Learning to count in Hebrew is an essential and practical step in your language journey! In Hebrew, numbers change their form according to the gender of the nouns they describe. This lesson covers the Hebrew numbers 1–20, showing both masculine and feminine forms, pronunciation, and key usage tips.
Hebrew nouns are either masculine or feminine, and most numbers (especially 1–10) agree in form with the gender of the noun. For example, the word for book (ספר, sefer) is masculine, while table (שולחן, shulchan) is masculine, but apple (תפוח, tapuach) is masculine and car (מכונית, mekhonit) is feminine. Knowing both forms is important for correct usage.
| Number | Masculine (with Hebrew) | Feminine (with Hebrew) | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אחד (echad) | אחת (achat) | eh-KHAD, a-KHAT |
| 2 | שניים (shnaim) | שתיים (shtayim) | SHNA-im, SHTA-yim |
| 3 | שלושה (shlosha) | שלוש (shalosh) | shlo-SHA, sha-LOSH |
| 4 | ארבעה (arba'a) | ארבע (arba) | ar-ba-AH, AR-ba |
| 5 | חמישה (chamisha) | חמש (chamesh) | cha-mi-SHA, cha-MESH |
| 6 | שישה (shisha) | שש (shesh) | shi-SHA, SHESH |
| 7 | שבעה (shiv'a) | שבע (sheva) | shiv-AH, SHE-va |
| 8 | שמונה (shmona) | שמונה (shmoneh) | shmo-NEH (m), shmo-NEH (f)* |
| 9 | תשעה (tish'a) | תשע (tesha) | tish-AH, TE-sha |
| 10 | עשרה (asara) | עשר (eser) | a-sa-RA, E-ser |
| 11 | אחד עשר (echad asar) | אחת עשרה (achat esre) | eh-KHAD a-SAR, a-KHAT es-RE |
| 12 | שנים עשר (shneim asar) | שתים עשרה (shtem esre) | shnaym a-SAR, shtem es-RE |
| 13 | שלושה עשר (shlosha asar) | שלוש עשרה (shlosh esre) | shlo-SHA a-SAR, shalosh es-RE |
| 14 | ארבעה עשר (arba'a asar) | ארבע עשרה (arba esre) | ar-ba-AH a-SAR, AR-ba es-RE |
| 15 | חמישה עשר (chamisha asar) | חמש עשרה (chamesh esre) | cha-mi-SHA a-SAR, cha-MESH es-RE |
| 16 | שישה עשר (shisha asar) | שש עשרה (shesh esre) | shi-SHA a-SAR, SHESH es-RE |
| 17 | שבעה עשר (shiv'a asar) | שבע עשרה (sheva esre) | shiv-AH a-SAR, SHE-va es-RE |
| 18 | שמונה עשר (shmona asar) | שמונה עשרה (shmoneh esre) | shmo-NA a-SAR, shmo-NEH es-RE |
| 19 | תשעה עשר (tish'a asar) | תשע עשרה (tesha esre) | tish-AH a-SAR, TE-sha es-RE |
| 20 | עשרים (esrim) | es-REEM | |
*Both masculine and feminine forms of 8 and 18 are written the same but may be pronounced slightly differently in casual speech.
Try counting objects around you in Hebrew! For example, count your books (ספרים - masculine) and your pens (עטים - masculine) or chairs (כיסאות - masculine). Then try with feminine nouns like apples (תפוחים), if you wish!
Learning Hebrew numbers and their gendered forms is a great way to build language confidence. Practice saying and writing each one to master both the basics and subtle differences!