Learning how to count in Hebrew is an essential step in your language journey.

Hebrew numbers are unique because they change depending on the gender of the noun you’re counting.

This means you need to learn both the feminine and masculine forms for each number.

This guide will show you exactly how to count in Hebrew and use the correct genders in everyday situations.

The rules of Hebrew number genders

In English, the number “three” stays the exact same whether you’re counting boys, girls, or apples.

Hebrew numbers require you to pay close attention to the gender of the noun you’re describing.

The most important rule to remember is that feminine numbers are the default in Hebrew.

When you’re counting abstractly, like reciting a phone number or doing a math problem, you always use the feminine form.

When you’re counting specific objects, you must match the number to the noun’s gender.

You’ll use feminine numbers for feminine nouns and masculine numbers for masculine nouns.

However, there’s a very common trick that confuses many beginners.

In Hebrew grammar, words that end in an “ah” (ה) sound are almost always feminine.

With Hebrew numbers from 3 to 10, this rule is completely flipped upside down.

The masculine numbers are actually the ones that end in the “ah” (ה) sound.

The feminine numbers have a shorter, more abrupt ending.

You simply have to memorize this reversal when learning the counting system.

Counting from 1 to 10 in Hebrew

Here’s a complete list of the numbers from one to ten in both their feminine and masculine forms.

Remember to use the feminine column when you’re just counting out loud.

One important detail to note is how the number 2 behaves when placed directly before a noun.

Instead of saying shtayim (f) or shnayim (m), the ending drops off.

You’ll say shtey for feminine nouns and shney for masculine nouns.

Examples of using numbers in sentences

To make this concept clearer, let’s look at how these numbers behave in real sentences.

The word for “dogs” (klavim) is masculine in Hebrew.

Because of this, we must use the masculine form of the number three (shlosha).

The word for “sisters” (achayot) is feminine.

This means we must use the feminine form of the number two directly before the noun (shtey).

Here’s an example using the number one, which always follows the noun it describes.

Counting from 11 to 20 in Hebrew

Once you know the numbers 1 through 10, the teens follow a very predictable pattern.

You simply combine the single digit with the word for ten.

For feminine numbers, you add esre (עשרה) to the end of the base number.

For masculine numbers, you add asar (עשר) to the end of the base number.

Notice that the number 20 (esrim) is the exact same for both masculine and feminine nouns.

Counting by tens in Hebrew

The great news about counting past 20 is that the gender rules become much easier.

From 20 onwards, the tens don’t have separate masculine and feminine forms.

You just use the exact same word regardless of what you’re counting.

Most of the tens are formed by taking the base number and adding the plural masculine suffix im (ים).

If you want to say a number like 21 or 35, you simply say the tens word followed by the single digit.

You’ll connect them using the word “and” (ve).

You still need to match the single digit to the gender of the noun.

For example, 23 girls would be esrim ve-shalosh banot.

23 boys would be esrim ve-shlosha banim.