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Counting in Old Church Slavonic

Language overview

Forty-two in Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic (ⰔⰎⰑⰂⰡⰐⰠⰔⰍⰟ ⰧⰈⰟⰊⰍⰟ, словѣ́ньскъ ѩзꙑ́къ, slověnĭskŭ językŭ) was the first Slavic literary language, from the middle of the 9th century. It belongs to the Slavic language family, and more specifically, to the Eastern South Slavic branch. It was first written in Glagolitic, a script created by Saint Cyril, a monk from Thessalonica, and his brother Saint Methodius, to translate liturgical books into the contemporary Slavic language in order to spread Christianity among the West Slavs. The Cyrillic alphabet replaced it not long after in the late 9th century. Old Church Slavonic is still used as a liturgical language in some Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches.

Old Church Slavonic numbers list

  • 1 – ⰰ҃ / а҃ ѥдинъ (jedinъ)
  • 2 – ⰱ҃ / в҃ дъва (єдина)
  • 3 – ⰲ҃ / г҃ трьѥ (trьje)
  • 4 – ⰳ҃ / д҃ четꙑре (četyre)
  • 5 – ⰴ҃ / е҃ пѧть (pętь)
  • 6 – ⰵ҃ / ѕ҃ шесть (šestь)
  • 7 – ⰶ҃ / з҃ седмь (sedmь)
  • 8 – ⰷ҃ / и҃ осмь (osmь)
  • 9 – ⰸ҃ / ѳ҃ девѧть (devętь)
  • 10 – ⰺ҃ / і҃ десѧть (desętь)
  • 11 – ⰰ҃ⰺ / а҃і ѥдинъ на десѧте (jedinъ na desęte)
  • 12 – ⰱ҃ⰺ / в҃і дъва на десѧте (dъva na desęte)
  • 13 – ⰲ҃ⰺ / г҃і трьѥ на десѧте (trьje na desęte)
  • 14 – ⰳ҃ⰺ / д҃і четꙑре на десѧте (četyre na desęte)
  • 15 – ⰴ҃ⰺ / е҃і пѧть на десѧте (pętь na desęte)
  • 16 – ⰵ҃ⰺ / ѕ҃і шесть на десѧте (šestь na desęte)
  • 17 – ⰶ҃ⰺ / з҃і седмь на десѧте (sedmь na desęte)
  • 18 – ⰷ҃ⰺ / и҃і осмь на десѧте (osmь na desęte)
  • 19 – ⰸ҃ⰺ / ѳ҃і девѧть на десѧте (devętь na desęte)
  • 20 – ⰻ҃ / к҃ дъва десѧти (dъva desęti)
  • 30 – ⰼ҃ / л҃ трьѥ десѧте (trije desęte)
  • 40 – ⰽ҃ / м҃ четꙑре десѧте (četyre desęte)
  • 50 – ⰾ҃ / н҃ пѧть десѧтъ (pętь desętь)
  • 60 – ⰿ҃ / ѯ҃ шесть десѧтъ (šestь desętь)
  • 70 – ⱀ҃ / о҃ седмь десѧтъ (sedmь desętь)
  • 80 – ⱁ҃ / п҃ осмь десѧтъ (osmь desętь)
  • 90 – ⱂ҃ / ч҃ девѧть десѧтъ (devętь desętь)
  • 100 – ⱃ҃ / р҃ съто (sъto)
  • 1,000 – ⱍ҃ / ҂а҃ тꙑсѫщи (tysęšti)

Old Church Slavonic numerals

The Old Church Slavonic language uses the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet to represent its numerals with a titlo symbol (◌҃). Nevertheless, the order used is the one inherited from the letters’ Greek ancestors.
Thousands are indicated with a preceding sign (҂). Other modifying signs are used to denote higher scale numbers:   ⃝  (10,000 or myriad),   ҈   (100,000 or legion),   ҉   (million, or legion of legions),    ꙰   (10 million or raven/crow),    ꙱   (100 million or trough/log), and    ꙲  (billion, 109 or many myriads).

1 in
1
2 in
2
3 in
3
4 in
4
5 in
5
6 in
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7 in
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8 in
8
9 in
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10 in
10
20 in
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30 in
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40 in
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50 in
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60 in
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70 in
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80 in
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90 in
90
100 in
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200 in
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300 in
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400 in
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500 in
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600 in
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700 in
700
800 in
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900 in
900
1,000 in
1,000
10,000 in
10,000
10<sup>5</sup> in
105
10<sup>6</sup> in
106
10<sup>7</sup> in
107
10<sup>8</sup> in
108
10<sup>9</sup> in
109

The Glagolitic alphabet was also used the same way, i.e using the letters of the alphabet to represent its numerals with a titlo symbol (◌҃).

1 in
1
2 in
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3 in
3
4 in
4
5 in
5
6 in
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7 in
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8 in
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9 in
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10 in
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20 in
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30 in
30
40 in
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50 in
50
60 in
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70 in
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80 in
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90 in
90
100 in
100
200 in
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300 in
300
400 in
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500 in
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600 in
600
700 in
700
800 in
800
900 in
900
1,000 in
1,000
2,000 in
2,000
3,000 in
3,000
4,000 in
4,000
5,000 in
5,000

