Danish numbers have a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most unusual and challenging number systems in any European language. While English numbers follow a predictable pattern ("twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three"), Danish numbers in the tens and larger values are based on a vigesimal (base-20) system inherited from Old Norse — a system that has bewildered language learners and linguists alike. Even native Danes occasionally joke about their number system. But behind its apparent eccentricity lies a consistent internal logic. This guide explains Danish numbers from zero to billions, including ordinals, fractions, and practical usage in everyday contexts.
Basic Numbers 0–10
These are the foundational numbers. Learn them first — they form the building blocks for everything else.
- 0 — nul — nool
- 1 — én / et — ehn / et
- 2 — to — toh
- 3 — tre — treh
- 4 — fire — fee-reh
- 5 — fem — fehm
- 6 — seks — sehs
- 7 — syv — süw (rounded front vowel + v)
- 8 — otte — oh-deh
- 9 — ni — nee
- 10 — ti — tee
Note on 1: Danish has two forms — én (stressed, used in counting and emphasis) and et (unstressed, used with neuter nouns: et barn — one child). The common gender form is en: en hund — one dog.
Numbers 11–20
- 11 — elleve
- 12 — tolv
- 13 — tretten
- 14 — fjorten
- 15 — femten
- 16 — seksten
- 17 — sytten
- 18 — atten
- 19 — nitten
- 20 — tyve
13–19 follow the English "-teen" pattern (-ten in Danish), though the forms are contracted: tretten (not tre-ten), fjorten (not fire-ten).
The Tens: 20–90 and the Vigesimal System
Here is where Danish numbers become truly distinctive. From 50 onwards, Danish uses a base-20 (vigesimal) system that calculates numbers in relation to multiples of 20.
20 to 40: Simple Tens
- 20 — tyve — twenty
- 30 — tredive — thirty
- 40 — fyrre — forty
These three are straightforward, though tredive and fyrre look quite different from their component parts.
50: The Vigesimal System Begins
- 50 — halvtreds — half of [the] third [score]
- 60 — tres — three [score] = 3 × 20
- 70 — halvfjerds — half of [the] fourth [score]
- 80 — firs — four [score] = 4 × 20
- 90 — halvfems — half of [the] fifth [score]
Let's unpack this logic:
60 = tres = tre snes = three twenties = 3 × 20 = 60 ✓
80 = firs = fire snes = four twenties = 4 × 20 = 80 ✓
50 = halvtreds = literally "half of the third [twenty]" The "third twenty" would be 60. Half of the way from 40 to 60 = 40 + 10 = 50. ✓
70 = halvfjerds = literally "half of the fourth [twenty]" The "fourth twenty" would be 80. Half of the way from 60 to 80 = 60 + 10 = 70. ✓
90 = halvfems = literally "half of the fifth [twenty]" The "fifth twenty" would be 100. Half of the way from 80 to 100 = 80 + 10 = 90. ✓
This system is ancient, preserved in Danish when the other Scandinavian languages moved to a base-10 system. Swedish says femtio (fifty), sextio (sixty), sjuttio (seventy), åttio (eighty), nittio (ninety) — all clearly base-10. Danish kept the old Norse vigesimal logic.
In everyday Danish speech, these numbers are used naturally and without hesitation — it only seems strange to outsiders.
Numbers 21–99: Compounds with "og"
Danish combines tens and units using og (and), with the unit said before the ten (unlike English):
- 21 = enogtyve (one-and-twenty)
- 34 = fireogtredive (four-and-thirty)
- 57 = syvoghavtreds (seven-and-fifty)
- 63 = treogtres (three-and-sixty)
- 78 = otteoghalvfjerds (eight-and-seventy)
- 85 = femogfirs (five-and-eighty)
- 96 = seksoghalvfems (six-and-ninety)
This reversal (unit before ten) is shared with German (einundzwanzig = one-and-twenty). English used to work this way too — "four-and-twenty blackbirds" in the old nursery rhyme.
These compounds are often written as one word or with hyphens in older texts, but modern Danish usage is flexible.
100, 1000, and Beyond
- 100 — hundrede
- 200 — to hundrede
- 500 — fem hundrede
- 1,000 — tusind (or tusinde)
- 2,000 — to tusind
- 10,000 — ti tusind
- 100,000 — hundrede tusind
- 1,000,000 — en million
- 1,000,000,000 — en milliard
Note: Danish uses milliard for 1,000,000,000 (what English calls "one billion"). The Danish billion = English trillion.
