十
shí
The English word "ten" is translated into Chinese as 十 (shí).
十 refers to the cardinal number occurring after 9 and before 11.
Meaning: the cardinal number occurring after 9 and before 11 (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting objects, you must place a measure word like 个 (gè) between 十 and the noun, such as in the phrase 十个 (ten [units]). In the phrase shí běn shū, běn acts as a measure word for books.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is shí.
Did you know?
- One theory suggests that 十 was actually a borrowed symbol originally used to represent the word for 'needle'.
- In Chinese culture, the number 十 often symbolizes perfection or wholeness because it is the base of the decimal system.
Examples in context
- 你十岁了吗？Are you ten years old?Tatoeba #516981 by GlossaMatik, translation #69226 by CN
- 我十点回来。I'll be back at ten.Tatoeba #8791918 by crescat, translation #73430 by CK
- 再等十分钟！Wait ten more minutes!Tatoeba #9992081 by GlossaMatik, translation #13187529 by atitarev
- 209 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing the price of an item.
- 俊杰 Junjie这个多少钱？Zhège duōshǎo qián?How much is this?
- 梓涵 Zihan十块钱。Shí kuài qián.Ten yuan.
- 俊杰 Junjie那太贵了。Nà tài guì le.That is too expensive.
- 梓涵 Zihan好吧，给你八块。Hǎo ba, gěi nǐ bā kuài.Okay, I will give it to you for eight.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ten” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 十, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
