Counting in Aymara
Language overview
Aymara (Aymar aru) is one of the three languages of the Aymaran languages family, the others being Jaqaru and Kawki. It is spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes in Bolivia, Peru and Chile, and counts about 2.2 million speakers.
Aymara numbers list
- 1 – maya
- 2 – paya
- 3 – quimsa
- 4 – pusi
- 5 – pheska
- 6 – sojjta
- 7 – pakallko
- 8 – quimsakallko
- 9 – llätunca
- 10 – tunca
- 11 – tunca mayani
- 12 – tunca payani
- 13 – tunca quimsani
- 14 – tunca pusini
- 15 – tunca pheskani
- 16 – tunca sojjtani
- 17 – tunca pakallkoni
- 18 – tunca quimsakallkoni
- 19 – tunca llätuncani
- 20 – pä tunca
- 30 – quimsa tunca
- 40 – pusi tunca
- 50 – pheska tunca
- 60 – sojjta tunca
- 70 – pakallk tunca
- 80 – quimsakallk tunca
- 90 – llätunc tunca
- 100 – pataca
- 1,000 – waranka
- one million – millona
Aymara 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 rendered by specific words: maya [1], paya (or pä when compound) [2], quimsa [3], pusi [4], pheska [5], sojjta [6], pakallko [7], quimsakallko [8], and llätunca [9].
- Tens are formed starting with the multiplier digit (that sometimes looses its last vowel), then the word for ten (tunca) separated with a space, except for ten itself: tunca [10], pä tunca [20], quimsa tunca [30], pusi tunca [40], pheska tunca [50], sojjta tunca [60], pakallk tunca [70], quimsakallk tunca [80], and llätunc tunca [90].
- Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten (sometimes apocopated of its last vowel), then the unit suffixed with the conjunction ni (meaning with, and), separated with a space (e.g.: pä tunc quimsakallkoni [28]).
- Hundreds are formed starting with the multiplier digit (its last vowel may have fallen), then the word for hundred (pataca) separated with a space, except for one hundred: pataca [100], pä pataca [200], quimsa pataca [300], pusi pataca [400], pheska pataca [500], sojjta pataca [600], pakallk pataca [700], quimsakallk pataca [800], and llätunc pataca [900].
- Thousands are formed starting with the multiplier digit (with sometimes an apocope of its last vowel), then the word for thousand (waranka) separated with a space, except for one thousand: waranka [1,000], pä waranka [2,000], quimsa waranka [3,000], pusi waranka [4,000], pheska waranka [5,000], sojjta waranka [6,000], pakallk waranka [7,000], quimsakallk waranka [8,000], and llätunc waranka [9,000].
- The word for million is millona, a loan word from Spanish (millón).
Write a number in full in Aymara
Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Aymara. 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
Aymara básico
by Román Pairumani Ajacopa, editors Independently published (2020)
[ Amazon.com]
Aymara básico para principiantes
by Román Pairumani Ajacopa, editors Independently published (2018)
[ Amazon.com, Kindle - Amazon.com]
Aymara express
by Ricardo Mendoza, editors Dauphin (2011)
[ Amazon.com]
Aymaran languages
Aymara, and Jaqaru.
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.