I think I may have solved (or not!) the debate of whether the Vietnamese language is closer related to Cantonese Chinese or Mon-Khmer.
These are the Vietnamese numbers (correct me if I'm wrong native speakers):
1=nhẩt, 2=nhì, 3=tam, 4=tú’, 5=ngũ, 6=lục, 7=thất, 8=bát, 9=củ’u, 10=thập

Here are the romanized Cantonese numbers (correct me if I'm wrong):
1=yat, 2=yi6, 3=saam1, 4=sei3, 5=ng5, 6=luk6, 7=chat1, 8=baat3, 9=gau2, 10=sap6

Here is an attempt to romanize the Khmer numbers (correct me if I'm wrong):
1=muoi, 2=bi, 3=bai, 4=boeon, 5=brran, 6=braamuoi, 7=brrampi, 8=brrambai, 9=brramboeon
The Khmer number system is based on 5 and the digits stop at 9. Looks to me like Vietnamese much more resembles Cantonese than Khmer.
Anybody else have ideas?

That's very interesting. Good job

Thanks, Kulong!

Chinese numbers
1= 一 ,2=二 , 3=三, 4=四 , 5=五, 6=六, 7=七, 8=八, 9=九, 10=十
one = 壹, two=貳, three=參, four=肆, five=伍, six=陸, seven=柒, eight=捌, nine=玖, ten= 拾

that's sino-viet....

Sino-Viet. nhâ't nhi tam tú' ngu~ luc thâ't bát cu|'u thâp
Vietnamese môt hai ba bô'n nâm sáu ba|y tám chín mu'ò'i
Saigon mok. hay ba bóng nâm s,áw bây tám cín mï`y
Muong môc5 hal2 ba2 bôn3 tam2 khaw3 baj4 sam3 cin3 mu'o'l1

Cantonese numbers:
1=yat, 2=yi6, 3=saam1, 4=sei3, 5=ng5, 6=luk6, 7=chat1, 8=baat3, 9=gau2, 10=sap6

Khmer nubmers:

10=dop, 20=brrampei, 30=saam, 40=sei, 50=ha, 60=hulk, 70=chet, 80=baat, 90=gau, 100=marouy

Very interesting, Menikani!
Are you Khmer? (Don't have to answer if you don't want to)

Why would'nt I want to answer? Yes I am Khmer.

Here are the Thai numbers if you are intrested:

0=soon, 1=neung, 2=sorng, 3=sahm, 4=see, 5=hah, 6=hok, 7=jet, 8=bpairt, 9=gao, 10=sip

Thanks, Menikani! I am interested! Would you happen to know the Lao numbers too?


That's how I feel too but some people don't like to reveal their ethnicity.

Nope, I do not know the Laos number.

The digits for Thai and Lao numbers are almost identical so the pronunciations are probably quite similar.

Those are Chử Nôm numbers. Here are daily life Vietnamese numbers

1 = một
2 = hai
3 = ba
4 = bốn
5 = năm
6 = sáu
7 = bảy
8 = tám
9 = chín
10 = mười

Are the Chử-Nôm numbers ever used?

Vietnamese use their regular numbers in math, and other topics a lot. The Chu Nom numbers are used as well, even in regular convesation, but not a lot.

Shouldn't it be called Han-Viet numbers and not Chu Nom numbers? There are Chu Nom for native-Viet numbers: mo hai, ba... etc. too.

Korean also has two counting systems, Han-Korean and native-Korean. I'm not sure about Japanese but I wouldn't be surprise if they do too.

Oops, yah... Chu Nom are the native language. Sorry.

Sino-Japanese numbers:
ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, ku/kyū, jū
Native Japanese numbers:
hito, futa, mi, yon/yo, itsu, mui, nana/nano, yō, kokono, tō

You were right, Kulong!

These sound so........ "Cantonese"

Interesting infos.

Hmong numbers romanized (Hmong Green):
1=i, 2=aw, 3=bei, 4=blao, 5=ch'i, 6=jao, 7=hyan, 8=yi, 9=gyo, 10=(sorry! I forgot!)
I didn't use the Hmong writing system (don't know it) but rather phoenetically wrote the sounds.
I wonder, where do their numbers come from?

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