Understanding Wolof Numbers: A Comprehensive Guide

Numbers are an important part of everyday Wolof, appearing in counting, prices, quantities, dates, ages, measurements, time, and many other situations. Fortunately, the Wolof number system is highly regular. Once the basic numbers and a few combining patterns are understood, it becomes possible to construct a very large range of numbers without memorizing each one individually.

Wolof has a decimal number system with a strong base-five pattern. The numbers one through five provide the foundation for the numbers six through nine, while ten provides the foundation for the higher tens. This produces a system that is both systematic and relatively easy to build once its structure is understood. (⁠ResearchGate)

The Basic Numbers

The first five numbers are the foundation of the system:

Number	Wolof
0	tus / neen / dara
1	benn
2	ñaar
3	ñett
4	ñeent
5	juróom

There can be variation in the word used for zero. tus is a commonly listed Wolof term, while dara, literally associated with “nothing,” can also be used in appropriate contexts. French-derived forms such as zéro may also occur, particularly in multilingual settings. (⁠Janga Wolof)

The number one, benn, has uses beyond simple counting as well. Like English one, it can occur in expressions referring to a single person or thing, although its grammatical behavior depends on the construction in which it occurs.

Five as a Building Block

One of the most distinctive features of Wolof numbers is the way numbers from six through nine are constructed.

juróom means “five,” and the numbers one through four are added to it:

Number	Wolof	Literal structure
5	juróom	five
6	juróom benn	five + one
7	juróom ñaar	five + two
8	juróom ñett	five + three
9	juróom ñeent	five + four
10	fukk	ten

Thus, learning benn, ñaar, ñett, ñeent, juróom, and fukk gives you the pieces needed to construct the first ten numbers. This additive use of five is the reason Wolof is often described as having a quinary component within an otherwise decimal system. (⁠ResearchGate)

This pattern continues to be visible inside larger numbers. For example:

juróom benn fukk = sixty
juróom ñaar fukk = seventy
juróom ñett fukk = eighty
juróom ñeent fukk = ninety

Here, the expression before fukk identifies how many tens there are.

Ten and the Teens

The word for ten is:

fukk — ten

Numbers from eleven through nineteen are generally formed by putting fukk first and then adding the remaining number with ak, meaning “and” or “with”:

fukk ak benn — 11
fukk ak ñaar — 12
fukk ak ñett — 13
fukk ak ñeent — 14
fukk ak juróom — 15
fukk ak juróom benn — 16
fukk ak juróom ñaar — 17
fukk ak juróom ñett — 18
fukk ak juróom ñeent — 19

The construction can therefore be understood quite literally:

fukk ak ñaar
10 + 2
= 12

And:

fukk ak juróom ñett
10 + 5 + 3
= 18

The same general additive principle becomes important again when constructing larger numbers.

Multiples of Ten

Beginning with twenty, Wolof normally places the number of tens before fukk:

ñaar fukk — 20
ñett fukk — 30
ñeent fukk — 40
juróom fukk — 50
juróom benn fukk — 60
juróom ñaar fukk — 70
juróom ñett fukk — 80
juróom ñeent fukk — 90

The structure is essentially:

[number] + fukk

So:

ñaar fukk
2 × 10
= 20

and:

ñeent fukk
4 × 10
= 40

The form for thirty has an additional traditional form, fanweer, alongside ñett fukk. fanweer is associated with the idea of a lunar month, reflecting the approximate number of days in one. (⁠Janga Wolof)

There is also some historical and dialectal variation in the expression of twenty, although ñaar fukk is the regular form in contemporary Wolof. (⁠Scribd)

Numbers Between the Tens

Once the tens are understood, numbers between them are formed by adding the remaining units with ak.

For example:

ñaar fukk ak benn
20 + 1
= 21

ñaar fukk ak ñett
20 + 3
= 23

ñaar fukk ak juróom
20 + 5
= 25

ñaar fukk ak juróom ñent
20 + 5 + 4
= 29

The same pattern works throughout the range:

ñett fukk ak ñaar
30 + 2
= 32

juróom fukk ak ñeent
50 + 4
= 54

juróom benn fukk ak juróom ñett
60 + 8
= 68

This gives Wolof numbers a very transparent structure. A number such as 68 can be understood as:

60 + 8
→ 60 + 5 + 3
→ juróom benn fukk ak juróom ñett

The system therefore combines multiplication for the tens with addition for the units.

Hundreds

The word for one hundred is:

téeméer — one hundred

Higher hundreds are constructed by putting the multiplier before téeméer:

téeméer — 100
ñaari téeméer — 200
ñetti téeméer — 300
ñeenti téeméer — 400
juróomi téeméer — 500
juróom-benni téeméer — 600
juróom-ñaari téeméer — 700
juróom-ñetti téeméer — 800
juróom-ñeenti téeméer — 900

Notice that the forms used as multipliers can show an -i ending before the larger counting word:

ñaari téeméer
two + 100
= 200

ñetti téeméer
three + 100
= 300

This is part of the grammatical structure used when one number modifies a larger numerical unit. It is useful to learn these forms as constructions rather than assuming that every number simply behaves like an isolated noun.

The same principle applies to thousands:

junni / junne — one thousand

ñaari junni — 2,000
ñetti junni — 3,000
fukki junni — 10,000

The forms junni and junne are both attested. (⁠Scribd)

Combining Hundreds, Tens, and Units

Large numbers are generally assembled from their component parts in descending order.

