Master Russian Numbers
Russian numbers decline through six grammatical cases and interact with nouns in complex ways: after 1, the noun is singular; after 2–4, it takes genitive singular; and after 5+, genitive plural. Compound numbers like пятьдесят (50, literally "five tens") decline in both halves — the middle of the word changes along with the ending. The number один (one) even has gendered forms: один, одна, одно.
Watch the videos below, then download the Foreign Numbers app and practice what you've learned!
Russian Phone Numbers
How phone numbers work in Russia & how locals say them
| Numeral | Cardinal | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ноль (nolʹ) | нулевой (nulevoy) |
| 1 | один (odin) | первый (pervyy) |
| 2 | два (dva) | второй (vtoroy) |
| 3 | три (tri) | третий (tretiy) |
| 4 | четыре (chetyre) | четвёртый (chetvyortyy) |
| 5 | пять (pyatʹ) | пятый (pyatyy) |
| 6 | шесть (shestʹ) | шестой (shestoy) |
| 7 | семь (semʹ) | седьмой (sedʹmoy) |
| 8 | восемь (vosemʹ) | восьмой (vosʹmoy) |
| 9 | девять (devyatʹ) | девятый (devyatyy) |
| 10 | десять (desyatʹ) | десятый (desyatyy) |
| 11 | одиннадцать (odinnadtsatʹ) | одиннадцатый (odinnadtsatyy) |
| 12 | двенадцать (dvenadtsatʹ) | двенадцатый (dvenadtsatyy) |
| 13 | тринадцать (trinadtsatʹ) | тринадцатый (trinadtsatyy) |
| 14 | четырнадцать (chetyrnadtsatʹ) | четырнадцатый (chetyrnadtsatyy) |
| 15 | пятнадцать (pyatnadtsatʹ) | пятнадцатый (pyatnadtsatyy) |
| 16 | шестнадцать (shestnadtsatʹ) | шестнадцатый (shestnadtsatyy) |
| 17 | семнадцать (semnadtsatʹ) | семнадцатый (semnadtsatyy) |
| 18 | восемнадцать (vosemnadtsatʹ) | восемнадцатый (vosemnadtsatyy) |
| 19 | девятнадцать (devyatnadtsatʹ) | девятнадцатый (devyatnadtsatyy) |
| 20 | двадцать (dvadtsatʹ) | двадцатый (dvadtsatyy) |
| 30 | тридцать (tridtsatʹ) | тридцатый (tridtsatyy) |
| 40 | сорок (sorok) | сороковой (sorokovoy) |
| 50 | пятьдесят (pyatʹdesyat) | пятидесятый (pyatidesyatyy) |
| 60 | шестьдесят (shestʹdesyat) | шестидесятый (shestidesyatyy) |
| 70 | семьдесят (semʹdesyat) | семидесятый (semidesyatyy) |
| 80 | восемьдесят (vosemʹdesyat) | восьмидесятый (vosʹmidesyatyy) |
| 90 | девяносто (devyanosto) | девяностый (devyanostyy) |
| 100 | сто (sto) | сотый (sotyy) |
| 1000 | тысяча (tysyacha) | тысячный (tysyachnyy) |
| 1000000 | миллион (million) | миллионный (millionnyy) |
Number data and information courtesy of Omniglot.
What Makes Russian Numbers Challenging
Russian numbers decline through six cases AND interact with nouns via three different grammatical patterns depending on the number. The soft sign (ь) appears in many number words (пять, шесть, семь) and affects pronunciation in ways English speakers find subtle. Compound numbers like пятьдесят (50) decline in the middle of the word, not just at the end. Phone numbers may use a mix of individual digits and two-digit pairs. The domestic prefix 8 and international +7 are interchangeable within Russia but confuse visitors.
Tips for Learning Russian Numbers
For listening comprehension, start with the nominative forms of 0-9 — these are used for phone numbers, prices, and addresses. Russian Cyrillic makes numbers visually different from what English speakers expect, so practice reading as well as listening. The soft sign pronunciation comes naturally with exposure. Focus on the 1-4 vs 5+ noun pattern first — this covers most everyday situations. Russian prices (rubles) and metro station numbers make great real-world practice.
Practice Russian Numbers
Reading about numbers is one thing — understanding them spoken at natural speed is another. Test your Russian number skills with our free listening game.
Play the Number Game