Counting in Southern Quechua

Language overview

Forty-two in Southern Quechua The Southern Quechua language (Urin qichwa), or Quechua II-C, belongs to the Quechuan language family, and more specifically to its Quechua II branch. It is spoken in regions of the Andes south of a line roughly east–west between the cities of Huancayo and Huancavelica in central Peru, including the dialects spoken in the regions of Ayacucho, Cusco (the old Inca capital) and Puno in Peru, in much of Bolivia and parts of north-west Argentina. Southern Quechua counts about 6.9 million speakers.

Southern Quechua numbers list

  • 1 – huk
  • 2 – iskay
  • 3 – kimsa
  • 4 – tawa
  • 5 – pichqa
  • 6 – suqta
  • 7 – qanchis
  • 8 – pusaq
  • 9 – isqun
  • 10 – chunka
  • 11 – chunka hukniyuq
  • 12 – chunka iskayniyuq
  • 13 – chunka kimsayuq
  • 14 – chunka tawayuq
  • 15 – chunka pichqayuq
  • 16 – chunka suqtayuq
  • 17 – chunka qanchisniyuq
  • 18 – chunka pusaqniyuq
  • 19 – chunka isqunniyuq
  • 20 – iskay chunka
  • 30 – kimsa chunka
  • 40 – tawa chunka
  • 50 – pichqa chunka
  • 60 – suqta chunka
  • 70 – qanchis chunka
  • 80 – pusaq chunka
  • 90 – isqun chunka
  • 100 – pachak
  • 1,000 – waranqa
  • one million – hunu
  • one billion – lluna

Southern Quechua 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, namely: ch’usaq [0], huk [1], iskay [2], kimsa [3], tawa [4], pichqa [5], suqta [6], qanchis [7], pusaq [8], and isqun [9].
  • Tens are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for ten (chunka) separated with a space, except for ten itself: chunka [10], iskay chunka [20], kimsa chunka [30], tawa chunka [40], pichqa chunka [50], suqta chunka [60], qanchis chunka [70], pusaq chunka [80], and isqun [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the unit separated with a space, suffixed by the particule -yuq (meaning with), sometimes preceded by the particule -ni-. The particule -ni- is a euphonic particle interspersed before the final particle -yuq to facilitate pronunciation. It can be found after every compound digit that is not ending in -a (e.g.: chunka qanchisniyuq [17], pichqa chunka pusaqniyuq [58]), or after a compound ten (e.g.: pachak iskay chunkayuq [120]).
  • Hundreds are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for hundred (pachak) separated with a space, except for one hundred: pachak [100], iskay pachak [200], kimsa pachak [300], tawa pachak [400], pichqa pachak [500], suqta pachak [600], qanchis pachak [700], pusaq pachak [800], and isqun [900].
  • Thousands are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for thousand (waranqa) separated with a space, except for one thousand: waranqa [1,000], iskay waranqa [2,000], kimsa waranqa [3,000], tawa waranqa [4,000], pichqa waranqa [5,000], suqta waranqa [6,000], qanchis waranqa [7,000], pusaq waranqa [8,000], and isqun [9,000].
  • Higher scale numbers are hunu [1 million], and lluna [1 billion].

Write a number in full in Southern Quechua

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

Quechua Phrasebook & Dictionary Quechua Phrasebook & Dictionary
by , editors Lonely Planet (2019)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Quechua-Spanish-English Dictionary Quechua-Spanish-English Dictionary
by , editors Hippocrene Books (2018)
[Kindle - Amazon.com Kindle - Amazon.com, Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Kawsay Vida: A Multimedia Quechua Course for Beginners and Beyond Kawsay Vida: A Multimedia Quechua Course for Beginners and Beyond
by , editors University of Texas Press (2014)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Quechua-Spanish-English Dictionary Quechua-Spanish-English Dictionary
by , editors Hippocrene Books (2018)
[Kindle - Amazon.com Kindle - Amazon.com, Amazon.com Amazon.com]

¿Chaymantaqá? / ¿Y después? Quechua avanzado ¿Chaymantaqá? / ¿Y después? Quechua avanzado
by , editors Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (2016)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Dictionnaire quéchua-français - suivi d’un lexique français-quechua Dictionnaire quéchua-français - suivi d’un lexique français-quechua
by , editors L’Asiathèque (2011)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Parlons Quechua  - La Langue du Cuzco Parlons Quechua - La Langue du Cuzco
by , editors L’Harmattan (1997)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

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.