Finnish numbers: from 0 to a million

0 to 10

11 to 19: add -toista

For the teens, add -toista to the number: yksitoista (11) is “one of the second (ten)”. You don’t need the history, only the pattern.

Tens: add -kymmentä

Kymmenen is ten. For 20, 30 and so on, say how many tens, plus -kymmentä. Then add the single number directly, all in one word.

Hundreds and thousands

One hundred is sata. For more than one hundred, use -sataa: kaksisataa (200). One thousand is tuhat, and for more than one, -tuhatta: kaksituhatta (2,000). One million is miljoona; more than one is written separately: kaksi miljoonaa.

How to build a big number

Go from left to right and join the parts, just as you read the digits: thousands, hundreds, tens, ones.

In writing, numbers are normally one word. Very long numbers are often split after the thousands to make them readable. Finns use a space between thousands (10 000) and a comma for decimals (2,5).

Numbers with nouns: the partitive

This is the grammar point everybody needs. After yksi (one), the noun is in its basic form. After any other number, the noun is in the singular partitive, not the plural:

Learn more about this case in the Finnish partitive guide. Numbers also take case endings themselves, and the noun follows: kahdessa päivässä (in two days), viiden minuutin päästä (in five minutes).

Ordinal numbers: first, second, third

In writing, a dot after the number makes it an ordinal: 3. kerros = kolmas kerros (third floor). Ordinals take endings too: Asun kolmannessa kerroksessa (I live on the third floor). Dates use ordinals as well; see Finnish days, months and time.

Prices, ages and phone numbers

Prices

At the till, cashiers usually skip euroa and senttiä and just say the two numbers, like kaksitoista neljäkymmentä.

Age

Phone numbers

Phone numbers are usually read digit by digit, in groups: 040 123 4567 is nolla neljä nolla, yksi kaksi kolme, neljä viisi kuusi seitsemän. The emergency number 112 is yksi yksi kaksi.

Spoken Finnish numbers

In everyday speech, Finns shorten most numbers. You don’t have to speak like this, but you will hear it at the shop, at work and in the street. More in spoken Finnish.

Numbers also have noun forms, used for bus and tram lines, school grades and banknotes: ykkönen (number one), kakkonen, kolmonen, nelonen, vitonen, kuutonen, and in speech seiska (7), kasi (8), ysi (9) and kymppi (10).

Practise with Maija

Numbers come fast in real life: prices at the till, times, phone numbers. Maija lets you practise them out loud in scenarios like shopping, and her flashcards bring them back with spaced repetition. Take the free level check to start.