Maths

Number Names

Class 3

🎯 Learning Objectives

📖 Introduction

When Arjun's father writes a cheque for ₹2,450, he must write the amount in words: Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty. When we read a price tag at a shop, we see numbers like ₹375. But how do we say this number? Three Hundred Seventy-Five.

In Class 2, we learned number names up to 50. Now in Class 3, we will learn to write number names for numbers up to 9,999 (nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine). This is an important skill used in daily life — from reading bus numbers to understanding population figures!

Recap: Number Names 1 to 20

Let us quickly revise the number names from 1 to 20. These are the building blocks for all larger numbers:

Colourful chart showing number names from 1 to 20
NumberNameNumberNameNumberNameNumberName
1one6six11eleven16sixteen
2two7seven12twelve17seventeen
3three8eight13thirteen18eighteen
4four9nine14fourteen19nineteen
5five10ten15fifteen20twenty
Remember: Numbers 1–12 have unique names. Numbers 13–19 end in "-teen". These must be memorised!

Tens Names (Multiples of 10)

The tens names are the foundation for writing two-digit numbers:

NumberNameNumberName
10ten60sixty
20twenty70seventy
30thirty80eighty
40forty90ninety
50fifty100one hundred
Spelling alert! It is forty (NOT "fourty") and ninety (NOT "ninty"). These are common mistakes!

Number Names 21 to 99 (Two-Digit Numbers)

For numbers from 21 to 99, we follow a simple pattern:

Rule: Tens name + hyphen (-) + ones name

Examples:
21 = twenty-one    35 = thirty-five    48 = forty-eight
56 = fifty-six    63 = sixty-three    79 = seventy-nine
84 = eighty-four    92 = ninety-two    99 = ninety-nine

Important: Always use a hyphen (-) between the tens name and ones name for numbers 21 to 99. For example: twenty-one, not "twenty one".

Exception: Round tens (20, 30, 40... 90) are written as single words without a hyphen.

Step-by-step: Write the number name of 67
Step 1: Find the tens digit → 6 → sixty
Step 2: Find the ones digit → 7 → seven
Step 3: Combine with hyphen → sixty-seven
NumberNameNumberName
21twenty-one61sixty-one
33thirty-three72seventy-two
45forty-five85eighty-five
57fifty-seven99ninety-nine

Number Names for Hundreds (100 to 999)

Now let us learn to write three-digit numbers in words. The key word here is "hundred".

Pattern: [Ones name] Hundred [Tens-Ones name]

Examples of round hundreds:
100 = One Hundred    200 = Two Hundred    300 = Three Hundred
400 = Four Hundred    500 = Five Hundred    600 = Six Hundred
700 = Seven Hundred    800 = Eight Hundred    900 = Nine Hundred

For numbers that are not round hundreds:

Write the number name of 356:
Step 1: Hundreds digit = 3 → Three Hundred
Step 2: Remaining number = 56 → Fifty-Six
Step 3: Combine → Three Hundred Fifty-Six
Write the number name of 409:
Step 1: Hundreds digit = 4 → Four Hundred
Step 2: Tens digit = 0 (skip it)
Step 3: Ones digit = 9 → Nine
Step 4: Combine → Four Hundred Nine
Write the number name of 810:
Step 1: Hundreds digit = 8 → Eight Hundred
Step 2: Remaining = 10 → Ten
Step 3: Combine → Eight Hundred Ten
In the Indian system, we do NOT use "and" between hundred and the remaining number. We write "Three Hundred Fifty-Six" (not "Three Hundred and Fifty-Six"). The "and" is used in British English but not in Indian number writing.
NumberNumber Name
125One Hundred Twenty-Five
230Two Hundred Thirty
347Three Hundred Forty-Seven
502Five Hundred Two
618Six Hundred Eighteen
750Seven Hundred Fifty
999Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine

Number Names for Thousands (1,000 to 9,999)

The biggest numbers we will learn in Class 3 are four-digit numbers. The key word is "thousand".

