Greek Numbers: What They Are and When You'll Actually Use Them

You’re standing at a market stall in Athens. The sign says 3,50€ per kilo. The vendor holds up three fingers and says something. You smile, but you have no idea what he said.

Most guides to Greek numbers give you a reference table: one through one thousand, with a pronunciation column. Useful to have, but not useful for hearing a price read back at the till, or knowing how to ask for a table for four.

This guide covers both. The numbers themselves, and the moments where you’ll need them.

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What are the Greek numbers 1 to 10?

Greek uses the same numerals as English (1, 2, 3…) so you’ll recognise digits on price tags and menus right away. The challenge is with how they’re spoken, so you’ll want to know how to say them and how to understand them when they’re spoken.

The numbers one to ten in Greek:

Number	Greek	Romanisation
1	ένα	ena
2	δύο	dio
3	τρία	tria
4	τέσσερα	tessera
5	πέντε	pente
6	έξι	exi
7	εφτά	efta
8	οχτώ	ochto
9	εννιά	ennia
10	δέκα	deka

One pronunciation note: δ romanises as “d” but sounds like the “th” in “this”. So δύο is closer to “thee-oh” and δέκα closer to “the-ka”. Greeks will understand you regardless, but it’s useful to know when you start hearing native speech.

You may see seven, eight, and nine written as επτά, οκτώ, and εννέα in older textbooks or official signage. Those are the formal variants but everyday speech uses εφτά, οχτώ, and εννιά, which is what this guide uses throughout.

Cultural note: Counting on your hand is fine in Greece, with one exception. Holding out your palm with five fingers spread, the gesture most English speakers use for “five” or “stop”, is the μούτζα (moutza), one of the most offensive gestures in Greek culture. If you need to show the number five, use a different hand position, or simply say πέντε.

If you’re still getting to grips with the Greek script, the introduction to the Greek alphabet is a good starting point before working through numbers.

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How do you count from 11 to 20 in Greek?

Eleven and twelve don’t follow a pattern. You just have to learn them:

• 11: έντεκα (enteka)
• 12: δώδεκα (dodeka)

A useful hook for δώδεκα: it shares a root with “dodecagon”, the twelve-sided shape.

From 13 onwards, everything becomes logical. Just prefix δεκα- (ten) and add the unit:

Number	Greek	Romanisation
13	δεκατρία	dekatria
14	δεκατέσσερα	dekatessera
15	δεκαπέντε	dekapente
16	δεκαέξι	dekaexi
17	δεκαεφτά	dekaefta
18	δεκαοχτώ	dekaochto
19	δεκαεννιά	dekaennia
20	είκοσι	eikosi

So when you see a price tag reading δεκαπέντε ευρώ, that’s fifteen euros. Once you’ve got 1–10 down, the rest will follow.

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Tens and hundreds

From 20 upwards, the logic is compounds: say the tens, then the units.

Number	Greek	Romanisation
20	είκοσι	eikosi
30	τριάντα	trianta
40	σαράντα	saranta
50	πενήντα	peninta
60	εξήντα	exinta
70	εβδομήντα	evdominta
80	ογδόντα	ogdonta
90	ενενήντα	eneninta
100	εκατό	ekato

22 is είκοσι δύο (eikosi dio). 35 is τριάντα πέντε (trianta pente). Start with the tens first, then add units just like English.

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Greek numbers at the taverna

Three situations in one evening where your numbers earn their keep.

Asking for a table. The phrase θέλω ένα τραπέζι για… (thelo ena trapezi gia, “I’d like a table for…”) takes a number plus άτομα (atoma, “people”). Four people: τέσσερα άτομα (tessera atoma). Six: έξι άτομα (exi atoma).

Reading the bill. The total is σύνολο (sinolo). If the bill shows σύνολο: 47€, that’s your number. To ask the waiter directly: πόσο κάνει συνολικά; (poso kanei sinolikà, “how much is it in total?“)

Tipping. Greeks don’t calculate a percentage. The norm is to round up to a convenient number. A €27 meal becomes €30. You tell the server to keep the change: κρατήστε τα ρέστα (kratiste ta resta).

