Numbers 1-10
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Learn the building blocks of Kannada counting from one to ten to start your journey.
- 1 is 'ondu' (ಒಂದು).
- 2 is 'eradu' (ಎರಡು).
- 3-10 follow specific roots: 'muru', 'nalku', 'aidu', 'aaru', 'elu', 'entu', 'ombattu', 'hattu'.
Meanings
These are the cardinal numbers used to count objects or people in Kannada.
Counting objects
Used to quantify nouns.
“ಒಂದು ಪುಸ್ತಕ (one book)”
“ಎರಡು ಪೆನ್ನು (two pens)”
Kannada Numbers 1-10
| Number | Kannada Script | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ಒಂದು | ondu |
| 2 | ಎರಡು | eradu |
| 3 | ಮೂರು | muru |
| 4 | ನಾಲ್ಕು | nalku |
| 5 | ಐದು | aidu |
| 6 | ಆರು | aaru |
| 7 | ಏಳು | elu |
| 8 | ಎಂಟು | entu |
| 9 | ಒಂಬತ್ತು | ombattu |
| 10 | ಹತ್ತು | hattu |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Number + Noun | ondu pustaka |
| Question | Eshtu + Noun? | eshtu pustaka? |
| Quantity | Number + Noun + -galu | ondu pustakagalu (rare) |
| Time | Number + ganthe | ondu ganthe |
| People | Number + jana | ondu jana |
طیف رسمیت
ನನಗೆ ಒಂದು ಕಾಫಿ ಬೇಕು. (Ordering at a cafe)
ಒಂದು ಕಾಫಿ ಕೊಡಿ. (Ordering at a cafe)
ಒಂದು ಕಾಫಿ. (Ordering at a cafe)
ಒಂದು ಕಾಫಿ ಪ್ಲೀಸ್. (Ordering at a cafe)
Kannada Numbers Visualized
1-5
- • ondu
- • eradu
- • muru
- • nalku
- • aidu
6-10
- • aaru
- • elu
- • entu
- • ombattu
- • hattu
Examples by Level
ಒಂದು ಪುಸ್ತಕ
One book
ಎರಡು ಪೆನ್ನು
Two pens
ಮೂರು ಮನೆ
Three houses
ಹತ್ತು ರೂಪಾಯಿ
Ten rupees
ನನ್ನ ಬಳಿ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಿವೆ.
I have four books.
ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಐದು ಜನ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ.
There are five people there.
ಆರು ಗಂಟೆ ಆಯ್ತು.
It is six o'clock.
ಏಳು ದಿನಗಳು.
Seven days.
ಎಂಟು ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ಬನ್ನಿ.
Come at eight o'clock.
ಒಂಬತ್ತು ಜನ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳು ಬಂದರು.
Nine students came.
ಹತ್ತು ನಿಮಿಷ ಕಾಯಿರಿ.
Wait for ten minutes.
ಒಂದು ಕಪ್ ಚಹಾ ಕೊಡಿ.
Give me one cup of tea.
ನಾವು ಎರಡು ಗಂಟೆಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಿದೆವು.
We discussed for two hours.
ಮೂರು ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಕಾರಣಗಳಿವೆ.
There are three main reasons.
ನಾಲ್ಕು ದಿಕ್ಕುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಡುಕಿದೆವು.
We searched in four directions.
ಐದು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಅನುಭವವಿದೆ.
I have five years of experience.
ಆರು ತಿಂಗಳ ಅವಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂರ್ಣಗೊಳಿಸಿ.
Complete it within a period of six months.
ಏಳು ಸಮುದ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ದಾಟಿದನು.
He crossed seven seas.
ಎಂಟು ಮಂದಿ ಸದಸ್ಯರ ಸಮಿತಿ.
A committee of eight members.
ಒಂಬತ್ತು ಗ್ರಹಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಓದಿದೆ.
I read about nine planets.
ಹತ್ತು ಅವತಾರಗಳ ಕಥೆ.
The story of ten incarnations.
ಒಂದು ಕ್ಷಣವೂ ವ್ಯರ್ಥ ಮಾಡಬೇಡಿ.
Don't waste even one moment.
ಎರಡು ದಾರಿಗಳ ನಡುವೆ.
Between two paths.
ಮೂರು ಲೋಕಗಳ ಒಡೆಯ.
Lord of the three worlds.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up 'ondu' (one) and 'modalane' (first).
Learners put the number after the noun like in some other languages.
