Counting in Mohawk

Language overview

Forty-two in Mohawk The Mohawk language (Kanien’keha) is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Mohawk people, living in Canada (southern Ontario and Quebec) and United States (mainly western and northern New York). It counts about 3,500 speakers.

Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 1,000,000 in Mohawk. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

Mohawk numbers list

  • 1 – énska
  • 2 – tékeni
  • 3 – áhsen
  • 4 – kaié:ri
  • 5 – wisk
  • 6 – ià:ia’k
  • 7 – tsá:ta
  • 8 – sha’té:kon
  • 9 – tióhton
  • 10 – oié:ri
  • 11 – énska iawén:re
  • 12 – tékeni iawén:re
  • 13 – áhsen iawén:re
  • 14 – kaié:ri iawén:re
  • 15 – wisk iawén:re
  • 16 – ià:ia’k iawén:re
  • 17 – tsá:ta iawén:re
  • 18 – sha’té:kon iawén:re
  • 19 – tióhton iawén:re
  • 20 – tewáhsen
  • 30 – áhsen niwáhsen
  • 40 – kaié:ri niwáhsen
  • 50 – wisk niwáhsen
  • 60 – iá:ia’k niwáhsen
  • 70 – tsá:ta niwáhsen
  • 80 – sha’té:kon niwáhsen
  • 90 – tióhton niwáhsen
  • 100 – énska tewen’niáwe
  • 1,000 – oié:ri tewen’niáwe
  • one million – énska million

Mohawk 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).

  • Numbers from one to nine are specific words, namely énska [1], tékeni [2], áhsen [3], kaié:ri [4], wisk [5], ià:ia’k [6], tsá:ta [7], sha’té:kon [8], and tióhton [9].
  • Tens are formed by putting the multiplier digit before the word for tens (niwáhsen), except for ten itself and for twenty (for which it is contracted): oié:ri [10], tewáhsen [20], áhsen niwáhsen [30], kaié:ri niwáhsen [40], wisk niwáhsen [50], iá:ia’k niwáhsen [60], tsá:ta niwáhsen [70], sha’té:kon niwáhsen [80], and tióhton niwáhsen [90].
  • The teens are formed by putting the word iawén:re after the unit name (e.g.: énska iawén:re [11], kaié:ri iawén:re [14]). In the other compound numerals, the ten is put first, then the digit (e.g.: tewáhsen wisk [25], wisk niwáhsen sha’té:kon [58]).
  • Hundreds are formed by saying the multiplier unit, then the word for hundred (tewen’niáwe): énska tewen’niáwe [100], tékeni tewen’niáwe [200], áhsen tewen’niáwe [300], kaié:ri tewen’niáwe [400], wisk tewen’niáwe [500], ià:ia’k tewen’niáwe [600], tsá:ta tewen’niáwe [700], sha’té:kon tewen’niáwe [800], and tióhton tewen’niáwe [900].
  • Thousands are formed like tens of hundreds, i.e. by saying the multiplier ten, then the word for thousand (tewen’niáwe): oié:ri tewen’niáwe [1,000], tewáhsen tewen’niáwe [2,000], áhsen niwáhsen tewen’niáwe [3,000], kaié:ri niwáhsen tewen’niáwe [4,000], wisk niwáhsen tewen’niáwe [5,000], iá:ia’k niwáhsen tewen’niáwe [6,000], tsá:ta niwáhsen tewen’niáwe [7,000], sha’té:kon niwáhsen tewen’niáwe [8,000], and tióhton niwáhsen tewen’niáwe [9,000].
  • In compound numerals, the hundred and the unit, and the thousand and the unit are linked together by the word tánon, meaning and (e.g.: énska tewen’niáwe tánon énska [101], oié:ri tewen’niáwe tánon énska [1,001]).
  • The word for million is million.

Write a number in full in Mohawk

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

Kanyen’Keha Tewatati: Let’s Speak Mohawk Kanyen’Keha Tewatati: Let’s Speak Mohawk
by , editors Audio Forum (1990)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Sources

Iroquoian languages

Cherokee, Mohawk, and Oneida.

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.