How to count in Tuvaluan (Te 'gana Tūvalu), a Polynesian language spoken mainly in Tuvalu in the South-Central Pacific.
If any of the numbers are links, you can hear a recording by clicking on them. If you can provide recordings, please contact me.
| Numeral | Cardinal numbers | Ordinal numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | leai | |
| 1 | tasi | te muamua te mua |
| 2 | lua | te lua |
| 3 | tolu | te tolu |
| 4 | faa, fa | te faa |
| 5 | lima | te lima |
| 6 | ono | te ono |
| 7 | fitu | te fitu |
| 8 | valu | te valu |
| 9 | iva | te iva |
| 10 | sefulu, angafulu, toa | te sefulu |
| 11 | sefulu tasi, angafulu ma tasi | |
| 12 | sefulu lua, sefulu ma lua sefulu ma le lua, angafulu ma lua |
|
| 13 | sefulu tolu, angafulu ma tolu | |
| 14 | sefulu faa, angafulu ma faa | |
| 15 | sefulu lima, angafulu ma lima | |
| 16 | sefulu ono, angafulu ma ono | |
| 17 | sefulu fitu, angafulu ma fitu | |
| 18 | sefulu valu, angafulu ma valu | |
| 19 | sefulu iva, angafulu ma iva | |
| 20 | lua sefulu | |
| 21 | lua sefulu tasi lua sefulu ma tasi lua sefulu ma le tasi, |
|
| 22 | lua sefulu lua lua sefulu ma lua lua sefulu ma le lua |
|
| 23 | lua sefulu tolu lua sefulu ma tolu lua sefulu ma le tolu |
|
| 24 | lua sefulu faa lua sefulu ma faa lua sefulu ma le faa |
|
| 25 | lua sefulu lima lua sefulu ma lima lua sefulu ma le lima |
|
| 26 | lua sefulu ono lua sefulu ma ono lua sefulu ma le ono |
|
| 27 | lua sefulu fitu lua sefulu ma fitu lua sefulu ma le fitu |
|
| 28 | lua sefulu valu lua sefulu ma valu lua sefulu ma le valu |
|
| 29 | lua sefulu iva lua sefulu ma iva lua sefulu ma le iva |
|
| 30 | tolu sefulu | |
| 40 | faa sefulu | |
| 50 | lima sefulu | |
| 60 | ono sefulu | |
| 70 | fitu sefulu | |
| 80 | valu sefulu | |
| 90 | iva sefulu | |
| 100 | selau | |
| 101 | selau ma le tasi | |
| 110 | selau sefulu | |
| 200 | lua selau | |
| 231 | lua selau tolu sefulu tasi lua selau tolu sefulu ma tasi lua selau tolu sefulu ma le tasi |
|
| 300 | tolu selau | |
| 400 | faa selau | |
| 500 | lima selau | |
| 600 | ono selau | |
| 700 | fitu selau | |
| 800 | valu selau | |
| 900 | iva selau | |
| 1,000 | afe | |
| 1,989 | afe iva selau valu sefulu iva | |
| 1,999 | afe iva selau iva sefulu iva | |
| 2,000 | lua afe | |
| 3,000 | tolu afe | |
| 4,000 | faa afe | |
| 5,000 | lima afe | |
| 6,000 | ono afe | |
| 7,000 | fitu afe | |
| 8,000 | valu afe | |
| 9,000 | iva afe | |
| 10,000 | sefulu afe | |
| 26,945 | lua sefulu ono afe iva selau faa sefulu lima | |
| 100,000 | selau afe | |
| 1,000,000 | miliona, e tasi te miliona |
| once | fakatasi |
| twice | fakalua |
| thrice | fakatolu |
| four times | fakafaa |
| five times | fakalima |
| ten times | fakasefulu taimi |
| dozen | taseni |
| 1/2 | tasi vae lua, afa (half) |
| 1/4 | tasi vae faa, kuata (quarter) |
| 3/4 | tolu vae faa, tolu kuata (three quarter) |
Sources:
- Donald Gilbert Kennedy: Te Nganana a te Tuvalu. Handbook on the Language of the Tuvalu (Ellice) Islands.. Suva, Fiji – 1945.
- Geoff & Jenny Jackson: An Introduction to Tavaluan. Suva, Fiji – 1999.
- Niko Besnier: Tuvaluan. A Polynesian Language of the Central Pacific. London/New York – 2000.
Tuvaluan numbers and notes provided by Emanuel Fuchs, with additional numbers provided by Wolfgang Kuhl
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Tuvaluan | Phrases | Numbers | Family words | Tower of Babel
Proto-Polynesian, Anutan, Emae, Futunan, Hawaiian, Kapingamarangi, Mangareva, Māori, Marquesan (North), Marquesan (South), Moriori, Niuafoʻou, Niuean, Nukumanu, Nukuria, Nukuoro, Pukapukan, Rapa, Rapa Nui, Rarotongan, Rennellese, Samoan, Sikaiana, Tahitian, Tokelauan, Takuu, Tongan, Tuamotuan, Tuvaluan, Wallisian, West Uvean
Alphabetical index | Language family index
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