Examples:
- 101 = hundrede og én (hundred and one)
- 250 = to hundrede og halvtreds (two hundred and fifty)
- 1,985 = et tusind ni hundrede og femogfirs
- 3,000,000 = tre millioner
Practical Numbers: Telling Time
Danish uses a half-past system based around the upcoming hour, which surprises English speakers:
- 1:00 = klokken et (one o'clock)
- 1:30 = halv to — literally "half two" = half an hour before two o'clock
- 2:30 = halv tre — half an hour before three
- 3:15 = kvart over tre — quarter past three
- 3:45 = kvart i fire — quarter to four
- 4:10 = ti over fire — ten past four
- 4:50 = ti i fem — ten to five
The key to the half system: Danish counts forward to the next hour. "Half two" (halv to) means "halfway to two" = 1:30. This is the same system used in Swedish and Norwegian.
For digital/formal time, a 24-hour format is common:
- Toget afgår klokken fjorten og tredive. — The train departs at 14:30.
Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers (first, second, third...) are formed with the suffix -te or -de for most numbers, and some common irregulars:
- en — første — first
- to — anden/andet — second
- tre — tredje — third
- fire — fjerde — fourth
- fem — femte — fifth
- seks — sjette — sixth
- syv — syvende — seventh
- otte — ottende — eighth
- ni — niende — ninth
- ti — tiende — tenth
- elleve — elvte — eleventh
- tolv — tolvte — twelfth
- tyve — tyvende — twentieth
- hundrede — hundredede — hundredth
Gender agreement of ordinals:
Ordinals agree with the noun they modify:
- den første dag — the first day (common gender)
- det første år — the first year (neuter gender)
- anden mand — the second man (masculine, common)
- andet barn — the second child (neuter)
From "third" onwards, the ordinal takes -e in the definite form:
- den tredje gang — the third time
- det fjerde kapitel — the fourth chapter
Fractions and Mathematical Expressions
- ½ — en halv
- ⅓ — en tredjedel
- ¼ — en fjerdedel
- ¾ — tre fjerdedele
- 2.5 — to komma fem
- % — procent
- + — plus
- − — minus
- × — gange
- ÷ — divideret med
- = — er lig med / er
- To plus tre er fem. — Two plus three is five.
- Halvdelen af ti er fem. — Half of ten is five.
- Femoghalvfjerds procent — Seventy-five percent (note the vigesimal form for 75)
Numbers in Context: Prices, Dates, and Addresses
Prices
Danish currency is the krone (kr), plural kroner.
- Det koster femogtyve kroner. — It costs twenty-five kroner.
- Prisen er to hundrede og halvtreds kroner. — The price is two hundred and fifty kroner.
- Det er gratis. — It's free.
Dates
Danish dates are written day. month. year and read as ordinals for the day:
- den første januar — the first of January (1. januar)
- den femte marts — the fifth of March
- den tyvende august — the twentieth of August
- den treogtyvendte december — the twenty-third of December
Months are not capitalised in Danish: januar, februar, marts, april, maj, juni, juli, august, september, oktober, november, december
Phone Numbers
Danish phone numbers are typically read in pairs:
- 23 45 67 89 → treogtyve, femogfyrre, syvogtres, niogfirs
This is standard practice in Denmark and worth knowing for everyday situations.
Years
Years are read as hundreds in Danish:
- 1990 = nitten hundrede og halvfems
- 2000 = to tusind
- 2024 = to tusind og fireogtyve
- 1847 = atten hundrede og syvoghvyrre → atten hundrede og syvoghyrre — hmm, let's be precise: atten hundrede og syv og fyrre
Tips for Learning Danish Numbers
Learn 1–20 and the tens separately. Once you have 1–20 and know tyve, tredive, fyrre, halvtreds, tres, halvfjerds, firs, halvfems, you can combine them with the og + unit pattern to produce any number up to 99.
Embrace the vigesimal logic. Rather than fighting it, understand the system: halvtreds = half-third-twenty = 50. Once the logic clicks, the forms feel much less arbitrary.
Practise phone numbers and prices out loud. These are the most frequent real-world uses of large numbers. Practising them in context (ordering in a shop, reading a phone number) builds fluency faster than abstract drilling.
Watch Danish TV for number exposure. News broadcasts regularly include prices, statistics, and dates — all rich ground for hearing numbers in natural context.
Danish numbers are genuinely one of the most unusual number systems in Europe, but they are also one of Denmark's most charming linguistic curiosities. Mastering them sets you apart as a serious learner and opens up a deeper appreciation of the language's history. Held og lykke!