Learners aren't sure when to use 'jana' vs 'manda' for people.
اشتباهات رایج
ondu pustaka (one book) -> ondu pustakavu
ondu pustaka
eradu jana (two people) -> eradu janaru
eradu jana
muru (3) -> muru (sounds like 'muru' in English)
muru (pronounced with a soft 'r')
hattu (10) -> hatu
hattu
eshtu pustakagalu?
eshtu pustaka?
nalku (4) -> nalku (with long 'a')
nalku (short 'a')
ombattu (9) -> ombatu
ombattu
ondu coffee (one coffee) -> ondu coffee-nu
ondu coffee
aidu (5) -> aidu (sounds like 'eye-doo')
aidu (pronounced 'ai-du')
elu (7) -> elu (sounds like 'eel-u')
elu (short 'e')
hattu (10) used as 'many'
hattu is specifically 10
Sentence Patterns
ನನ್ನ ಬಳಿ ___ ಪೆನ್ನುಗಳಿವೆ.
ಇದು ___ ಗಂಟೆ.
ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ___ ಜನ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ.
ನನಗೆ ___ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಅನುಭವವಿದೆ.
Real World Usage
ondu dosa kodi
hattu kilo akki
nalku ganthege banni
aidu varshagala anubhava
ondu ticket
muru item
Practice aloud
Don't pluralize
Use flashcards
Listen to music
Smart Tips
Always add 'jana' after the number.
Always add 'ganthe' after the number.
Add 'rupayi' after the number.
Add 'varsha' for years.
تلفظ
Retroflex sounds
The 't' and 'd' in Kannada are retroflex (tongue touches the roof of the mouth).
Question intonation
Eshtu pustaka? ↑
Rising intonation at the end for questions.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Ondu' as 'One-du' (sounds like one).
Visual Association
Imagine a big '1' shaped like a stick (ondu) and a '2' shaped like a duck (eradu).
Rhyme
Ondu, eradu, muru, nalku, aidu, aaru, elu, entu, ombattu, hattuu!
Story
One (ondu) duck had two (eradu) eggs. Three (muru) birds watched as four (nalku) fish swam by. Five (aidu) frogs jumped over six (aaru) stones, while seven (elu) bees and eight (entu) ants danced with nine (ombattu) butterflies until ten (hattu) stars appeared.
Word Web
چالش
Count the items on your desk in Kannada right now.
نکات فرهنگی
Numbers are often used with the suffix '-jana' for people and '-ganthe' for time.
In some dialects, numbers might be slightly shortened in rapid speech.
Numbers are written out fully in formal documents.
Kannada numbers are of Dravidian origin, distinct from the Sanskrit-derived numbers found in many other Indian languages.
Conversation Starters
ನಿಮ್ಮ ಬಳಿ ಎಷ್ಟು ಪೆನ್ನುಗಳಿವೆ?
ಒಂದು ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ಗಂಟೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೀರಿ?
ನಿಮ್ಮ ಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ?
ಹತ್ತು ವರ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೀವು ಎಲ್ಲಿರಲು ಬಯಸುತ್ತೀರಿ?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
___ pustaka
What is 2 in Kannada?
Find and fix the mistake:
nalku pustakagalu
Three apples.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
What is 9 in Kannada?
___ rupayi
Find and fix the mistake:
hattu janaru
Score: /8
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercises___ pustaka
What is 2 in Kannada?
Find and fix the mistake:
nalku pustakagalu
Three apples.
Match 5 to Kannada.
What is 9 in Kannada?
___ rupayi
Find and fix the mistake:
hattu janaru
Score: /8
سوالات متداول (8)
No, Kannada numbers are gender-neutral.
Use the word `eshtu`.
No, use the singular form of the noun.
It takes practice! Focus on the 'tt' sound.
Yes, they are standard.
They have different roots (Dravidian vs Indo-Aryan).
Yes, add `ganthe` after the number.
Pluralizing the noun after the number.
In Other Languages
uno, dos, tres...
Gender agreement is mandatory in Spanish, absent in Kannada.
un, deux, trois...
Kannada is strictly phonetic; French is not.
eins, zwei, drei...
German grammar is highly inflected; Kannada is agglutinative.
ichi, ni, san...
Japanese requires specific counters; Kannada does not.
wahid, ithnan, thalatha...
Arabic gender-matching is complex; Kannada is neutral.
yi, er, san...
Chinese measure words are essential; Kannada is simpler.
