Russian numbers are famous among learners for their complications. Cardinal numbers decline through all six cases, the number-plus-noun combination triggers unexpected case choices on the noun, and ordinal numbers behave like adjectives with their own full paradigms. Numerals from 2 to 4 demand the genitive singular of the following noun, numerals from 5 up demand the genitive plural, compound numbers agree with their final element, and the number 1 alone behaves like a regular adjective that agrees with its noun in gender, number, and case. This page provides a systematic reference to Russian numbers from 1 to 100 with all the grammatical consequences spelled out.
To understand the case system these numbers interact with, see the Russian six cases reference. For gender agreement rules that apply to "one," see the Russian gender of nouns and adjectives guide.
Cardinal Numbers 0-20
Table 1. Cardinal numbers 0-20.
| Numeral | Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ноль / нуль | nol' / nul' |
| 1 | один (m) / одна (f) / одно (n) | odin / odna / odno |
| 2 | два (m/n) / две (f) | dva / dve |
| 3 | три | tri |
| 4 | четыре | chetyre |
| 5 | пять | pyat' |
| 6 | шесть | shest' |
| 7 | семь | sem' |
| 8 | восемь | vosem' |
| 9 | девять | devyat' |
| 10 | десять | desyat' |
| 11 | одиннадцать | odinnadtsat' |
| 12 | двенадцать | dvenadtsat' |
| 13 | тринадцать | trinadtsat' |
| 14 | четырнадцать | chetyrnadtsat' |
| 15 | пятнадцать | pyatnadtsat' |
| 16 | шестнадцать | shestnadtsat' |
| 17 | семнадцать | semnadtsat' |
| 18 | восемнадцать | vosemnadtsat' |
| 19 | девятнадцать | devyatnadtsat' |
| 20 | двадцать | dvadtsat' |
Note that один has three forms agreeing with the gender of the noun it modifies (and a plural одни for pluralia tantum like ножницы). Два/две distinguishes masculine/neuter vs feminine. Numbers from 3 up do not distinguish gender in the nominative.
Cardinal Numbers 20-100
Table 2. Tens and selected intermediate numbers.
| Numeral | Russian | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | двадцать | |
| 21 | двадцать один | compound: agree final word's form |
| 22 | двадцать два | |
| 25 | двадцать пять | |
| 30 | тридцать | |
| 40 | сорок | irregular - not *четыредцать |
| 50 | пятьдесят | two-stress word, both parts decline |
| 60 | шестьдесят | |
| 70 | семьдесят | |
| 80 | восемьдесят | |
| 90 | девяносто | irregular |
| 100 | сто |
Compound numbers are written as separate words and read in the same order as English: двадцать три (twenty-three), пятьдесят шесть (fifty-six). Unlike German or older English, Russian never inverts: always "twenty-three," never "three-and-twenty."
The Key Rule: Numbers and Noun Case
When a number quantifies a noun, the noun's case depends on which number. This is one of the most distinctive features of Russian.
Table 3. Case of noun after cardinal numbers in nominative context.
| Number | Case of noun |
|---|---|
| 1 (один, одна, одно) | Nominative singular (adjective agreement) |
| 2, 3, 4 and any compound ending in 2, 3, 4 | Genitive singular |
| 5 through 20 | Genitive plural |
| 21, 31, 41, ... | Nominative singular (agreement with ending 1) |
| 22-24, 32-34, ... | Genitive singular |
| 25-30, 35-40, ... | Genitive plural |
Examples:
- 1 книга (odna kniga) - one book (nom sg, feminine agreement)
- 2 книги (dve knigi) - two books (gen sg; note feminine две)
- 5 книг (pyat' knig) - five books (gen pl)
- 21 книга (dvadtsat' odna kniga) - twenty-one books (nom sg - agrees with одна)
- 22 книги (dvadtsat' dve knigi) - twenty-two books (gen sg)
- 25 книг (dvadtsat' pyat' knig) - twenty-five books (gen pl)
Why? Historically, 2/3/4 used the dual number (gone from Russian), whose form survives as the genitive singular. Numbers 5+ used partitive genitive plural ("five of books").
