Numbers in Buginese (1–20): Counting in the Bugis Language
Numbers are one of the most useful things to learn first in any language. Here is how to count in Buginese (Basa Ugi) from one to twenty. Note that romanised spellings can vary slightly between regions and writers; we use common forms here.
One to ten
The core numbers one through ten are the foundation — learn these first, because the higher numbers build on them:
- 1 — se'di (also seuwa)
- 2 — dua
- 3 — tellu
- 4 — eppa'
- 5 — lima
- 6 — enneng
- 7 — pitu
- 8 — aruwa
- 9 — asera
- 10 — seppulo
You may notice resemblances to other Austronesian languages — lima (five) and pitu (seven), for instance, echo words found across the family, a reminder of the deep kinship between these languages.
Eleven to twenty
The teens are formed from "ten" (seppulo) combined with the units, much as in English "-teen":
- 11 — seppulo se'di
- 12 — seppulo dua
- 13 — seppulo tellu
- 14 — seppulo eppa'
- 15 — seppulo lima
- 20 — duappulo (two-tens)
From twenty onward the pattern is regular: tens are formed by combining a unit with "-pulo," so tellu pulo is thirty, eppa' pulo is forty, and so on, with units added after.
Try writing them in Lontara
Once you know the words, try typing them into our transliteration tool to see how they look in the Lontara script. Remember that Lontara writes the sounds and omits syllable-final consonants, so the written form is a phonetic approximation. Counting aloud while reading the script is a great way to practise both at once.
Note: regional and spelling variations exist for some numbers. If you are a Bugis speaker and would suggest a correction, please get in touch.