Numbers and Counting in Samoan

Counting to 10 in Samoan is pretty straight forward:

Tasi, lua, tolu, fā, lima, ono, fitu, valu, iva, sefulu.

Once you know the Samoan words for the numbers 1 to 10 it’s not too difficult to count to 100 and beyond. Let’s take a closer look.

Pronouncing Numbers 1 to 10 in Samoan

Samoan numbers are very similar to those of other Polynesian languages so if you’ve learned to count in Hawaiian this will be easy. Here are the Samoan numbers from 1 to 10 with audio:

As you can see the Samoan word for 10 is sefulu.

The Numbers 1 to 20 in Samoan

To count past 10 and into the teens just add one of the numbers we already know to sefulu to make a new number. For example 11 is 10 and 1 so in Samoan 11 is sefulu and tasi or sefulu ma le (and the) tasi. See how that works? In everyday Samoan we often drop the and the (ma le) and just say sefulutasi.

Counting Past 20 in Samoan

From 20 we switch up the order that we put the numbers together. For example to say 12 we use the words for 10 and 2 (sefulu ma le lua or sefululua) but for the number 20 we think 2 and 10 instead. So 20 is lua (2) + sefulu (10) or luasefulu. This will be the same pattern for 30 (tolu + sefulu) 40 (fā + sefulu) 50 (lima + sefulu) and right up to 90. And then we just add the incremental numbers.

So for 21 we would think 2 + 10 + 1 and say luasefulu ma le tasi or just luasefulutasi.

Counting to 100 and Beyond in Samoan

Now our word for 100 is selau. Our word for 200 is lua (2) selau. Our word for 300 is tolu (3) selau. See that?

Our pattern for numbers after 100 (or any hundred) is very simple and predictable now. For 102 we would say selau ma le lua. For 112 we say selau sefulu lua. For 122 we say selau lua sefulu ma le lua. And for 222 we say lua selau luasefulu ma le lua.

Got it?

Bonus Lesson: Counting People

All the numbers we’ve mentioned so far are used for all counting situations but because our culture has a special regard for humans, when we count people we always add the word to’a in front of the number.

For example:

I have 3 houses = E tolu o’u fale. | I have 3 children = E to’a tolu la’u fānau.
She has 5 dogs = E lima ana maile. |She has 5 teachers = E to’a lima ona faiaoga.

So don’t forget. When you’re counting people it’s correct to add the word to’a before the number.