Decimals (三点一四) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

A decimal in Chinese is built around one small word: 点 (diǎn), literally "point / dot" — the same 点 you meet in two o'clock (两点). The logic is refreshingly close to English. You read the whole-number part as an ordinary number, you say 点 for the decimal point, and then you read every digit after the point individually, left to right. So 3.14 is 三点一四 (sān diǎn yī sì) — "three point one four" — exactly as an English speaker would recite the digits of π. There is no place value after the point: you never say "fourteen," you say "one, four." Get that single idea and Chinese decimals are almost free.

Whole part normal, digits after 点 read one by one

The rule has two halves, and the second half is where every beginner slips.

Before 点: read the integer as a normal cardinal number, with all its tens, hundreds and place values — 十二 (12), 一百 (100), 三十七 (37).

After 点: abandon place value entirely and read each digit separately — 一四, not 十四; 零五, not 五.

Number	Chinese	Reading	Note
3.14	三点一四	sān diǎn yī sì	"one, four" — not "fourteen"
0.5	零点五	líng diǎn wǔ	whole part 0 = 零
2.5	二点五	èr diǎn wǔ	whole "2" is 二, not 两
12.5	十二点五	shí'èr diǎn wǔ	whole part 12 read normally
3.05	三点零五	sān diǎn líng wǔ	the zero after 点 must be spoken
100.05	一百点零五	yìbǎi diǎn líng wǔ	whole 100 normal, then 零五

圆周率大约是三点一四。

yuánzhōulǜ dàyuē shì sān diǎn yī sì

Pi is roughly 3.14.

他发烧了，体温三十七点五度。

tā fāshāo le, tǐwēn sānshíqī diǎn wǔ dù

He's running a fever — his temperature is 37.5 degrees.

今天的汇率是七点二。

jīntiān de huìlǜ shì qī diǎn èr

Today's exchange rate is 7.2.

💡

The mantra: whole number normal, decimals digit-by-digit. For 3.14 your mouth should say "three · point · one · four." The moment you feel tempted to say "fourteen" after 点, stop — after the point there are only single digits.

Numbers below one: don't drop the 零

For a value between 0 and 1, the whole-number part is zero, and standard Chinese reads it as 零点… (líng diǎn…): 0.5 is 零点五, 0.25 is 零点二五. In fast, casual speech people do sometimes clip the 零 and just say 点五 ("point five") — you'll hear it (informal) — but in careful speech, teaching, and anything written or official, keep the 零.

这瓶水才卖零点五块钱。

zhè píng shuǐ cái mài líng diǎn wǔ kuài qián

This bottle of water only costs 0.5 yuan.

他跑了个人最好成绩，快了零点零三秒。

tā pǎo le gèrén zuì hǎo chéngjì, kuài le líng diǎn líng sān miǎo

He ran a personal best, 0.03 seconds faster.

Notice 0.03 = 零点零三: the leading whole-part zero is 零, then after 点 come two separate digits — 零, then 三. Every zero is pronounced, because after the point each slot is an independent digit and a silent zero would change the value.

When a unit replaces the 点: money, height, weight

Here is a genuine subtlety that trips learners, and most textbooks skip it. When a number carries a unit that has named sub-units, native speakers usually let the unit act as the decimal point and drop 点 entirely. Money is the classic case: 5.5 元 is almost never 五点五元 in speech — it's 五块五 (wǔ kuài wǔ), "five kuài five [mao]," because 块 (yuan) and 毛 (mao) already split the value for you (see prices and shopping). Height and weight behave the same way.

这件毛衣五块五，很便宜。

zhè jiàn máoyī wǔ kuài wǔ, hěn piányi

This sweater is 5.5 yuan — really cheap.

他身高一米七五。

tā shēngāo yì mǐ qī wǔ

He's 1.75 metres tall.

So 一米七五 (yì mǐ qī wǔ) — "one metre seven five" — not 一点七五米. Reserve 点 for abstract or unitless-feeling numbers: mathematical constants, temperatures, exchange rates, scores, ratings, percentages, statistics. Once a colloquial unit with sub-units enters, the unit itself becomes the pivot and 点 quietly disappears.

这部电影豆瓣评分八点九，值得一看。

zhè bù diànyǐng dòubàn píngfēn bā diǎn jiǔ, zhídé yí kàn

This film has a Douban rating of 8.9 — worth watching.

The same digit-by-digit reading is what powers percentages (百分之三点五 = 3.5%) and contrasts neatly with fractions, which use 分之 rather than 点.

Common Mistakes

1. Reading the digits after 点 as a whole number. This is the single most common decimal error. After the point there is no place value — say the digits one at a time.

❌ 三点十四

Incorrect — after 点 you read single digits, so this would be misheard; 3.14 is 三点一四.

✅ 三点一四

sān diǎn yī sì

3.14 — 'one four', not 'fourteen'.

2. Using 两 instead of 二 for a whole-number 'two'. In a decimal the integer part is a bare digit, so "two" is 二, not the counting 两.

❌ 两点五

Incorrect for '2.5' — as a plain digit before 点, 'two' is 二.

✅ 二点五

èr diǎn wǔ

2.5 — the whole-number 'two' is 二.

3. Swallowing a zero that sits after the point. Post-point zeros are real digits and must be voiced, or you change the number.

❌ 三点五

Incorrect for 3.05 — 三点五 is actually 3.5; the value 3.05 needs the zero spoken as 三点零五.

✅ 三点零五

sān diǎn líng wǔ

3.05 — the zero after 点 is pronounced 零.

4. Forcing 点 onto money or height. With units that already have sub-units, native speakers drop 点.

❌ 五点五块

Unnatural — with money the unit is the pivot; say 五块五.

✅ 五块五

wǔ kuài wǔ

5.5 yuan — the unit 块 replaces 点.

Key Takeaways

点 (diǎn) is the decimal point; the whole-number part is read as a normal number, and every digit after 点 is read individually.
3.14 = 三点一四 (one, four), never 三点十四 — there is no place value after the point.
Values under one keep the leading zero: 0.5 = 零点五 (informal speech may clip it to 点五); post-point zeros are always voiced (3.05 = 三点零五).
The whole-number "two" is 二, not 两: 2.5 = 二点五.
With units that have sub-units — money, height, weight — native speakers drop 点 and let the unit split the value: 5.5 yuan = 五块五, 1.75 m = 一米七五.

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