Ingush numbers

Language overview

Forty-two in Ingush Ingush (ГІалгІай, Ğalğaj) belongs to the Northeast Caucasian family, and more precisely to the Nakh family. Official language in Ingushetia, it is also spoken in Chechnya, Kazakhstan and Russia and counts about 400,000 speakers.

Ingush numbers list

1 – цаI (ca`)
2 – шиъ (ši’)
3 – кхоъ (qo’)
4 – диъ (di’)
5 – пхиъ (pxi’)
6 – ялх (jalx)
7 – ворхI (vorh’)
8 – бапхI (baph’)
9 – ийц (ijc)
10 – итт (itt)
11 – цхьайтта (cḩajtta)
12 – шийтта (šijtta)
13 – кхойтта (qojtta)
14 – дийтта (dijtta)
15 – пхийтта (pxijtta)
16 – ялхайтта (jalxajtta)
17 – вупийтта (vupijtta)
18 – бапайтта (bapajtta)
19 – ткъеста (tq’jesta)
20 – ткъо (tq’o)
30 – ткъаь итт (tq’a’ itt)
40 – шовэткъа (šovetq’a)
50 – шовэткъа итт (šovetq’a itt)
60 – кхоэткъа (qoetq’a)
70 – кхоэткъа итт (qoetq’a itt)
80 – деэткъа (djeetq’a)
90 – деэткъа итт (djeetq’a itt)
100 – бIаь (b`a’)
1,000 – эзап (ezap)
one million – миллион (million)
one billion – миллиард (milliard)

Ingush numbering rules

Now that you’ve had a gist of the most useful numbers, let’s move to the writing rules for the tens, the compound numbers, and why not the hundreds, the thousands and beyond (if possible).

Digits from one to nine are specific words, namely цаI (ca`) [1], шиъ (ši’) [2], кхоъ (qo’) [3], диъ (di’) [4], пхиъ (pxi’) [5], ялх (jalx) [6], ворхI (vorh’) [7], бапхI (baph’) [8], and ийц (ijc) [9].
The tens have specific names combining ten and twenty, as Ingush uses a vigesimal numbering system: итт (itt) [10], ткъо (tq’o) [20], ткъаь итт (tq’a’ itt) [30] (20 + 10), шовэткъа (šovetq’a) [40] (2*20), шовэткъа итт (šovetq’a itt) [50] (2*20 + 10), кхоэткъа (qoetq’a) [60] (3*20), кхоэткъа итт (qoetq’a itt) [70] (3*20 + 10), деэткъа (djeetq’a) [80] (4*20), and деэткъа итт (djeetq’a itt) [90] (4*20 + 10).
From eleven to eighteen, the compound numbers are built by saying the unit digit and the word for ten with no space: цхьайтта (cḩajtta) [11], шийтта (šijtta) [12], кхойтта (qojtta) [13], дийтта (dijtta) [14], пхийтта (pxijtta) [15], ялхайтта (jalxajtta) [16], вупийтта (vupijtta) [17], and бапайтта (bapajtta) [18]. Nineteen is an exception to that rule, as it is based on twenty: ткъеста (tq’jesta) [19].
From twenty-one to ninety-nine, the compound numbers are built by saying the ten, then the digit separated by a space (eg.: ткъаь кхоъ (tq’a’ qo’) [23]). When the ten is based on twenty (namely, x times twenty and ten), the teen number word is used (eg.: ткъаь пхийтта (tq’a’ pxijtta) [35] (20+15), шовэткъе вупийтта (šovetq’je vupijtta) [57] (2*20 + 17)).
Hundreds and thousands are built regularly by setting the multiplier digit before the scale word (бIаь (b`a’) for hundred, эзап (ezap) for thousand), except for one hundred and one thousand themselves: бIаь (b`a’) [100], ши бIаь (ši b`a’) [200], кхо бIаь (qo b`a’) [300], ди бIаь (di b`a’) [400]… and эзап (ezap) [1,000], ши эзап (ši ezap) [2,000], кхо эзап (qo ezap) [3,000], ди эзап (di ezap) [4,000]… When compound, the thousands are said before the hundreds, the hundreds before the tens, and the tens before the digits (eg.: эзап ши бIаьи ткъаь дийтта (ezap ši b`a’i tq’a’ dijtta) [1,234]).
One million is миллион (million), and one billion is миллиард (milliard).

Write a number in full in Ingush

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Ingush. Will you guess how to write a number in full? Enter a number and try to write it down in your head, or maybe on a piece of paper, before displaying the result.

Books

Ingush Grammar
by Johanna Nichols, editors University of California Press (2010)
[ Amazon.com]

Parlons tchétchène-ingouche : langue et culture
by Para Partchieva, editors L’Harmattan (1997)
[ Amazon.com]

North Caucasian languages

Adyghe, Bezhta, Ingush, Lezgian, and Tsez.

Other supported languages

As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the full list of supported languages.

Counting in Ingush