For the full dinner experience, from sitting down to flagging the waiter to handling that bread that appeared without anyone ordering it, the taverna ordering guide covers it all.

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Asking the price at markets and shops

The phrase to use is πόσο κάνει; (poso kanei, “how much does it cost?”). That’s the everyday version. You’ll hear the more formal πόσο κοστίζει (poso kostizei) in shops, but at a market stall, κάνει is what Greeks actually say.

Now for a small but real complication.

The numbers 1, 3, and 4 change their endings depending on the gender of the noun they’re describing. Greek nouns are masculine, feminine, or neuter, and these three numbers agree with whichever noun they’re attached to:

English	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
one	ένας	μία	ένα
three	τρεις	τρεις	τρία
four	τέσσερις	τέσσερις	τέσσερα

In practice: ένας καφές (one coffee, masculine), μία μπύρα (one beer, feminine), ένα κρασί (one wine, neuter). You don’t need to memorise every noun’s gender right now but knowing this pattern explains why you’ll hear different endings and stops it from feeling random.

Numbers 2 and 5–10 don’t change at all. δύο is δύο regardless of what it’s describing.

Here’s a quick exercise to check what’s landed:

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Telling the time

Checking how long until the ferry, confirming a restaurant reservation, or asking when a site closes uses the same numbers.

Τι ώρα είναι; (ti ora einai, “What time is it?“)

Είναι τρεις η ώρα. (einai treis i ora, “It’s three o’clock.“)

The pattern: είναι (“it is”) + the hour + η ώρα. The hour uses the feminine form because ώρα (“hour”) is a feminine noun. So it’s τρεις η ώρα, not τρία η ώρα. The same agreement rule as with nouns above, applied to time.

For “at” a specific hour: θα έρθω στις τρεις (tha ertho stis treis, “I’ll be there at three”).

Greek has full half-past and quarter-past forms too, but for a reservation or a bus departure, the hour gets you there.

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Phone numbers

Greeks typically read phone numbers out in pairs: 69 43 28 10 becomes “sixty-nine, forty-three, twenty-eight, ten”. If someone reads theirs out and you only catch half of it, this is a perfectly normal thing to say:

μπορείτε να μου το πείτε πιο αργά; (mborite na mou to peite pio arga, “Can you say it more slowly?“)

They will. Nobody will make you feel bad for asking. Greek speakers are well used to non-native confusion around numbers, and most appreciate that you’re trying at all.

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Put everything you’ve learned to the test

Listen to each phrase and pick the correct translation.

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FAQ

How do you count from one to ten in Greek?

The numbers one to ten are ένα (ena), δύο (dio), τρία (tria), τέσσερα (tessera), πέντε (pente), έξι (exi), εφτά (efta), οχτώ (ochto), εννιά (ennia), and δέκα (deka). The digits themselves look the same as in English on price tags and menus, so the work is in saying them and recognising them when they’re spoken.

Do Greek numbers change depending on gender?

Three of them do. One, three, and four agree with the gender of the noun they describe: ένας/μία/ένα (one), τρεις/τρεις/τρία (three), and τέσσερις/τέσσερις/τέσσερα (four). So it’s ένας καφές (one coffee) but μία μπύρα (one beer). The rest, including δύο and everything from five to ten, never change.

How do you ask how much something costs in Greek?

Say πόσο κάνει; (poso kanei), “how much does it cost?“. That’s the everyday phrase for markets and stalls. Shops sometimes use the more formal πόσο κοστίζει (poso kostizei), but κάνει is what you’ll hear most.

What is the difference between εφτά and επτά?

They are the same number, seven. εφτά (efta), οχτώ (ochto), and εννιά (ennia) are the everyday spoken forms; επτά, οκτώ, and εννέα are the formal variants you’ll see on official signage and in older textbooks. Learn the spoken forms first.

Why shouldn’t you hold up five spread fingers to mean “five” in Greece?

An open palm with the fingers spread is the μούτζα (moutza), one of the most offensive gestures in Greek culture. To show five, use a different hand shape or simply say πέντε (pente).