For those of you who want to expand your counting horizons, here's some examples of base 20 (check out the post, "Counting on Fingers and Polished Little Toes" for why you might care.)
Examples in Mesoamerican languages
[edit]Powers of twenty in Yucatec Maya and Nahuatl
| Powers of Twenty in Yucatec Maya and Nahuatl | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | English | Maya | Nahuatl (modern orthography) | Classical Nahuatl | Nahuatl root | Aztec pictogram | |||
| 1 | One | Hun | Se | Ce | Ce | ||||
| 20 | Twenty | K'áal | Sempouali | Cempohualli (Cempoalli) | Pohualli | ||||
| 400 | Four hundred | Bak | Sentzontli | Centzontli | Tzontli | ||||
| 8000 | Eight thousand | Pic | Senxikipili | Cenxiquipilli | Xiquipilli | ||||
| 160.000 | One hundred sixty thousand | Calab | Sempoualxikipili | Cempohualxiquipilli | Pohualxiquipilli | ||||
| 3.200.000 | Three million two hundred thousand | Kinchil | Sentzonxikipili | Centzonxiquipilli | Tzonxiquipilli | ||||
| 64.000.000 | Sixty-four million | Alau | Sempoualtzonxikipili | Cempohualtzonxiquipilli | Pohualtzonxiquipilli | ||||
[edit]Counting in units of twenty
This table shows the Maya numerals and the number names in Yucatec Maya, Nahuatl in modern orthography and in Classical Nahuatl.
| From one to ten (1 - 10) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (one) | 2 (two) | 3 (three) | 4 (four) | 5 (five) | 6 (six) | 7 (seven) | 8 (eight) | 9 (nine) | 10 (ten) |
| Hun | Ka'ah | Óox | Kan | Ho' | Wak | Uk | Waxak | Bolon | Lahun |
| Se | Ome | Yeyi | Naui | Makuili | Chikuasen | Chikome | Chikueyi | Chiknaui | Majtlaktli |
| Ce | Ome | Yei | Nahui | Macuilli | Chicuace | Chicome | Chicuei | Chicnahui | Matlactli |
| From eleven to twenty (11 - 20) | |||||||||
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Buluk | Lahka'a | Óox lahun | Kan lahun | Ho' lahun | Wak lahun | Uk lahun | Waxak lahun | Bolon lahun | Hun k'áal |
| Majtlaktli onse | Majtlaktli omome | Majtlaktli omeyi | Majtlaktli onnaui | Kaxtoli | Kaxtoli onse | Kaxtoli omome | Kaxtoli omeyi | Kaxtoli onnaui | Sempouali |
| Matlactli huan ce | Matlactli huan ome | Matlactli huan yei | Matlactli huan nahui | Caxtolli | Caxtolli huan ce | Caxtolli huan ome | Caxtolli huan yei | Caxtolli huan nahui | Cempohualli |
| From twenty-one to thirty (11 - 30) | |||||||||
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Hump'éel katak hun k'áal | Ka'ah katak hun k'áal | Óox katak hun k'áal | Kan katak hun k'áal | Ho' katak hun k'áal | Wak katak hun k'áal | Uk katak hun k'áal | Waxak katak hun k'áal | Bolon katak hun k'áal | Lahun katak hun k'áal |
| Sempouali onse | Sempouali omome | Sempouali omeyi | Sempouali onnaui | Sempouali ommakuili | Sempouali onchikuasen | Sempouali onchikome | Sempouali onchikueyi | Sempouali onchiknaui | Sempouali ommajtlaktli |
| Cempohualli huan ce | Cempohualli huan ome | Cempohualli huan yei | Cempohualli huan nahui | Cempohualli huan macuilli | Cempohualli huan chicuace | Cempohualli huan chicome | Cempohualli huan chicuei | Cempohualli huan chicnahui | Cempohualli huan matlactli |
| From thirty-one to forty (31 - 40) | |||||||||
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| Buluk katak hun k'áal | Lahka'a katak hun k'áal | Óox lahun katak hun k'áal | Kan lahun katak hun k'áal | Ho' lahun katak hun k'áal | Wak lahun katak hun k'áal | Uk lahun katak hun k'áal | Waxak lahun katak hun k'áal | Bolon lahun katak hun k'áal | Ka' k'áal |
| Sempouali ommajtlaktli onse | Sempouali ommajtlaktli omome | Sempouali ommajtlaktli omeyi | Sempouali ommajtlaktli onnaui | Sempouali onkaxtoli | Sempouali onkaxtoli onse | Sempouali onkaxtoli omome | Sempouali onkaxtoli omeyi | Sempouali onkaxtoli onnaui | Ompouali |
| Cempohualli huan matlactli huan ce | Cempohualli huan matlactli huan ome | Cempohualli huan matlactli huan yei | Cempohualli huan matlactli huan nahui | Cempohualli huan caxtolli | Cempohualli huan caxtolli huan ce | Cempohualli huan caxtolli huan ome | Cempohualli huan caxtolli huan yei | Cempohualli huan caxtolli huan nahui | Ompohualli |
| From twenty to two hundred in steps of twenty (20 - 200) | |||||||||
| 20 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 |
| Hun k'áal | Ka' k'áal | Óox k'áal | Kan k'áal | Ho' k'áal | Wak k'áal | Uk k'áal | Waxak k'áal | Bolon k'áal | Lahun k'áal |
| Sempouali | Ompouali | Yepouali | Naupouali | Makuilpouali | Chikuasempouali | Chikompouali | Chikuepouali | Chiknaupouali | Majtlakpouali |
| Cempohualli | Ompohualli | Yeipohualli | Nauhpohualli | Macuilpohualli | Chicuacepohualli | Chicomepohualli | Chicueipohualli | Chicnahuipohualli | Matlacpohualli |
| From two hundred twenty to four hundred in steps of twenty (220 - 400) | |||||||||
| 220 | 240 | 260 | 280 | 300 | 320 | 340 | 360 | 380 | 400 |
| Buluk k'áal | Lahka'a k'áal | Óox lahun k'áal | Kan lahun k'áal | Ho' lahun k'áal | Wak lahun k'áal | Uk lahun k'áal | Waxak lahun k'áal | Bolon lahun k'áal | Hun bak |
| Majtlaktli onse pouali | Majtlaktli omome pouali | Majtlaktli omeyi pouali | Majtlaktli onnaui pouali | Kaxtolpouali | Kaxtolli onse pouali | Kaxtolli omome pouali | Kaxtolli omeyi pouali | Kaxtolli onnaui pouali | Sentsontli |
| Matlactli huan ce pohualli | Matlactli huan ome pohualli | Matlactli huan yei pohualli | Matlactli huan nahui pohualli | Caxtolpohualli | Caxtolli huan ce pohualli | Caxtolli huan ome pohualli | Caxtolli huan yei pohualli | Caxtolli huan nahui pohualli | Centzontli |