Numbers 0-10 | Russian Grammar

The numbers from zero to ten are the foundation of everything in Russian counting, and they come with a surprise that no Latin textbook prepares English speakers for: in Russian, a number changes the case of the noun it counts. "Five tables" is not пять стол but пять столо́в — the noun has shifted into the genitive plural. This page gives you the ten core forms with their stress, then introduces the rule you will use for the rest of your Russian life: 1 behaves like an adjective, 2–4 take the genitive singular, and 5–10 take the genitive plural.

The forms 0–10

Numeral	Russian	Pronunciation note
0	ноль (also нуль)	monosyllable; ноль is the everyday form, нуль more technical
1	оди́н	stress on the second syllable: a-DEEN
2	два / две	monosyllable; две is the feminine form
3	три	monosyllable
4	четы́ре	stress on the middle: che-TY-rye
5	пять	monosyllable; the я is soft — "pyat'"
6	шесть	monosyllable; final -ть is soft
7	семь	monosyllable; final -мь is soft
8	во́семь	stress on the first syllable: VO-syem'
9	де́вять	stress on the first syllable: DYE-vyat'
10	де́сять	stress on the first syllable: DYE-syat'

💡

The soft sign at the end of пять, шесть, семь, во́семь, де́вять, де́сять is not decoration — it softens the final consonant and is part of why these numbers (5 and up) later decline like feminine -ь nouns (пяти́, пятью́). The "soft tail" of 5–10 and the "hard" shape of 1–4 are an early clue to the two different grammatical behaviours below.

ноль / нуль — "zero"

Both ноль and нуль exist and mean "zero"; ноль is by far the more common in everyday speech (phone numbers, scores, temperature), while нуль leans technical/mathematical. After zero, the noun takes the genitive plural, just like 5–10: ноль гра́дусов ("zero degrees").

Сейча́с на у́лице ноль гра́дусов.

It's zero degrees outside right now. (ноль + genitive plural гра́дусов)

1 — оди́н behaves like an adjective

оди́н is the odd one out: it does not govern a case at all. Instead it agrees with its noun like an adjective, changing for gender (and case): оди́н стол (masculine), одна́ кни́га (feminine), одно́ окно́ (neuter). The noun stays in its normal nominative form.

Gender	Form	Example
Masculine	оди́н	оди́н стол (one table)
Feminine	одна́	одна́ кни́га (one book)
Neuter	одно́	одно́ окно́ (one window)

У меня́ есть то́лько оди́н вопро́с.

I only have one question. (оди́н agrees with masculine вопро́с)

Дай мне одну́ мину́ту, пожа́луйста.

Give me one minute, please. (одну́ — feminine accusative agreeing with мину́ту)

2 — два / две (the only cardinal that changes for gender)

два/две is unique: it is the only Russian cardinal number that has a separate feminine form. Use два with masculine and neuter nouns, две with feminine nouns. And here the case rule begins: after 2, the noun goes into the genitive singular.

На столе́ лежа́т два карандаша́ и две ру́чки.

There are two pencils and two pens on the table. (два карандаша́ — masc., gen. sg.; две ру́чки — fem., gen. sg.)

У меня́ два бра́та и две сестры́.

I have two brothers and two sisters. (два бра́та — masc.; две сестры́ — fem.)

2, 3, 4 → genitive singular

After два/две, три, четы́ре, the counted noun takes the genitive singular. (Three and four have no gender forms — only два/две does.) This is the form that looks, confusingly, like a singular: два стола́, три кни́ги, четы́ре до́ма — those nouns are in the genitive singular, not a plural.

В ко́мнате три окна́ и четы́ре сту́ла.

There are three windows and four chairs in the room. (три окна́, четы́ре сту́ла — genitive singular)

Мне ну́жно купи́ть четы́ре биле́та на по́езд.

