds count to 10, 4-5 year olds to 20, and 5-6 year olds start counting in tens to 100. Use Settings to match the page to your child's age.

ಪೋಷಕರಿಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ

ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡ ಅಂಕಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲಿಸಲು ದಿನನಿತ್ಯದ ಕೆಲಸಗಳೇ ಉತ್ತಮ ಅವಕಾಶ. ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲು ಹತ್ತುವಾಗ, ತಟ್ಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಡ್ಲಿ ಇಡುವಾಗ, ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಮಡಚುವಾಗ ಒಂದು, ಎರಡು, ಮೂರು ಎಂದು ಜೋರಾಗಿ ಎಣಿಸಿ.

ಮೊದಲು ಒಂದರಿಂದ ಹತ್ತರವರೆಗೆ ಕಲಿಸಿ. ನಂತರ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು, ಮುಂದೆ ನೂರರವರೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಬಹುದು. ಪಠ್ಯಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ಅಂಕಿಗಳು ೧, ೨, ೩ ಕೂಡ ಇರುತ್ತವೆ; ಅವುಗಳನ್ನೂ ಮಗುವಿಗೆ ತೋರಿಸಿ.

ಮಗು ಎಣಿಸುವಾಗ ಒಂದು ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟರೆ ಚಿಂತೆ ಬೇಡ. ನಗುತ್ತಾ ಮತ್ತೆ ಜೊತೆಯಾಗಿ ಎಣಿಸಿ.

Counting in two languages

Children in bilingual homes often count in English at school and in Kannada at home. That is fine: both sets of words point to the same idea. Many families in the US, UK and the Gulf keep Kannada numbers alive through games, grandparents on video calls and weekend classes. If your child also learns English counting, try counting 1 to 10 and the 1 to 100 number chart. Children who hear Hindi too can compare with Hindi ginti.

After numbers, explore the Kannada alphabet or count fruit on the fruits in Kannada page, or return to learn Kannada for kids.

How to use this page at home

Say it, then find it

Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: kannada words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.

Ten minutes is enough

Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.

Use both languages

Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.