Old Church Slavonic 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, namely єдинъ (jedinъ) / єдино (jedino) / єдина (jedina) (m/n/f) (а҃) [1], дъва (dъva) / дъвѣ (dъvě) (m/n & f) (в҃) [2], трьѥ (trьje) / три (tri) (m/n & f) (г҃) [3], чєтꙑрє (četyre) / чєтꙑри (četyri) (m/n & f) (д҃) [4], пѧть (pętь) (е҃) [5], шєсть (šestь) (ѕ҃) [6], сєдмь (sedmь) (з҃) [7], осмь (osmь) (и҃) [8], and дєвѧть (devętь) (ѳ҃) [9].
  • Tens are formed starting with the multiplier unit, followed by the corresponding form of the word for ten, except for ten itself: дєсѧть (desętь) (і҃) [10], дъва дєсѧти (dъva desęti) (к҃) [20], трꙇѥ дєсѧтє (trije desęte) or три дєсѧти (trije desęti) (л҃) [30], чєтꙑрє дєсѧтє (četyre desęte) or чєтꙑри дєсѧти (četyre desęti) (м҃) [40], пѧть дєсѧтъ (pętь desętь) (н҃) [50], шєсть дєсѧтъ (šestь desętь) (ѯ҃) [60], сєдмь дєсѧтъ (sedmь desętь) (о҃) [70], осмь дєсѧтъ (osmь desętь) (п҃) [80], and дєвѧть дєсѧтъ (devętь desętь) (ч҃) [90].
  • Numbers from eleven to nineteen are formed starting with the unit, followed by the expression на дєсѧтє (na desęte), which means on ten: єдинъ на дєсѧтє (jedinъ na desęte) / єдино на дєсѧтє (jedino na desęte) / єдина на дєсѧтє (jedina na desęte) (m/n/f) (а҃і҃) [11], дъва на дєсѧтє (dъva na desęte) / дъвѣ на дєсѧтє (dъvě na desęte) (m/n & f) (в҃і҃) [12], трьѥ на дєсѧтє (trьje na desęte) / три на дєсѧтє (tri na desęte) (m/n & f) (г҃і҃) [13], чєтꙑрє на дєсѧтє (četyre na desęte) / чєтꙑри на дєсѧтє (četyri na desęte) (m/n & f) (д҃і҃) [14], пѧть на дєсѧтє (pętь na desęte) (е҃і҃) [15], шєсть на дєсѧтє (šestь na desęte) (ѕ҃і҃) [16], сєдмь на дєсѧтє (sedmь na desęte) (з҃і҃) [17], осмь на дєсѧтє (osmь na desęte) (и҃і҃҃) [18], and дєвѧть на дєсѧтє (devętь na desęte) (ѳ҃і҃҃) [19].
  • Compound numbers above twenty are formed starting with the ten, followed by the conjunction и (i, and), and the unit (e.g.: дъва дєсѧти и сєдмь (dъva desęti i sedmь) (кз҃) [27], сєдмь дєсѧтъ и дъва (sedmь desętь i dъva) (ов҃) [72]).
  • Hundreds are formed starting with the multiplier unit, followed by the corresponding form of the word for hundred, except for one hundred: съто (sъto) (р҃҃) [100], дъвѣ сътѣ (dъvě sъtě) (с҃҃҃) [200], три съта (tri sъta) (т҃҃҃) [300], чєтꙑрє съта (četyre sъta) (ѹ҃) [400], пѧть сътъ (pętь sъtъ) (ф҃҃҃) [500], шєсть sъtъ (šestь сътъ) (х҃҃) [600], сєдмь сътъ (sedmь sъtъ) (ѱ҃) [700], осмь сътъ (osmь sъtъ) (ѡ҃) [800], and дєвѧть сътъ (devętь sъtъ) (ц҃҃) [900].
  • Hundreds and tens or units are linked with the conjunction и (i, and) (e.g.: съто и пѧть дєсѧтъ и три (sъto i pętь desętь i tri) (рн҃г) [153]).
  • Thousands are formed starting with the multiplier unit, followed by the corresponding form of the word for thousand, except for one thousand: тꙑсѫшти (tysǫšti) or тꙑсѧшти (tysęšti) (҂а҃҃҃) [1,000], дъвѣ тꙑсѫшти (dъvě tysǫšti) (҂в҃҃҃҃) [2,000], трьѥ тꙑсѫштѧ (trьje tysǫštę) (҂г҃҃҃҃) [3,000], чєтꙑрє тꙑсѫштѧ (četyre tysǫštę) (҂д҃) [4,000], пѧть тꙑсѫшть (pętь tysǫštь) (҂е҃҃҃҃) [5,000], шєсть тꙑсѫшть (šestь tysǫštь) (҂ѕ҃҃҃) [6,000], сєдмь тꙑсѫшть (sedmь tysǫštь) (҂з҃) [7,000], осмь тꙑсѫшть (osmь tysǫštь) (҂и҃҃҃) [8,000], and дєвѧть тꙑсѫшть (devętь tysǫštь) (҂ѳ҃҃҃҃) [9,000].
  • Higher scale numbers names are: тъма (tьma) or дєсѧть тꙑсѧшть (desętь tysǫštь) [10,000 or myriad], лег҄ионъ (leĝeonъ) [105 or legion], леодръ (deodrъ) [106 or legion of legions], вранъ (vranъ) [107 or raven/crow], клада (klada) [108 or trough/log], тьма тьмъ (tьma tъmъ) [109 or many myriads].

Books

Old Church Slavonic: An Elementary Grammar Old Church Slavonic: An Elementary Grammar
by , editors Cambridge University Press (2008)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Grammar of the Church Slavonic Language Grammar of the Church Slavonic Language
by , editors Holy Trinity Monastery (2001)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Old Church Slavonic Grammar Old Church Slavonic Grammar
by , editors Mouton de Gruyter (2001)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Antiguo eslavo eclesiástico - Antiguo búlgaro Antiguo eslavo eclesiástico - Antiguo búlgaro
by , editors Ediciones Xorki (2018)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Le vieux slave Le vieux slave
by , editors Peeters Publishers (2009)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Source

South Slavic languages

Bulgarian, Macedonian, Old Church Slavonic, Serbian, and Slovene.

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.