Counting in Garifuna

Language overview

Forty-two in Garifuna The Garifuna language (Karif) belongs to the Arawakan language family. Spoken by the Garifuna people in Central America, especially in Honduras, Guatemala (where it is recognised as a minority language), Belize, and Nicaragua, the Garifuna language counts about 190,000 speakers.

Garifuna numbers list

  • 1 – aban
  • 2 – biñá
  • 3 – ürüwa
  • 4 – gádürü
  • 5 – seingü
  • 6 – sisi
  • 7 – sedü
  • 8 – widü
  • 9 – nefu
  • 10 – dîsi
  • 11 – ûnsu
  • 12 – dûsu
  • 13 – tareisi
  • 14 – katorsu
  • 15 – keinsi
  • 16 – dîsisi
  • 17 – dîsedü
  • 18 – dísiwidü
  • 19 – dísinefu
  • 20 – wein
  • 30 – darandi
  • 40 – biama wein
  • 50 – dimí san
  • 60 – ürüwa wein
  • 70 – ürüwa wein dîsi
  • 80 – gádürü wein
  • 90 – gádürü wein dîsi
  • 100 – san
  • 1,000 – milu
  • one million – míñonu
  • one billion – milu míñonu

Garifuna 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 zero to nine are rendered by specific words with at least three distinct origins: Arawak for one and two, Carib or Kali’na for three, and French for four and above. These digits are: gararaguati [0], aban [1] (from the Arawak aba), biñá (or biama when compound) [2] (from the Arawak bian), ürüwa [3] (from the Kali’na oruwa), gádürü [4], seingü [5], sisi [6], sedü [7], widü [8], and nefu [9].
  • Tens follow a full vigesimal system, still related to French: dîsi [10], wein [20], darandi [30], biama wein [40] (two twenty), dimí sa [50] (half-hundred), ürüwa wein [60] (three twenty), ürüwa wein dîsi [70] (three twenty ten), gádürü wein [80] (four twenty), and gádürü wein dîsi [90] (four twenty ten).
  • Teens are closely-related to French teens too: ûnsu [11], dûsu [12], tareisi [13], katorsu [14], keinsi [15], dîsisi or disisisi [16], dîsedü or disisedü [17], dísiwidü [18], and dísinefu [19].
  • Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, followed by the unit separated with a space (e.g.: wein sedü [27]), or mixed with the teen (e.g.: ürüwa wein keinsi [75]).
  • Hundreds are formed starting with the multiplier digit before the word for hundred (san), except for one hundred: san [100], biama san [200], ürüwa san [300], gádürü san [400], seingü san [500], sisi san [600], sedü san [700], widü san [800], and nefu san [900].
  • Thousands are formed starting with the multiplier digit before the word for thousand (milu), except for one thousand: milu [1,000], biama milu [2,000], ürüwa milu [3,000], gádürü milu [4,000], seingü milu [5,000], sisi milu [6,000], sedü milu [7,000], widü milu [8,000], and nefu milu [9,000].
  • The word for million is míñonu [1 million], and one billion is milu míñonu, or a thousand million.

Write a number in full in Garifuna

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Garifuna. 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

Learn Garifuna Now! Learn Garifuna Now!
by , editors CreateSpace (2017)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

The Garifuna, A nation across borders: Essays in Social Anthropology The Garifuna, A nation across borders: Essays in Social Anthropology
by , editors Cubola (2005)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

¡Aprenda Garifuna ahora! ¡Aprenda Garifuna ahora!
by , editors CreateSpace (2017)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Source

  • Conversemos en garífuna, by Salvador Suazo, Editorial Guaymuras, 2002 (in Spanish)

Arawakan languages

Garifuna, Kali’na, and Wayuu.

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.