The Number System of Zulu

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The Number System of Zulu

This page is based on Foreign Languages for Travelers.

Southern African languages are famous for having unbelievable sounds - clicks. There are several clicks, and the sound described with "q" in this chart is a palato-alveolar click. It's easy to pronounce for everyone; hold your tongue tightly on your upper gum, and lower the pressure inside, then release your tongue quickly and you will hear a "pop" sound. That's the palato-alveolar click. But remember clicks combine with following vowels, like the word "iqanda", which means zero. In linguistics, its pronunciation is written as [i!anda].

The Zulu number system is not so complicated, but its digit names are incredibly long.

Number	Reading	Meaning
0	iqanda	0
1	ukunye	1
2	isibili	2
3	kuthathu	3
4	okune	4
5	isihlanu	5
6	isithupha	6
7	isikhombisa	7
8	isishiyagalombili	8
9	isishiyagalolunye	9
10	ishumi	10
11	ishumi nanye	10 + 1^*
12	ishumi nambili	10 + 2^*
13	ishumi nantathu	10 + 3^*
14	ishumi nane	10 + 4^*
15	ishumi nesihlanu	10 + 5^*
16	ishumi nesithupha	10 + 6^*
17	ishumi nesikhombisa	10 + 7^*
18	ishumi nesishiyagalombili	10 + 8^*
19	ishumi nesishiyagalolunye	10 + 9^*
20	amashumi amabili	20
21	amashumi amabili nanye	20 + 1^*
22	amashumi amabili nambili	20 + 2^*
23	amashumi amabili nantathu	20 + 3^*
24	amashumi amabili nane	20 + 4^*
25	amashumi amabili nesihlanu	20 + 5^*
26	amashumi amabili nesithupha	20 + 6^*
27	amashumi amabili nesikhombisa	20 + 7^*
28	amashumi amabili nesishiyagalombili	20 + 8^*
29	amashumi amabili nesishiyagalolunye	20 + 9^*
30	amashumi amathathu	30
31	amashumi amathathu nanye	30 + 1^*
32	amashumi amathathu nambili	30 + 2^*
33	amashumi amathathu nantathu	30 + 3^*
34	amashumi amathathu nane	30 + 4^*
35	amashumi amathathu nesihlanu	30 + 5^*
36	amashumi amathathu nesithupha	30 + 6^*
37	amashumi amathathu nesikhombisa	30 + 7^*
38	amashumi amathathu nesishiyagalombili	30 + 8^*
39	amashumi amathathu nesishiyagalolunye	30 + 9^*
40	amashumi amane	40
41	amashumi amane nanye	40 + 1^*
42	amashumi amane nambili	40 + 2^*
43	amashumi amane nantathu	40 + 3^*
44	amashumi amane nane	40 + 4^*
45	amashumi amane nesihlanu	40 + 5^*
46	amashumi amane nesithupha	40 + 6^*
47	amashumi amane nesikhombisa	40 + 7^*
48	amashumi amane nesishiyagalombili	40 + 8^*
49	amashumi amane nesishiyagalolunye	40 + 9^*
50	amashumi amahlanu	50
51	amashumi amahlanu nanye	50 + 1^*
52	amashumi amahlanu nambili	50 + 2^*
53	amashumi amahlanu nantathu	50 + 3^*
54	amashumi amahlanu nane	50 + 4^*
55	amashumi amahlanu nesihlanu	50 + 5^*
56	amashumi amahlanu nesithupha	50 + 6^*
57	amashumi amahlanu nesikhombisa	50 + 7^*
58	amashumi amahlanu nesishiyagalombili	50 + 8^*
59	amashumi amahlanu nesishiyagalolunye	50 + 9^*
60	amashumi ayisithupha	60
61	amashumi ayisithupha nanye	60 + 1^*
62	amashumi ayisithupha nambili	60 + 2^*
63	amashumi ayisithupha nantathu	60 + 3^*
64	amashumi ayisithupha nane	60 + 4^*
65	amashumi ayisithupha nesihlanu	60 + 5^*
66	amashumi ayisithupha nesithupha	60 + 6^*
67	amashumi ayisithupha nesikhombisa	60 + 7^*
68	amashumi ayisithupha nesishiyagalombili	60 + 8^*
69	amashumi ayisithupha nesishiyagalolunye	60 + 9^*
70	amashumi ayisikhombisa	70
71	amashumi ayisikhombisa nanye	70 + 1^*
72	amashumi ayisikhombisa nambili	70 + 2^*
73	amashumi ayisikhombisa nantathu	70 + 3^*
74	amashumi ayisikhombisa nane	70 + 4^*
75	amashumi ayisikhombisa nesihlanu	70 + 5^*
76	amashumi ayisikhombisa nesithupha	70 + 6^*
77	amashumi ayisikhombisa nesikhombisa	70 + 7^*
78	amashumi ayisikhombisa nesishiyagalombili	70 + 8^*
79	amashumi ayisikhombisa nesishiyagalolunye	70 + 9^*
80	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili	80
81	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nanye	80 + 1^*
82	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nambili	80 + 2^*
83	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nantathu	80 + 3^*
84	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nane	80 + 4^*
85	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nesihlanu	80 + 5^*
86	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nesithupha	80 + 6^*
87	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nesikhombisa	80 + 7^*
88	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nesishiyagalombili	80 + 8^*
89	amashumi ayisishiyagalombili nesishiyagalolunye	80 + 9^*
90	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye	90
91	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nanye	90 + 1^*
92	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nambili	90 + 2^*
93	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nantathu	90 + 3^*
94	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nane	90 + 4^*
95	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nesihlanu	90 + 5^*
96	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nesithupha	90 + 6^*
97	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nesikhombisa	90 + 7^*
98	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nesishiyagalombili	90 + 8^*
99	amashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nesishiyagalolunye	90 + 9^*
100	ikhulu	100

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