Chinese numerals

Chinese and Arabic numerals may coexist, as on this kilometer marker: 1,620 km (1,010 mi) on highway G209 (G二〇九), where "209" appears in positional notation as "二〇九", rather than the more common "二百九"

Chinese numerals are words and characters used to denote numbers in written Chinese. Speakers of Chinese languages use three written numeral systems: the international system of Arabic numerals, and two indigenous systems ('small writing' 小写, and 'big writing' 大写).

The more familiar indigenous system is based on Chinese characters that correspond to numerals in the spoken language. These may be shared with other languages of the Chinese cultural sphere such as Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese. Most people and institutions in China primarily use the Arabic or mixed Arabic-Chinese systems for convenience, with traditional Chinese numerals used in finance, mainly for writing amounts on cheques, banknotes, some ceremonial occasions, some boxes, and on commercials.

The other indigenous system consists of the Suzhou numerals, or huama, a positional system, the only surviving form of the rod numerals. These were once used by Chinese mathematicians, and later by merchants in Chinese markets, such as those in Hong Kong until the 1990s, but were gradually supplanted by Arabic numerals.