Maths

Ordinal Numbers

Class 2

🎯 Learning Objectives

Learn ordinal numbers from first (1st) to twentieth (20th).
Use ordinal numbers to describe position in a line or race.
Write ordinal numbers using short forms (1st, 2nd, 3rd...).
Use ordinal numbers in daily life (days, months, floors).
Understand the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers.

📖 Let Us Begin!

It is Sports Day at school! Ravi, Meena, Sita, Arjun, and Priya are running a race. Ravi finishes first, Meena finishes second, Sita finishes third, Arjun finishes fourth, and Priya finishes fifth. We use ordinal numbers to tell the position or order of things. They answer the question: "Which one?"

Children in a race showing ordinal positions

Ordinal Numbers: First to Twentieth

Number	Ordinal Word	Short Form	Number	Ordinal Word	Short Form
1	First	1st	11	Eleventh	11th
2	Second	2nd	12	Twelfth	12th
3	Third	3rd	13	Thirteenth	13th
4	Fourth	4th	14	Fourteenth	14th
5	Fifth	5th	15	Fifteenth	15th
6	Sixth	6th	16	Sixteenth	16th
7	Seventh	7th	17	Seventeenth	17th
8	Eighth	8th	18	Eighteenth	18th
9	Ninth	9th	19	Nineteenth	19th
10	Tenth	10th	20	Twentieth	20th

Notice: First (1st), Second (2nd), and Third (3rd) are special. From Fourth (4th) onwards, we just add "th".

Ordinal Numbers vs Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal Numbers (How many?)	Ordinal Numbers (Which position?)
There are 5 children in the line.	Sita is the 3rd child in the line.
I have 12 crayons.	The red crayon is the 1st one.
There are 7 days in a week.	Wednesday is the 4th day.

Using Ordinal Numbers in Daily Life

In a race: Ravi came first (1st). He won the gold medal!
Months: January is the 1st month. March is the 3rd month. August is the 8th month.
Days: Monday is the 1st working day. Friday is the 5th working day.
Floors: Arjun lives on the 4th floor of his building.
Cricket: India batted first. The 3rd batsman scored a century!
Birthdays: My birthday is on the 15th of August (Independence Day!).

📝 Key Words

Word	Meaning
Ordinal number	A number that tells the position or order of something
Cardinal number	A number that tells how many (1, 2, 3...)
Position	Where something is in a line or sequence
First (1st)	The one that comes at the beginning
Last	The one that comes at the end
Order	The arrangement of things one after another

⭐ Key Points to Remember

Ordinal numbers tell us the position of something in a line.
First (1st), Second (2nd), and Third (3rd) are special ordinal words.
From 4th onwards, we add "th" to the number.
Short forms: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th... 10th... 20th.
Cardinal numbers tell "how many." Ordinal numbers tell "which one."
We use ordinal numbers for dates, floors, positions in races, and months.

Finished learning? Now test what you know!

🎯 Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Answer these questions right here. You get instant feedback — no paper needed!

Score: 0 / 8

1. Which ordinal number means "number 1" in a line?

The one at position 1 is "first" (1st).

2. What is the short form of "third"?

Third is written as 3rd.

3. In a race, the winner comes:

The winner finishes first (1st).

4. Which is the ordinal number for 5?

The ordinal for 5 is "fifth" (5th).

5. If you come just after the first person, what position are you in?

Just after first is second (2nd).

6. Write the ordinal number for 4 in words:

4 → fourth (4th).

7. Write "tenth" in short form (like 1st, 2nd):

Tenth is written 10th.

8. Ravi is standing between the second and fourth child in a line. What is his position?

Between second and fourth is third (3rd).

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks (10)

1. The ordinal number for 3 is .

2. The short form of "seventh" is .

3. Sita is in the line. (She is at position 5.)

4. January is the month of the year.

5. The ordinal number for 10 is .

6. March is the month of the year.

7. The short form of "twelfth" is .

8. Independence Day is on the of August.

9. The ordinal number after ninth is .

10. Sunday is the day of the week.

B. Choose the Correct Answer (MCQ - 5)

1. What is the short form of "fourth"?

a) 4ndb) 4thc) 4rd

2. Ravi is 2nd in the race. Which ordinal word is this?

a) Firstb) Secondc) Third

3. Which month is the 8th month of the year?

a) Julyb) Augustc) September

4. What comes after "fifth"?

a) Fourthb) Sixthc) Seventh

5. Republic Day (26 January) falls on the ___ day of the year.

a) 25thb) 26thc) 27th

C. Short Answer (5)

1. Write the ordinal numbers from 1st to 10th.

2. Five children are standing in a line: Ravi, Meena, Sita, Arjun, Priya. Who is standing third?

3. Write a sentence using the ordinal number "sixth".

4. What is the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers? Give one example.

5. Write the ordinal positions of the days of the week (Monday = 1st, etc.).

D. True or False (5)

1. "Third" is written as 3th in short form.

