<p>Chinese have adopted the mathe system the same as the rest of the world, they use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3...), and the modern math operators (+, -, x, /, =, ...), but they do preserve their traditional expressions as shown below.</p>
<p>Basic Math Operations: (words in boldface are math operators)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>2 + 2 = 4  - 二<strong>加</strong>二<strong>等于</strong>四</p>
</li>
<li><p>3 - 2 = 1 - 三<strong>減</strong>二<strong>等于</strong>一</p>
</li>
<li><p>10 x 21 = 210 - 十<strong>乘</strong>二十<strong>等于</strong>二百一(十)</p>
</li>
<li><p>360/2 = 180 - 三百六(十)<strong>除</strong>二<strong>等于</strong>一百八(十)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The Chinese numeral in ( ) is optional -  二百一十 = 二百一 = 210</p>
<p>Chinese Numerals:</p>
<p>一,二,三,四,五,六,七,八,九,十 = 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10</p>
<p>十ㄧ,十二,.....十九,二十 = 11,12,....19,20</p>
<p>Units of larger numbers - 百,千,万,亿 = hundred, thousand, ten thousand,  hundred million</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-08T21:25:45.990Z
2024-08-08T21:25:45.990Z
r13
<p>Even though, Chinese language have their own characters but it seems to be de facto standard to use Arabic numerals (1,2,3…). So, in Chinese the table would be written in the same way but of course would be read in different way. As you can watch <a href="https://youtu.be/FUY9e6oPiV4?feature=shared" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/Cj1r6SQXtNk?si=FUrVADZKH9V6pDSP" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> , only numbers are pronounced and not x and = signs.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-07T13:28:31.053Z
2024-08-07T14:06:50.840Z
2024-08-07T14:06:50.840Z
Naveed Ahmed
<p>As @r13 said in comment, your application is similar to 九九乘法表. <a href="https://upload.linkedtag.com/back/attached-file/1572434547604fJntQAuF4nFeYJyT/%E4%B9%98%E6%B3%95%E5%8F%A3%E8%AF%80%E8%A1%A8-%E7%9C%9F%E6%AD%A3%E5%85%8D%E8%B4%B9%E4%B8%8B%E8%BD%BD(PDF%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F).pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here</a> is an example.</p>
<p>In 九九乘法表, equations are usually written with Arabic numerals but read in Chinese (that is, <em>you don’t need to translate unless you really want to teach users how to read</em>). The way to read is slightly different from the general way of reading equations to make them easy to memorize. More specifically, if the product is</p>
<ul>
<li>Greater than 10: We don’t read the x and = signs for speed. For example, 3x7=21  is read as 三七二十一 (三 is 3, 七 is 7, 二十一 is 21).</li>
<li>Equal to 10: I read it as 二五一十 (this is different from 二五得十 in my link above, but it’s not a big deal).</li>
<li>Less than 10: We say 得 for = for rhythm, otherwise it’s too short compared to the other equations. For example, 2x3=6 is read as 二三得六 (二 is 2, 三 is 3, 得 is =, 六 is 6).</li>
</ul>
<p>The way of reading can vary with time and location. Your image is a very old version of 九九乘法表. So old that the characters are still written from right to left, and 得 is the original version of 如.</p>
<p>If your table of equations stops at 9x9, it’s called 九九乘法表 or 小九九 (small 九九). If it stops at 19x19, it’s sometimes called 大九九 (big 九九). 大九九 is not very common, and I don’t know a standard way of reading it.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-08T03:13:23.930Z
2024-08-08T03:13:23.930Z
kyc
<p>I developed a mobile application for practicing multiplication tables. Below is the notation that I currently use for German and English calculations:</p>
<pre><code> 2 ×  2 =   4
 3 ×  2 =   6
...
10 × 20 = 200
</code></pre>
<p>I now want to translate it to Chinese to also publish the application within China. From what I read, there are different numeral systems used in China. I found images like <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/38752/why-in-the-multiplication-table-different-characters-such-as-%E5%A6%82-%E5%BE%97-%E6%AD%B8-%E4%B8%AD-are-used">this</a>:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/DgIEZf4E.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/DgIEZf4E.jpg" alt="multiplication table" /></a></p>
<p>On the other hand, it seems like Chinese pupils also <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/30817/when-chinese-speakers-read-arabic-numbers-do-they-still-read-them-in-chinese">learn to read arabic numbers</a>. It does not clarify though whether that includes the multiplication sign <code>×</code> and the equals sign <code>=</code>.</p>
<p>Which numeral system would be more appropriate and common to use in such an educational mobile application?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-07T13:09:15.583Z
Try do a search on "九九乘法表", it was the multiplication/numerical system I was taught.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-07T13:21:29.127Z
Why it makes sense if read from right to left.
Naveed Ahmed
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-08T00:36:13.227Z
Using Chinese characters in that context would be like writing "two × two = four" instead of "2 × 2 = 4" in English.
Arfrever
<simplified-characters><number>
Which numeral system is taught at schools in China?
# Which numeral system is taught at schools in China?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-08-07)

