Tamil Numbers 1 to 100: Count in Tamil (with Pronunciation)

Tamil numbers look intimidating at first, but the system is actually very regular: once you know 1 through 10 and the words for 20, 30, 40 and so on, you can build almost any number up to 100 by combining the two. Below is every number word you need — 0 to 10, the teens, the tens, and the simple pattern that fills in everything in between — with romanization and Tamil script for each.

Numbers 0 to 10 in Tamil

Tamil has two registers for the numbers 1 through 5: a slightly formal form (used in writing, school, and careful speech) and a shorter spoken form (used in everyday conversation). From 6 onward, the spoken and formal forms are the same.

• 0 — Poojiyam (பூஜ்ஜியம்)
• 1 — Onnu (ஒண்ணு) spoken, Ondru (ஒன்று) formal
• 2 — Rendu (ரெண்டு) spoken, Irandu (இரண்டு) formal
• 3 — Moonu (மூணு) spoken, Moondru (மூன்று) formal
• 4 — Naalu (நாலு) spoken, Naangu (நான்கு) formal
• 5 — Anju (அஞ்சு) spoken, Ainthu (ஐந்து) formal
• 6 — Aaru (ஆறு)
• 7 — Ezhu (ஏழு)
• 8 — Ettu (எட்டு)
• 9 — Onbathu (ஒன்பது)
• 10 — Pathu (பத்து)

In everyday speech, you'll hear onnu, rendu, moonu far more often than the formal ondru, irandu, moondru — the formal set mostly shows up in writing, school textbooks, or very careful, deliberate speech.

Numbers 11 to 20 in Tamil

The teens follow a clear pattern: pathin- or pathi- (a shortened form of pathu, ten) is prefixed to the ones digit.

• 11 — Pathinonnu (பதினொண்ணு)
• 12 — Pannendu (பன்னெண்டு)
• 13 — Pathimoonu (பதிமூணு)
• 14 — Pathinaalu (பதினாலு)
• 15 — Pathinanju (பதினஞ்சு)
• 16 — Pathinaaru (பதினாறு)
• 17 — Pathinezhu (பதினேழு)
• 18 — Pathinettu (பதினெட்டு)
• 19 — Pathonbathu (பத்தொன்பது)
• 20 — Irubathu (இருபது)

12 is the odd one out — it shortens to pannendu rather than following the pathin- pattern exactly, so it's worth memorizing on its own.

Counting by tens: 20 to 100 in Tamil

• 20 — Irubathu (இருபது)
• 30 — Muppathu (முப்பது)
• 40 — Naapathu (நாற்பது)
• 50 — Ambathu (ஐம்பது)
• 60 — Aruvathu (அறுபது)
• 70 — Ezhuvathu (எழுபது)
• 80 — Embathu (எண்பது)
• 90 — Thonnooru (தொண்ணூறு)
• 100 — Nooru (நூறு)

Notice that most of the tens words end in -pathu — a variation of pathu (ten) — the same building block you saw in the teens. Thonnooru (90) and Nooru (100) are the exceptions.

Building any number from 21 to 99

Once you know the tens and the ones, you can build most two-digit numbers by joining them, usually with a short connecting sound (often written as -thi or -ttu) between the two words. A few examples:

• 21 — Irubathi onnu (இருபத்தி ஒண்ணு) — irubathu (20) + onnu (1)
• 45 — Naapathi anju (நாற்பத்தி அஞ்சு) — naapathu (40) + anju (5)
• 67 — Aruvathi ezhu (அறுபத்தி ஏழு) — aruvathu (60) + ezhu (7)
• 99 — Thonnootu onbathu (தொண்ணூற்று ஒன்பது) — thonnooru (90) + onbathu (9)

The connecting sound shifts a little depending on the tens word (compare irubathi with thonnootu), which is a normal part of how Tamil numbers link together — don't worry about memorizing the rule formally. Most learners pick up the rhythm just by hearing enough numbers said out loud, the same way English speakers never had to be taught why "twenty-one" sounds smoother than "twenty one" spoken slowly.

Using numbers in everyday life

A few places you'll actually use these:

• Prices and bargaining: ask Evlo? (எவ்ளோ?) — "how much?" — and listen for the number in the answer. Market vendors usually say prices as whole numbers, so recognizing nooru (100) or irubathu (20) quickly is genuinely useful.
• Phone numbers: Tamil speakers usually read phone numbers digit by digit rather than as compound numbers — so you mainly need 0 to 9 comfortable and fast, not the full 1–100 range.
• Ages: asking someone's age uses the same numbers — Vayasu evlo? (வயசு எவ்ளோ?) — "what's your age?" — answered with a plain number like muppathu (30).

A practical way to start

Don't try to memorize all 100 numbers at once. Learn 0–10 solidly first — those ten words are the building blocks for everything else — then the tens (20, 30, 40…), and only then practice combining them. For more foundational vocabulary, see our guide to common Tamil greetings and everyday phrases, and if you're just starting out, our beginner's guide to learning Tamil lays out a full roadmap. You might also enjoy how to say hello in Tamil or the Tamil learning FAQ for more common questions.

Numbers are easy to read but easy to mishear when spoken quickly — hearing them said naturally, and getting feedback on your own pronunciation, is what makes them stick. That's exactly what the Learn Tamil AI app is built for.