I need to buy four train tickets. (четы́ре биле́та — genitive singular)

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 → genitive plural

From пять upward, the counted noun takes the genitive plural: пять столо́в, шесть книг, де́сять рубле́й. This is the genitive plural you learn for general quantity (мно́го столо́в), now triggered by a number.

В кошельке́ оста́лось то́лько пять рубле́й.

There are only five roubles left in the wallet. (пять + genitive plural рубле́й)

На по́лке де́сять книг и шесть журна́лов.

There are ten books and six magazines on the shelf. (де́сять книг, шесть журна́лов — genitive plural)

💡

The whole system in one line: 1 agrees like an adjective (оди́н стол), 2–4 take the genitive singular (два стола́), 5 and up take the genitive plural (пять столо́в). This single rule governs every number in the language — once you have it, you can count anything. The full machinery is on the numeral government rule.

Everyday contexts: age, phone numbers, counting

When you tell your age you combine a number with год/го́да/лет, and the same rule applies: год after 1, го́да after 2–4, лет after 5+ (год → лет is a suppletive form). Reading phone numbers out loud, Russians usually say the digits individually, so the nominative forms (ноль, оди́н, два…) are all you need there.

Моему́ сы́ну четы́ре го́да, а до́чери — оди́н год.

My son is four years old and my daughter is one year old. (четы́ре го́да — gen. sg.; оди́н год — nominative after 1)

Мой но́мер: де́вять, ноль, два, пять...

My number is: nine, zero, two, five... (digits read individually, nominative)

How this differs from English

English numbers are grammatically inert: "one cat, two cats, five cats" — the only thing that changes is the plural -s, and it appears identically for everything above one. Russian does two things English never does. First, оди́н agrees with the noun's gender, the way "this/that" might, not the way "one" does in English. Second, every number from 2 up reaches into the noun and changes its case — and it does so on a 2–4 / 5+ split that has no English parallel at all. The closest English memory is the irregular plural (one mouse, two mice), but Russian's pattern is systematic and case-based, not lexical. Internalising "2–4 genitive singular, 5+ genitive plural" early saves you from rebuilding it later.

Common Mistakes

❌ У меня́ есть оди́н кни́га.

Incorrect — оди́н agrees in gender; кни́га is feminine, so it must be одна́.

✅ У меня́ есть одна́ кни́га.

I have one book. (feminine одна́)

❌ На столе́ два ру́чки.

Incorrect — ру́чка is feminine, so 'two' must be две, not два.

✅ На столе́ две ру́чки.

There are two pens on the table. (feminine две + genitive singular ру́чки)

❌ В ко́мнате три окно́.

Incorrect — after 3 the noun goes into the genitive singular: окно́ → окна́.

✅ В ко́мнате три окна́.

There are three windows in the room. (три + genitive singular окна́)

❌ В кошельке́ пять рубль.

Incorrect — after 5 the noun takes the genitive plural: рубль → рубле́й.

✅ В кошельке́ пять рубле́й.

There are five roubles in the wallet. (пять + genitive plural рубле́й)

❌ Мне четы́ре лет.

Incorrect — after 2–4 use the genitive singular го́да, not лет (which is for 5+).

✅ Мне четы́ре го́да.

I am four years old. (четы́ре го́да — genitive singular)

Key Takeaways

The core forms: ноль/нуль, оди́н, два/две, три, четы́ре, пять, шесть, семь, во́семь, де́вять, де́сять. Stress: оди́н, четы́ре, во́семь, де́вять, де́сять; the rest are monosyllables.
оди́н agrees like an adjective: оди́н стол, одна́ кни́га, одно́ окно́. The noun stays nominative.
два/две is the only cardinal that changes for gender: два (masc./neuter), две (feminine).
2, 3, 4 → counted noun in the genitive singular (два стола́, три кни́ги, четы́ре до́ма).
5–10 (and 0) → counted noun in the genitive plural (пять столо́в, де́сять книг, ноль гра́дусов).

Now practice Russian

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Russian→