Counting in Purépecha
Language overview
The Purépucha (P’urhépecha), or Tarascan language, is a language isolate spoken in the Michoacán region of Mexico by the Purépecha people. It counts about 125,000 native speakers.
Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 400 in Purépecha. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.
Purépecha numbers list
- 1 – ma
- 2 – tsimáni
- 3 – tanímu
- 4 – t’amu
- 5 – iúmu
- 6 – kuímu
- 7 – iúmu tsimáni
- 8 – iúmu tanímu
- 9 – iúmu t’amu
- 10 – témbeni
- 11 – témbeni ma
- 12 – témbeni tsimáni
- 13 – témbeni tanímu
- 14 – témbeni t’amu
- 15 – témbeni iúmu
- 16 – témbeni kuímu
- 17 – témbeni iúmu tsimáni
- 18 – témbeni iúmu tanímu
- 19 – témbeni iúmu t’amu
- 20 – ma ekuátse
- 30 – ma ekuátse témbeni
- 40 – tsimáni ekuátse
- 50 – tsimáni ekuátse témbeni
- 60 – tanímu ekuátse
- 70 – tanímu ekuátse témbeni
- 80 – t’amu ekuátse
- 90 – t’amu ekuátse témbeni
- 100 – iúmu ekuátse
Purépecha 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 six are rendered by specific words, and digits seven, eight and nine are based on five: ma [1], tsimáni [2], tanímu [3], t’amu [4], iúmu [5], kuímu [6], iúmu tsimáni [7] (5+2), iúmu tanímu [8] (5+3), and iúmu t’amu [9] (5+4).
- Purépecha tens follow a very regular vigesimal system, hence based on twenty, with even twenty expressed as “one (time) twenty”: témbeni [10], ma ekuátse [20] (1*20), ma ekuátse témbeni [30] (1*20+10), tsimáni ekuátse [40] (2*20), tsimáni ekuátse témbeni [50] (2*20+10), tanímu ekuátse [60] (3*20), tanímu ekuátse témbeni [70] (3*20+10), t’amu ekuátse [80] (4*20), and t’amu ekuátse témbeni [90] (4*20+10).
- Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the number from one to nineteen (e.g.: ma ekuátse iúmu [25], tanímu ekuátse témbeni tanímu [73]).
- The first hundreds are formed based on multiples of twenty: iúmu ekuátse [100] (5*20), témbeni ekuátse [200] (10*20), témbeni iúmu ekuátse [300] (15*20). Four hundred is rendered with its own expression: ma irépita [400].
- Compound hundreds are formed starting with the hundred, then the ten and the unit, or only the unit (e.g.: iúmu ekuátse ekuátse iúmu t’amu [129], témbeni ekuátse ma [201]).
- The only attested thousand for the moment is iúmu irépita [2,000] (5*400).
Write a number in full in Purépecha
Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Purépecha. 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
KAXÚMBEKUA (Valores Éticos y Morales de la Cultura P’urhépecha)
by Huíchu Kuákari, editors Independently published (2019)
[ Amazon.com]
Tzintzuntzan. Capital del reino purépecha
by Arturo Oliveros, editors Fondo de Cultura Económica (2011)
[ Amazon.com, Kindle - Amazon.com]
Viaje por sendas purepechas
by David Brading, editors Artes de Mexico (2007)
[ Amazon.com]
Parlons purepecha : Une langue du Mexique
by Claudine Chamoreau, editors L’Harmattan (2003)
[ Amazon.com]
Grammaire du purépecha
by Claudine Chamoreau, editors LINCOM publishers (2000)
[ Amazon.com]
Source
Isolate languages
Ainu, Basque, Burushaski, Keresan, Korean, Purépecha, and Tunica.
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.