2. Ordinal numbers tell us the position of something.

3. December is the 11th month of the year.

4. The short form of "second" is 2nd.

5. "Twentieth" means position number 20.

E. Match the Following (5)

Column A	Column B
1. 1st	a) Ninth
2. 5th	b) First
3. 9th	c) Twelfth
4. 12th	d) Fifth
5. 20th	e) Twentieth

🎨 Activity: Race Day!

Draw 6 children running a race. Write their names (use Indian names like Ravi, Meena, Sita, Arjun, Priya, Kiran). Write the ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd...) next to each child to show their position. Write a sentence about who came first and who came last.

Want to review the lesson again?

Mathematics

Ordinal Numbers

Class 2 | CBSE / NCERT / ICSE

Name: Class: Date:

Learning Objectives

Learn ordinal numbers from first (1st) to twentieth (20th).
Use ordinal numbers to describe position in a line or race.
Write ordinal numbers using short forms.
Understand the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers.

Let Us Begin!

It is Sports Day! Ravi finishes first, Meena finishes second, Sita finishes third, Arjun finishes fourth, and Priya finishes fifth. We use ordinal numbers to tell the position or order of things. They answer: "Which one?"

Ordinal Numbers: First to Twentieth

No.	Word	Short	No.	Word	Short
1	First	1st	11	Eleventh	11th
2	Second	2nd	12	Twelfth	12th
3	Third	3rd	13	Thirteenth	13th
4	Fourth	4th	14	Fourteenth	14th
5	Fifth	5th	15	Fifteenth	15th
6	Sixth	6th	16	Sixteenth	16th
7	Seventh	7th	17	Seventeenth	17th
8	Eighth	8th	18	Eighteenth	18th
9	Ninth	9th	19	Nineteenth	19th
10	Tenth	10th	20	Twentieth	20th

First (1st), Second (2nd), Third (3rd) are special. From Fourth (4th) onwards, add "th".

Cardinal vs Ordinal Numbers

Cardinal (How many?)	Ordinal (Which position?)
There are 5 children.	Sita is the 3rd child.
There are 12 months.	March is the 3rd month.

Using Ordinal Numbers in Daily Life

Race: Ravi came 1st (gold medal!)
Months: January = 1st, August = 8th, December = 12th
Floors: Arjun lives on the 4th floor.
Cricket: The 3rd batsman scored a century!
Birthdays: Independence Day = 15th August.

⭐ Key Points to Remember

Ordinal numbers tell position in a line.
1st, 2nd, 3rd are special. From 4th, add "th".
Cardinal = how many. Ordinal = which one.
Used for dates, floors, races, and months.

A. Fill in the Blanks (10)

1. The ordinal number for 3 is .

2. The short form of "seventh" is .

3. Sita is in the line. (Position 5)

4. January is the month of the year.

5. The ordinal number for 10 is .

6. March is the month of the year.

7. The short form of "twelfth" is .

8. Independence Day is on the of August.

9. The ordinal number after ninth is .

10. Sunday is the day of the week.

B. Choose the Correct Answer (MCQ - 5)

1. What is the short form of "fourth"?

a) 4ndb) 4thc) 4rd

2. Ravi is 2nd in the race. Which ordinal word is this?

a) Firstb) Secondc) Third

3. Which month is the 8th month?

a) Julyb) Augustc) September

4. What comes after "fifth"?

a) Fourthb) Sixthc) Seventh

5. Republic Day (26 Jan) falls on the ___ day of the year.

a) 25thb) 26thc) 27th

C. Short Answer (5)

1. Write the ordinal numbers from 1st to 10th.

2. Five children: Ravi, Meena, Sita, Arjun, Priya. Who is standing third?

3. Write a sentence using the ordinal number "sixth".

4. What is the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers?

5. Write the ordinal positions of the days of the week.

D. True or False (5)

1. "Third" is written as 3th in short form.

2. Ordinal numbers tell us the position of something.

3. December is the 11th month of the year.

4. The short form of "second" is 2nd.

5. "Twentieth" means position number 20.

E. Match the Following (5)

Column A	Column B
1. 1st	a) Ninth
2. 5th	b) First
3. 9th	c) Twelfth
4. 12th	d) Fifth
5. 20th	e) Twentieth

Activity: Race Day!

Six children ran a race. Write their positions:

Ravi finished at position 1. He came .

Meena finished at position 3. She came .

Arjun finished at position 6. He came .

Sita finished at position 2. She came .

Priya finished at position 5. She came .

Write a sentence about who came first:

You are viewing the worksheet layout. Click Print to save as PDF or print on A4 paper.