Klingon Numbers: How to Count in tlhIngan Hol

Klingon Numbers: How to Count in tlhIngan Hol

Quick Answer: Klingon numbers 1–10 are: wa', cha', wej, loS, vagh, jav, Soch, chorgh, Hut, wa'maH. The system is base-10 with multipliers: maH (10), vatlh (100), SaD / SanID (1,000), netlh (10,000), bIp (100,000). Numbers attach to multipliers without spaces. Pronunciation note: every trailing apostrophe is a glottal stop, not decoration. All forms documented in Marc Okrand's Klingon Dictionary and Klingon for the Galactic Traveler.

Numbers are among the first vocabulary sets any language learner tackles, and Klingon numbers reward early study. The system is regular and logical — once you know the base numbers and the combinatorial rules, you can express any number in tlhIngan Hol.

The Base Numbers (1–9)

Klingon uses a base-10 system. Here are the core number words:

Number	Klingon	Approximate Pronunciation
1	wa'	"wah" (with glottal stop)
2	cha'	"chah" (with glottal stop)
3	wej	"wezh"
4	loS	"loSh"
5	vagh	"vagh"
6	jav	"zhav"
7	Soch	"Sokh"
8	chorgh	"khorgh"
9	Hut	"khoot"

Note that wa' and cha' have glottal stops (the apostrophes) — don't swallow these sounds. The S in Soch is a retroflex consonant, and the H in Hut is that throaty sound from German Bach.

Tens and Larger Numbers

Klingon forms larger numbers by combining the root word maH (ten) with the base digits:

Number	Klingon	Breakdown
10	wa'maH	one-ten
20	cha'maH	two-ten
30	wejmaH	three-ten
47	loSmaH Soch	four-ten seven
99	HutmaH Hut	nine-ten nine

For hundreds, use vatlh; for thousands, use SaD or SanID; for millions, use 'uy'.

Unit	Klingon
100	wa'vatlh
1,000	wa'SaD
10,000	wa'maH SaD
1,000,000	wa''uy'

A complex number like 2,547 would be cha'SaD vaghvatlh loSmaH Soch — two-thousand five-hundred four-ten seven.

Numbers in Klingon Grammar

In Klingon, numbers function as nouns. When used to count objects, numbers typically precede the noun they quantify:

wej tlhIngan — "three Klingons" loS betleH — "four bat'leths"

Numbers don't force plural suffixes on nouns — the number itself makes the plurality clear. So you say wej tlhIngan, not wej tlhInganpu' (though the latter is technically acceptable for emphasis).

Ordinal Numbers

Klingon ordinals (first, second, third) are formed by adding -DIch to the number:

Ordinal	Klingon
First	wa'DIch
Second	cha'DIch
Third	wejDIch
Seventh	SochDIch

Ordinals follow the noun they modify: HoD wa'DIch — "the first captain."

Arithmetic in Klingon

Klingon has vocabulary for basic mathematical operations:

• boq — add (literally "ally with")
• chen — multiply (literally "take form")
• boqHa' — subtract (literally "dis-ally," using the -Ha' reversal suffix)
• HabmoH — divide

The use of boq (ally) for addition and boqHa' (un-ally) for subtraction reflects Klingon culture even in mathematics — numbers join forces or separate, like warriors.

Why Learn Klingon Numbers?

Beyond practical use in Klingon conversation, learning number systems in any language rewires how you think about quantity and order. Klingon's regular combinatorial system is also excellent practice for understanding how languages build complex words from simple roots — a skill that transfers to learning agglutinative natural languages like Turkish, Finnish, or Japanese.

Start learning Klingon numbers in context at learningelvish.com, with structured vocabulary exercises and full lesson paths.

People Also Ask

How do you say "zero" in Klingon? pagh — also doubles as the general word for "nothing." Notice the apostrophe is missing here; pagh is one of the few Klingon nouns without a glottal stop. pagh nuq? = "zero what?" can also be used to mean "nothing/anything" depending on context.

What's the largest Klingon number? Klingon has named units up to 'uy' (1,000,000) and bIp (100,000) with combinatorial rules that let you construct arbitrary larger numbers (e.g. 'uy' Hut = 9,000,000). Beyond a billion, the language switches to descriptive constructions ("countless," jaghla' — "many enemies") rather than precise numerals.

Are Klingon ordinal numbers different from cardinals? Yes — they get the suffix -DIch: wa'DIch (first), cha'DIch (second), wejDIch (third), etc. cha'DIch also has a specific cultural meaning: it's the title for the second-in-command of a Klingon Great House. Worf served as cha'DIch to Mogh's House.

How do Klingons say "a few" or "many"? puS (few), law' (many), Hoch (all/everything). These are quantifiers, not numbers, so they attach to nouns directly: targh puS (few targs), targh law' (many targs). For "a couple" or "some," Klingon prefers the cardinal numbers themselves — targh cha' (two targs) is more idiomatic than reaching for a vague quantifier.

Can I write Klingon numbers in pIqaD (the Klingon script)? Yes — pIqaD has its own numeric glyphs for 0–9 that work in base-10 just like Arabic numerals. The full glyph set is in Marc Okrand's Klingon Dictionary and is supported by the Unicode supplement (Private Use Area, U+F8D0 onwards). Most digital Klingon writing uses Latin transliteration for compatibility, but pIqaD numerals are canon-correct.

Why does Klingon use base-10 instead of something more "alien"? Marc Okrand chose base-10 for learnability — making the number system too alien would have made the language unusable for casual fans and TV writers. The "alien" feel of Klingon is concentrated in the consonants, OVS word order, and verb suffixes rather than in number-base. A pure conlang built without any TV pragmatism (like Ithkuil) would more likely use a non-decimal base.

Related Reading

• The Best App to Learn Klingon (And Why I Switched From Duolingo)
• How to Learn Klingon: The Complete 2026 Guide for Beginners
• How to Say 'I Love You' in Klingon (And Why It's Complicated)

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