When the Whole Construction Is Not Nominative
The rules above apply when the number-phrase is the subject or unmarked object. When the number-phrase itself sits in an oblique case (governed by a preposition or case requirement), both the number and the noun stand in that case, and the genitive-trigger rule drops.
Table 4. Number + noun in oblique cases.
| Case of construction | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | пять книг | five books (subject) |
| Genitive | пяти книг | of five books |
| Dative | пяти книгам | to five books |
| Instrumental | пятью книгами | with five books |
| Prepositional | (о) пяти книгах | about five books |
Notice that the noun becomes plural and takes the same case as the number. This is sometimes called the "oblique case simplification."
Declension of Selected Cardinal Numbers
Table 5. Declension of один (masculine), одна (feminine), одно (neuter).
| Case | M | F | N |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | один | одна | одно |
| Gen | одного | одной | одного |
| Dat | одному | одной | одному |
| Acc | один/одного | одну | одно |
| Ins | одним | одной | одним |
| Pre | одном | одной | одном |
Table 6. Declension of два (m/n), две (f), три, четыре.
| Case | два/две | три | четыре |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | два / две | три | четыре |
| Gen | двух | трёх | четырёх |
| Dat | двум | трём | четырём |
| Acc | как Nom/Gen | как Nom/Gen | как Nom/Gen |
| Ins | двумя | тремя | четырьмя |
| Pre | двух | трёх | четырёх |
Table 7. Declension of пять through десять and compound tens.
| Case | пять | десять | пятьдесят |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | пять | десять | пятьдесят |
| Gen | пяти | десяти | пятидесяти |
| Dat | пяти | десяти | пятидесяти |
| Acc | пять | десять | пятьдесят |
| Ins | пятью | десятью | пятьюдесятью |
| Pre | пяти | десяти | пятидесяти |
The compound forms like пятьдесят, шестьдесят decline both parts (пятидесяти = gen of fifty).
Ordinal Numbers
Ordinals (первый = first, второй = second, etc.) are ordinary adjectives and decline for gender, number, and case exactly like hard or soft adjectives.
Table 8. Ordinal numbers 1-10.
| Numeral | Ordinal | Translit |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | первый | pervyy |
| 2nd | второй | vtoroy |
| 3rd | третий | tretiy (soft-stem, special pattern) |
| 4th | четвёртый | chetvyortyy |
| 5th | пятый | pyatyy |
| 6th | шестой | shestoy |
| 7th | седьмой | sed'moy |
| 8th | восьмой | vos'moy |
| 9th | девятый | devyatyy |
| 10th | десятый | desyatyy |
For ordinal tens: двадцатый (20th), тридцатый (30th), сороковой (40th), пятидесятый (50th), ..., сотый (100th).
For compound ordinals, only the last element is ordinal; earlier elements remain cardinal: двадцать пятый (twenty-fifth), сто первый (one hundred and first).
Collective Numerals
Russian has a small set of collective numerals used mostly for groups of people (especially male or mixed groups) and for nouns that lack a singular (pluralia tantum such as ножницы).
Table 9. Collective numerals 2-7.
| Cardinal | Collective |
|---|---|
| 2 | двое |
| 3 | трое |
| 4 | четверо |
| 5 | пятеро |
| 6 | шестеро |
| 7 | семеро |
Usage: двое друзей (two friends), трое суток (three days and nights). After the nominative, the following noun is in the genitive plural.
Special Cases and Irregularities
- Сорок (40) is irregular. Genitive/dative/prepositional = сорока; instrumental = сорока (no ending).
- Девяносто (90) keeps -о throughout and has just two forms: девяносто (nom/acc) and девяноста (all others).
- Сто (100) similarly: сто (nom/acc) and ста (all others).
- Полтора (1.5) and полторы (1.5 feminine) are special.
