Sanskrit Numbers 1-100
संस्कृत संख्याः १–१०० तक
Count in Sanskrit — All Classes
Key Points to Remember
- ▸Sanskrit numbers are the source of Indo-European number words in English, Latin, Greek
- ▸Pañca (5) ↔ English five, Greek penta — the "p-f shift" between Sanskrit and Germanic
- ▸Śata (100) → Latin centum → English cent, century, percent
- ▸Sanskrit has compound numbers: ekādaśa (11) = eka (1) + daśa (10) — "one beyond ten"
Vocabulary List
Sanskrit numbers (saṃkhyā) are the origin of all Indian numeral systems and influenced Arabic numerals. Our decimal system (0-9) was invented in India and transmitted through Arabic to Europe.
| Sanskrit | Transliteration | Meaning | Root / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| एक (eka) | 1 | one | cognate with Greek oios, Latin unus — all from PIE *oinos |
| द्वि (dvi) | 2 | two | cognate with English "two," Latin "duo," Greek "duo" |
| त्रि (tri) | 3 | three | cognate with English "three," Latin "tres," Greek "treis" |
| चतुर् (catur) | 4 | four | cognate with Latin quatuor, Greek tetra |
| पञ्च (pañca) | 5 | five | cognate with English "five," Greek pente — note the pañca/penta connection |
| षट् (ṣaṭ) | 6 | six | cognate with Latin sex, Greek hex, English "six" |
| सप्त (sapta) | 7 | seven | cognate with Latin septem, Greek hepta, English "seven" |
| अष्ट (aṣṭa) | 8 | eight | cognate with Latin octo, Greek oktō, English "eight" |
| नव (nava) | 9 | nine | cognate with Latin novem, Greek ennea, English "nine" |
| दश (daśa) | 10 | ten | cognate with Latin decem, Greek deka, English "ten" |
| एकादश (ekādaśa) | 11 | eleven | eka (1) + daśa (10) = one beyond ten |
| द्वादश (dvādaśa) | 12 | twelve | dvi (2) + daśa (10) |
| विंशति (viṃśati) | 20 | twenty | vi (double of daśa) + ṃśati; related to Latin viginti |
| त्रिंशत् (triṃśat) | 30 | thirty | tri (3) × daśa (10) |
| शत (śata) | 100 | hundred | cognate with Latin centum, Greek hekaton, English "cent, century" |
Exercises (2)
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks
Write the Sanskrit number
1. How do you say 7 in Sanskrit?
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सप्त (sapta)
2. How do you say 12 in Sanskrit?
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द्वादश (dvādaśa) — dvi + daśa
3. "Pañcatantra" means "Five _______ (pañca = 5 + tantra = ?)".
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Five Treatises/Texts — pañca (5) + tantra (text/doctrine)
4. Connect: English "October" ↔ Sanskrit _______
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अष्ट (aṣṭa = 8) — October was the 8th month in the original Roman calendar
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Number trivia
1. "Sapta" (सप्त = 7) and English "September" — what is the connection?
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September was the 7th month in early Roman calendar
2. "Navratri" (नवरात्रि) = _______ nights of the goddess
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9
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