Pattern: [Ones name] Thousand [Hundreds] [Tens-Ones]

Round thousands:
1,000 = One Thousand    2,000 = Two Thousand    3,000 = Three Thousand
4,000 = Four Thousand    5,000 = Five Thousand    6,000 = Six Thousand
7,000 = Seven Thousand    8,000 = Eight Thousand    9,000 = Nine Thousand

For numbers that are not round thousands:

Write the number name of 2,450:
Step 1: Thousands digit = 2 → Two Thousand
Step 2: Hundreds digit = 4 → Four Hundred
Step 3: Remaining = 50 → Fifty
Step 4: Combine → Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty
Write the number name of 7,036:
Step 1: Thousands digit = 7 → Seven Thousand
Step 2: Hundreds digit = 0 (skip "hundred")
Step 3: Remaining = 36 → Thirty-Six
Step 4: Combine → Seven Thousand Thirty-Six
Write the number name of 5,008:
Step 1: Thousands digit = 5 → Five Thousand
Step 2: Hundreds = 0, Tens = 0 (skip both)
Step 3: Ones = 8 → Eight
Step 4: Combine → Five Thousand Eight
NumberNumber Name
1,234One Thousand Two Hundred Thirty-Four
2,450Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty
3,007Three Thousand Seven
4,500Four Thousand Five Hundred
6,789Six Thousand Seven Hundred Eighty-Nine
8,100Eight Thousand One Hundred
9,999Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine

The Indian Number System — Place Values

In the Indian number system, we group digits from right to left as: Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands.

PlaceValueExample (in 3,572)
Ones12 (2 × 1 = 2)
Tens107 (7 × 10 = 70)
Hundreds1005 (5 × 100 = 500)
Thousands1,0003 (3 × 1,000 = 3,000)
Expanded form of 3,572:
3,572 = 3,000 + 500 + 70 + 2
= Three Thousand + Five Hundred + Seventy + Two
= Three Thousand Five Hundred Seventy-Two
The Indian system uses commas after the thousands place: 1,000 / 9,999. For numbers above 9,999 (which you will learn in Class 4), the next group is "ten thousand" and then "lakh".

Rules for Writing Number Names

Follow these important rules when writing numbers in words:

RuleExample
Use a hyphen (-) for numbers 21 to 99 (except round tens)twenty-one, thirty-five, ninety-nine
Do NOT use "and" in the Indian system✓ Five Hundred Twelve
✗ Five Hundred and Twelve
Capitalise the first letter when starting a sentenceThree hundred students attended the event.
Do not use commas in number names✓ Two Thousand Four Hundred
✗ Two Thousand, Four Hundred
Write "zero" only when the number is 0 itself0 = Zero, but 105 = One Hundred Five (not "One Hundred Zero Five")
Round numbers are single wordstwenty, thirty, hundred, thousand

Converting Words to Numbers

Sometimes we need to read a number name and write the numeral. Here is how:

Convert "Four Thousand Three Hundred Sixty-Two" to a number:
Step 1: Four Thousand = 4,000
Step 2: Three Hundred = 300
Step 3: Sixty-Two = 62
Step 4: Add them: 4,000 + 300 + 62 = 4,362
Convert "Six Thousand Nine" to a number:
Step 1: Six Thousand = 6,000
Step 2: Nine = 9
Step 3: Add: 6,000 + 9 = 6,009
Convert "Eight Hundred Forty" to a number:
Step 1: Eight Hundred = 800
Step 2: Forty = 40
Step 3: Add: 800 + 40 = 840

Number Names in Indian Daily Life

We use number names in many real-life situations in India:

Indian bank cheque with amount ₹2,450 written in words

1. Writing Cheques: When Meena's father writes a cheque for ₹2,450, he writes:

In figures: ₹2,450
In words: Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty Only

2. Price Tags: At a shop, a school bag costs ₹1,275. The shopkeeper writes:

Price: ₹1,275 → One Thousand Two Hundred Seventy-Five Rupees

3. Population Numbers: Ravi's village has a population of 3,856 people.

3,856 → Three Thousand Eight Hundred Fifty-Six

4. Distance: The distance from Delhi to Jaipur is about 281 km.

281 → Two Hundred Eighty-One kilometres

5. School Strength: Sita's school has 1,450 students.

1,450 → One Thousand Four Hundred Fifty students

📝 Key Words

WordMeaning
Number nameA number written in words (e.g., 45 = forty-five)
NumeralA number written in digits (e.g., forty-five = 45)
Hyphen (-)The small dash used between tens and ones (twenty-one)
Place valueThe value of a digit based on its position (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands)
Expanded formBreaking a number into place values (356 = 300 + 50 + 6)
Indian number systemThe system using ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, lakhs
HundredThe place value for the third digit from right (100–900)
ThousandThe place value for the fourth digit from right (1,000–9,000)
⭐ Key Points to Remember

Finished learning? Now test what you know!