- Feminine две contrasts with masculine/neuter два.
- Оба (both, m/n) and обе (both, f) decline and gender-distinguish.
Common Mistakes Learners Make
- Using nominative plural after numbers. The noun after 5+ must be genitive plural, not nominative plural: пять книг, not *пять книги.
- Using gen plural after 2/3/4. The noun after 2/3/4 must be genitive singular: три книги, not *три книг.
- Using masculine два with feminine nouns. Две женщины (two women), not *два женщины.
- Forgetting that один agrees. Одна книга (feminine), одно окно (neuter), один стол (masculine).
- Inverting compound numbers. Russian uses the English-style order: двадцать пять, not *пять и двадцать.
- Leaving the number undeclined in oblique cases. У пяти студентов (at five students' place), not *у пять студентов.
- Treating ordinals as indeclinable. Первый inflects like an adjective: первая встреча, первого мая.
- Confusing ноль and нуль. Both are accepted; нуль is slightly more technical/mathematical, ноль more everyday.
Quick Reference
| After this number | Noun is in this case |
|---|---|
| 1, 21, 31, ... | Nominative singular |
| 2, 3, 4; 22, 23, 24; ... | Genitive singular |
| 5-20; 25-30; 35-40; etc. | Genitive plural |
When in doubt: if the last digit is 1 use nom sg; if 2-4 use gen sg; if 5-0 use gen pl (remembering that 11-14 always follow the 5+ rule because they are whole words, not compound).
FAQ
Why do numbers 2, 3, 4 take genitive singular?
Because historically Russian had a dual number for two of anything. When the dual disappeared, its form survived in counting 2, 3, 4 (which were originally grouped together as "a few"). The modern form matches the genitive singular.
Why does 5+ take genitive plural?
The idea is partitive: "five of the books." Genitive historically marked a part of a larger quantity.
What happens with 11-14?
Even though these contain 1 through 4, they behave as whole words ending in -надцать, which takes genitive plural like all numbers 5+: одиннадцать книг (11 books).
Do I need to decline every part of compound numbers?
Yes. In oblique cases, each element declines: с двумя тысячами пятьюстами пятью студентами (with 2,505 students). This is rare in speech, but expected in formal writing.
What case follows "many" (много)?
Genitive. Много книг (many books), мало книг (few books), несколько книг (several books). Quantifiers pattern like numbers 5+.
How do I say "the first" vs "one"?
Один is "one" (a cardinal). Первый is "first" (an ordinal). They are not interchangeable.
Is there a Russian way to say "a few"?
Yes: несколько. It takes the genitive plural like other quantifiers: несколько книг.
See Also
- Russian six cases reference
- Russian grammar cases complete guide
- Russian gender of nouns and adjectives
- Russian pronouns reference
- Russian verb aspects perfective vs imperfective
- Russian Cyrillic alphabet reference
- Russian pronunciation and stress guide
- Russian alphabet Cyrillic complete guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do numbers 2, 3, 4 take genitive singular?
Historically Russian had a dual number used for 2/3/4, and when the dual disappeared its form survived in these counting contexts. The modern form matches the genitive singular.
Why does 5+ take the genitive plural?
The construction is partitive in origin - 'five of the books.' Genitive historically marked a part of a larger quantity.
How do 11-14 behave?
Although they contain 1-4, they are whole words ending in -надцать and behave like all numbers from 5 up, triggering the genitive plural: одиннадцать книг.
Do I need to decline every part of compound numbers?
Yes. In oblique cases every element inflects: с двумя тысячами пятьюстами пятью студентами. This is rare in speech but expected in formal writing.
What case follows quantifiers like много, мало, несколько?
They take the genitive plural like numbers 5+: много книг, мало книг, несколько книг.
Is один the same as первый?
No. Один is the cardinal 'one'; первый is the ordinal 'first.' They cannot substitute for each other.
How do I say 'a few' in Russian?
Use несколько with the genitive plural: несколько книг (a few books).
