LingoflyNumbers and counting in Ukrainian
10 words in Ukrainian on the topic “numbers and counting”: один (odyn) — one, два (dva) — two, три (try) — three, чотири (chotyry) — four.
10 words on the topic
- одинodynoneAgrees with its noun's gender: odyn chay "one tea", odna kava "one coffee", odne moloko "one milk". Three shapes to keep straight.
- дваdvatwoAfter dva the noun takes a special two-shape: dva braty, "two brothers". Feminine nouns switch the number too: dvi kavy, "two coffees".
- триtrythreeNouns after try take the same shape as after dva: try khvylyny, "three minutes". From five upward the shape changes again.
- чотириchotyryfourNothing in the sound hints at "four" — it simply has to be memorized. Nouns after it behave as after dva and try.
- пʼятьpiatfiveThe apostrophe marks a small y-glide: p-yat. From five on, nouns take a special plural form: piat khvylyn, "five minutes".
- шістьshistsixSaid "shyst" — that tight i-vowel again. After it the noun form is hryven, exactly as after piat.
- сімsimsevenOne letter away from simya, "family" — the apostrophe decides which word you are hearing. Both are worth knowing cold.
- вісімvisimeightSaid "visim". Ignore any urge to hear vesna, "spring", inside — the words are unrelated neighbors.
- девʼятьdeviatnineThe apostrophe again between v and a: dev-yat. The ordinal "ninth" is devyatiy — same apostrophe, new tail.
- десятьdesiattenReads exactly as spelled, no tricks. A round number — after it you count in tens, and the noun form is the after-five one.
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
один (odyn) — one. Agrees with its noun's gender: odyn chay "one tea", odna kava "one coffee", odne moloko "one milk". Three shapes to keep straight.
два (dva) — two. After dva the noun takes a special two-shape: dva braty, "two brothers". Feminine nouns switch the number too: dvi kavy, "two coffees".
три (try) — three. Nouns after try take the same shape as after dva: try khvylyny, "three minutes". From five upward the shape changes again.
чотири (chotyry) — four. Nothing in the sound hints at "four" — it simply has to be memorized. Nouns after it behave as after dva and try.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “one” in Ukrainian?
Agrees with its noun's gender: odyn chay "one tea", odna kava "one coffee", odne moloko "one milk". Three shapes to keep straight.
- How do you say “eight” in Ukrainian?
Said "visim". Ignore any urge to hear vesna, "spring", inside — the words are unrelated neighbors.
- How do you say “five” in Ukrainian?
The apostrophe marks a small y-glide: p-yat. From five on, nouns take a special plural form: piat khvylyn, "five minutes".
- How do you say “two” in Ukrainian?
After dva the noun takes a special two-shape: dva braty, "two brothers". Feminine nouns switch the number too: dvi kavy, "two coffees".
- How do you say “nine” in Ukrainian?
The apostrophe again between v and a: dev-yat. The ordinal "ninth" is devyatiy — same apostrophe, new tail.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
A price, the change, a house number, the time you agreed on, the floor. Numbers are the first thing you have to catch by ear — and the first thing people say fast.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “one” in Ukrainian?
«один» (odyn), read “odyn”. Agrees with its noun's gender: odyn chay "one tea", odna kava "one coffee", odne moloko "one milk". Three shapes to keep straight. It is one of 10 words in the set “numbers and counting” — the rest are in the table above.
How many numbers do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 10 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.