I developed a mobile application for practicing multiplication tables. Below is the notation that I currently use for German and English calculations:

```
 2 ×  2 =   4
 3 ×  2 =   6
...
10 × 20 = 200

```

I now want to translate it to Chinese to also publish the application within China. From what I read, there are different numeral systems used in China. I found images like [this](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/38752/why-in-the-multiplication-table-different-characters-such-as-%E5%A6%82-%E5%BE%97-%E6%AD%B8-%E4%B8%AD-are-used):

[![multiplication table](https://i.sstatic.net/DgIEZf4E.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/DgIEZf4E.jpg)

On the other hand, it seems like Chinese pupils also [learn to read arabic numbers](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/30817/when-chinese-speakers-read-arabic-numbers-do-they-still-read-them-in-chinese). It does not clarify though whether that includes the multiplication sign `×` and the equals sign `=`.

Which numeral system would be more appropriate and common to use in such an educational mobile application?

**Tags:** simplified-characters, number

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Try do a search on "九九乘法表", it was the multiplication/numerical system I was taught.  
> **username_2**: Why it makes sense if read from right to left.  
> **username_3**: Using Chinese characters in that context would be like writing "two × two = four" instead of "2 × 2 = 4" in English.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2024-08-08. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

As @username_1 said in comment, your application is similar to 九九乘法表. [Here](https://upload.linkedtag.com/back/attached-file/1572434547604fJntQAuF4nFeYJyT/%E4%B9%98%E6%B3%95%E5%8F%A3%E8%AF%80%E8%A1%A8-%E7%9C%9F%E6%AD%A3%E5%85%8D%E8%B4%B9%E4%B8%8B%E8%BD%BD(PDF%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F).pdf) is an example.

In 九九乘法表, equations are usually written with Arabic numerals but read in Chinese (that is, *you don’t need to translate unless you really want to teach users how to read*). The way to read is slightly different from the general way of reading equations to make them easy to memorize. More specifically, if the product is

* Greater than 10: We don’t read the x and = signs for speed. For example, 3x7=21 is read as 三七二十一 (三 is 3, 七 is 7, 二十一 is 21).
* Equal to 10: I read it as 二五一十 (this is different from 二五得十 in my link above, but it’s not a big deal).
* Less than 10: We say 得 for = for rhythm, otherwise it’s too short compared to the other equations. For example, 2x3=6 is read as 二三得六 (二 is 2, 三 is 3, 得 is =, 六 is 6).

The way of reading can vary with time and location. Your image is a very old version of 九九乘法表. So old that the characters are still written from right to left, and 得 is the original version of 如.

If your table of equations stops at 9x9, it’s called 九九乘法表 or 小九九 (small 九九). If it stops at 19x19, it’s sometimes called 大九九 (big 九九). 大九九 is not very common, and I don’t know a standard way of reading it.


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-08-08. Score: 1

Chinese have adopted the mathe system the same as the rest of the world, they use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3...), and the modern math operators (+, -, x, /, =, ...), but they do preserve their traditional expressions as shown below.

Basic Math Operations: (words in boldface are math operators)

* 2 + 2 = 4 - 二**加**二**等于**四
* 3 - 2 = 1 - 三**減**二**等于**一
* 10 x 21 = 210 - 十**乘**二十**等于**二百一(十)
* 360/2 = 180 - 三百六(十)**除**二**等于**一百八(十)

The Chinese numeral in ( ) is optional - 二百一十 = 二百一 = 210

Chinese Numerals:

一,二,三,四,五,六,七,八,九,十 = 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

十ㄧ,十二,.....十九,二十 = 11,12,....19,20

Units of larger numbers - 百,千,万,亿 = hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred million


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-08-07. Score: 1

Even though, Chinese language have their own characters but it seems to be de facto standard to use Arabic numerals (1,2,3…). So, in Chinese the table would be written in the same way but of course would be read in different way. As you can watch [here](https://youtu.be/FUY9e6oPiV4?feature=shared) and [here](https://youtu.be/Cj1r6SQXtNk?si=FUrVADZKH9V6pDSP) , only numbers are pronounced and not x and = signs.


---

