Numbers

1. Ĩmwe, igĩrĩ, ithatũ

   One, two, three

   Usage

   The basic counting forms. After a noun the form agrees with the noun class.

   Grammar Note

   Bible: ĩmwe 466x, igĩrĩ 275x, ithatũ 141x; Benson 1964 also has "ĩmwe, igĩrĩ". After a noun the form changes, as in "andũ eerĩ" (two people).

2. Inya, ithano, ithathatũ

   Four, five, six

   Usage

   The basic counting forms. After a noun the form agrees with the noun class.

   Grammar Note

   Bible: inya 101x, ithano 91x, ithathatũ 30x. Benson 1964 lists "inya" as four.

3. Mũgwanja, inyanya, kenda, ikũmi

   Seven, eight, nine, ten

   Usage

   Counting 7 to 10. "ikũmi na ĩmwe" is 11.

   Grammar Note

   Bible: mũgwanja 606x, inyanya 11x, kenda 105x, ikũmi 682x. Wiktionary has mũgwanja (seven), kenda (nine), ikũmi (ten). inyanya (eight) is Bible-only and not confirmed in other sources.

4. Ikũmi na ĩmwe, ikũmi na igĩrĩ

   Eleven, twelve

   Usage

   How to say 11 and 12.

   Grammar Note

   "na" means "and": ten-and-one, ten-and-two. Bible: "ikũmi na ĩmwe" 5x, "ikũmi na igĩrĩ" 38x.

5. Mĩrongo ĩrĩ, mĩrongo ĩtatũ, mĩrongo ĩna

   Twenty, thirty, forty

   Usage

   Counting the tens.

   Grammar Note

   "mĩrongo" is the plural of "mũrongo" (ten); tens are built as "tens two" etc. Bible: "mĩrongo ĩrĩ" 2x, "mĩrongo ĩtatũ" 138x, "mĩrongo ĩna" 131x.

6. Mĩrongo ĩtano, mĩrongo mũgwanja, mĩrongo kenda

   Fifty, seventy, ninety

   Usage

   Counting the tens. Sixty and eighty are left out because the form could not be verified.

   Grammar Note

   Bible: "mĩrongo ĩtano" 97x, "mĩrongo mũgwanja" 71x, "mĩrongo kenda" 17x.

7. Igana

   One hundred

   Usage

   How to say one hundred.

   Grammar Note

   Bible 194x; Benson 1964 "one hundred". Wiktionary also lists the verb igana (be sufficient) with the same form.

8. Ngiri

   One thousand

   Usage

   How to say one thousand.

   Grammar Note

   Bible 224x; Wiktionary "thousand".

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