Number Nouns
When referring to a number as an object—like a playing card, a bus route, or a school grade—Polish uses special feminine nouns called number nouns (rzeczowniki odliczebnikowe).
To talk about cards in a deck (talia), you will use these nouns rather than standard counting numerals (like dwa or pięć). They all end in the feminine suffix -ka:
| Number | Number Noun |
|---|
| 1 | jedynka |
| 2 | dwójka |
| 3 | trójka |
| 4 | czwórka |
| 5 | piątka |
| 6 | szóstka |
| 7 | siódemka |
| 8 | ósemka |
| 9 | dziewiątka |
| 10 | dziesiątka |
Holding Cards: The Accusative Case
Because these number words are standard feminine nouns ending in -a, they follow regular feminine noun rules. When they are the direct object of a sentence—for example, when you "have" (mieć) a certain card—the ending changes to -ę.
Needing and Missing Cards: The Genitive Case
Some verbs, such as potrzebować (to need) and brakować (to lack / be missing), require the following noun to be in the Genitive case instead of the Accusative. You also use the Genitive when negating a verb that normally takes the Accusative.
For feminine nouns ending in -ka, the Genitive ending is always -ki. This means czwórka becomes czwórki, siódemka becomes siódemki, and so on.
The Ace
Unlike the numbers 1 through 10, the word for an ace (as) is a masculine noun.
Because as is treated grammatically as an animate masculine noun, it takes the ending -a in both the Accusative and Genitive cases (asa).