Tłı̨chǫ Online Dictionary

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Numeral

Numerals are words used to refer to numbers. Like English, the Tłı̨chǫ number system is base ten. The numbers from one to ten are as follows:

ı̨łè

one (1)

nàke

two (2)

taı

three (3)

dı̨

four (4)

sı̨làı

five (5)

ek'ètaı, k'ètaı

six (6)

łǫ̀hdı̨

seven (7)

ek'èdı̨, k'èdı̨

eight (8)

łǫǫ̀tǫ

nine (9)

hoònǫ

ten (10)

There is no traditional word for 0 in Tłı̨chǫ, although the written numeral may be referred to as ets’aèhmǫ̀ą (‘little circle’).

Multiples of ten are created by adding the suffix -nǫ to the relevant numeral. For example:

hoònǫ

ten (10)

naènǫ

twenty (20)

taènǫ

thirty (30)

dı̨ènǫ

forty (40)

sı̨làènǫ

fifty (50)

ek'ètaènǫ, k'ètaènǫ

sixty (60)

łǫ̀hdı̨ènǫ

seventy (70)

ek'èdı̨ènǫ, k'èdı̨ènǫ

eighty (80)

łǫǫ̀tǫènǫ

ninety (90)

ı̨łèlakw'ıènǫ

one hundred (100)

Numerals between multiples of ten are formed using the adverb daats’ǫ̀ (‘more than’). For example:

hoònǫ daats’ǫ̀ nàke

twelve (12)

taènǫ daats’ǫ̀ sı̨làı

thirty five (35)

łǫ̀hdı̨ènǫ daats’ǫ̀ łǫ̀hdı̨

seventy seven (77)

Larger multiples of ten are as follows:

lemı̀

thousand (1000)

hoònǫ lemı̀

ten thousand (10000)

ı̨łèlakw’ıènǫ lemı̀

one hundred thousand (100000)

lemı̀yǫǫ̀, lemı̀zhǫǫ̀

million (1000000)

The adverb daats’ǫ̀ is also used to conjoin place values for numerals greater than one hundred. For example:

nàke lemı̀ daats’ǫ̀ naènǫ daats’ǫ̀ sı̨làı

two thousand and twenty five (2025)

Ordinal numerals (that is, numerals used to describe a number by its position in a sequence (i.e. ‘first’, ‘third’, ‘tenth’, ‘fifty-sixth’, etc.)) are formed in Tłı̨chǫ using the suffix -t’à. For example:

ı̨łèt'à

first (1st)

nàket'à

second (2nd)

taèt'à

third (3rd)

dı̨èt'à

fourth (4th)

sı̨làèt'à

fifth (5th)

ek'ètaèt'à, k'ètaèt'à

sixth (6th)

łǫ̀hdı̨èt'à

seventh (7th)

ek'èdı̨èt'à, k'èdı̨èt'à

eighth (80)

łǫǫ̀tǫèt'à

ninth (90)

hoònǫèt'à

tenth (10th)

Numerals, particularly numerals smaller than one hundred, are frequently shortened in everyday speech. Some common shortenings include:

daats’ǫ̀ shortened to daa

naènǫ daadı̨

twenty four

hoònǫ shortened to hǫ

hǫdaataı

thirteen

ek’ètaı and ek’èdı̨ shortened to k’ètaı and k’èdı̨

sı̨làènǫ daak’ètaı

fifty six

taènǫ̀ daak’èdı̨

thirty eight

nàke shortened to -ke

hǫdaake

twelve

When used as modifiers in a sentence, numerals are generally placed after the noun which they modify, not before the noun as in English. For example:

Taatı k'e dǫ ek'èdı̨ xǫnı̀gı̨ı̨de.

At Christmas eight people got married.

Nı̨hbàa taı nàı̨ɂah.

There are three tents set up.

However, this is not the case when describing measurements of time or money, in which case the numeral precedes the noun:

nàke sǫǫ̀mba

two dollars

Akwełǫ̀ ekw’ǫ sı̨làı sadzeè ts’ǫ̀ yeehxò.

First, he boiled the bones for five hours.

Dıı kwe łǫhdı̨ xo ts'ǫ̀ wet'à aht'ı̨.

I’ve been using this rock for seven years.