Counting to ten in Manipuri
One to ten, for prices, platforms, rooms and how many beers. Play the ten Manipuri words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Manipuri phrases in this lesson
- ꯑꯃa-MA
- One
- ꯑꯅꯤa-NI
- Two
- ꯑꯍꯨꯝa-HUM
- Three
- ꯃꯔꯤma-RI
- Four
- ꯃꯉꯥma-NGA
- Five
- ꯇꯔꯨꯛta-RUK
- Six
- ꯇꯔꯦꯠta-RET
- Seven
- ꯅꯤꯄꯥꯜni-PAL
- Eight
- ꯃꯥꯄꯜMA-pal
- Nine
- ꯇꯔꯥta-RA
- Ten
Numbers follow the noun in Meiteilon: ꯆꯥ ꯑꯃ (CHA a-MA) is one tea, literally tea one. This trips up English speakers more than the words themselves do.
ꯑꯅꯤ ꯄꯤꯕꯤꯌꯨ (a-NI pi-BI-yu), two please, is the whole sentence at a counter. Hold up two fingers with it and nothing else is needed.
Meitei Mayek carries numerals of its own, ꯱ ꯲ ꯳ ꯴ ꯵ ꯶ ꯷ ꯸ ꯹ ꯰ (1 to 9, then 0), and you will meet them on signboards and number plates in Imphal beside the Western digits.
One, two and three all open with ꯑ (a), four and five with ꯃ (ma): ꯑꯃ (a-MA), ꯑꯅꯤ (a-NI), ꯑꯍꯨꯝ (a-HUM), ꯃꯔꯤ (ma-RI), ꯃꯉꯥ (ma-NGA). Saying the five in a run is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
Six, seven and ten all begin with the same ꯇꯔ (ta-ra). The three of them are the ones learners mix up, so they are worth saying against each other rather than one at a time.
Eight and nine are usually explained as counting down from ten rather than up from seven: ꯅꯤꯄꯥꯜ (ni-PAL) carries the ꯅꯤ (ni) of two and ꯃꯥꯄꯜ (MA-pal) the ꯃ (ma) of one, each of them that far short of ꯇꯔꯥ (ta-RA).
Teens are built on it: eleven is ꯇꯔꯥꯃꯊꯣꯏ (ta-ra-ma-THOI). Twenty is ꯀꯨꯟ (KUN), a hundred is ꯆꯥꯃ (CHA-ma), and larger round numbers are often just said in English at market counters.