For example:

téeméer ak benn
100 + 1
= 101

téeméer ak fukk
100 + 10
= 110

ñaari téeméer ak juróom
200 + 5
= 205

A more complicated number can continue adding components:

junni ak ñaari téeméer ak ñeent fukk ak juróom

Literally:

1,000 + 200 + 40 + 5

= 1,245

The same principle can be extended to thousands, hundreds, tens, and units. Wolof does not require a completely different set of words for every possible number; instead, the basic numerical elements are combined according to predictable rules. (⁠Janga Wolof)

A Useful Way to Think About the System

It can help to think of Wolof numbers as being constructed from a small set of numerical building blocks:

Building block	Value
benn	1
ñaar	2
ñett	3
ñeent	4
juróom	5
fukk	10
téeméer	100
junni / junne	1,000

The system then combines these building blocks.

For example:

juróom ñaar
5 + 2
= 7

ñaar fukk
2 × 10
= 20

ñaar fukk ak juróom ñett
2 × 10 + 5 + 3
= 28

ñeenti téeméer ak juróom fukk ak ñaar
4 × 100 + 5 × 10 + 2
= 452

This is why learning Wolof numbers is less about memorizing hundreds of individual words and more about learning how the pieces fit together.

Addition and Multiplication

Two operations occur repeatedly in Wolof number formation.

Addition

ak is used to connect a larger numerical unit with an additional amount:

fukk ak ñett
10 + 3
= 13

ñaari téeméer ak juróom
200 + 5
= 205

junni ak téeméer ak fukk ak benn
1,000 + 100 + 10 + 1
= 1,111

Multiplication

A number placed before a larger numerical unit indicates how many of that unit there are:

ñaar fukk
2 × 10
= 20

ñeent téeméer
4 × 100
= 400

ñaar junni
2 × 1,000
= 2,000

The combination of these two principles allows increasingly large numbers to be constructed systematically.

Ordinal Numbers

Wolof also has a regular way of forming many ordinal numbers—numbers such as second, third, fourth, and so on.

For most cardinal numbers, the ordinal is formed with the ending -éél:

ñaar → ñaareél — two → second
ñett → ñetteél — three → third
ñeent → ñeentéél — four → fourth
juróom → juróoméél — five → fifth
fukk → fukkéél — ten → tenth

The first ordinal is irregular:

bu njëk — first

A French-derived form such as përëmye (premier) may also be encountered, particularly in multilingual contexts. (⁠Scribd)

Ordinal formation can become especially useful with dates, rankings, sequences, and other contexts where the position of something matters.

Numbers and Grammar

Numbers do not always behave exactly like English number words. Their relationship with nouns is affected by Wolof’s broader grammatical system, including noun classes and agreement.

For example, a number may appear as part of a noun phrase rather than simply being placed next to a noun according to an English-style formula. Some numerical forms also take grammatical endings when functioning as modifiers of larger numerical units.

This is one reason it is useful to learn numbers through complete phrases and examples, rather than treating them as nothing more than a list of translations.

Numbers can also interact with determiners, noun classes, plural expressions, and other parts of the sentence. The exact construction depends on what is being counted and what the number is doing grammatically.

Zero and “Nothing”

Zero deserves a small note because Wolof has more than one way of expressing the concept.

tus is used for the numeral zero, while dara, meaning “nothing” or “anything” depending on context, can also be used in numerical or quantitative contexts. Other forms, including French-derived zéro, may occur in multilingual speech. (⁠Janga Wolof)

The distinction is similar to the difference between a mathematical numeral and an ordinary word expressing absence: context determines which expression is natural.

Variation in Wolof Numbers

As with other areas of Wolof, numbers can show variation in pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, and usage.

For example, sources may record forms such as:

ñaar / yaar — two
ñett / ñatt / yett / yatt — three
ñeent / ñenent — four
junni / junne — one thousand

These differences do not necessarily represent completely different number systems. They can reflect pronunciation, regional variation, spelling conventions, historical forms, or differences between sources and speakers. (⁠Wikipedia)

There can also be differences between more traditional Wolof usage and the forms encountered in multilingual urban environments. Wolof speakers may use French alongside Wolof, particularly for some large numbers or specialized contexts. This does not mean that Wolof lacks its own system for expressing large numbers; rather, multilingual speakers have more than one numerical vocabulary available to them. (⁠NKENNE)

Numbers in Everyday Wolof

Numbers appear in many ordinary situations:

counting people and objects
discussing quantities
giving ages
discussing prices
talking about dates
telling the time
giving measurements
discussing distances
describing sizes and amounts
giving addresses or identifying numbers
talking about schedules
expressing order or sequence

The basic number system remains the same, but the surrounding grammar and vocabulary can change according to the context.

For that reason, numbers are best thought of as a foundation rather than a single isolated grammar topic. Saying a number, giving a price, telling someone the time, and describing a measurement may all involve the same numerical building blocks while using somewhat different constructions.

Learning Wolof Numbers

A useful progression is:

Learn benn through fukk.
Notice that 6–9 are built from 5 + 1–4.
Learn how fukk forms the tens.
Learn how ak adds the remaining units.
Learn téeméer and junni/junne.
Practice combining hundreds, tens, and units.
Learn ordinal numbers.
Then learn how numbers work in particular contexts such as time, money, and measurements.

Once the underlying pattern is familiar, encountering a number you have never memorized becomes much less intimidating. Instead of asking, “What is the Wolof word for 438?”, you can break it into its components:

4 × 100 + 3 × 10 + 8

and construct the expression from the numerical building blocks you already know.

The Main Pattern

The most important thing to remember is that Wolof numbers are constructed rather than individually memorized.

The system can be summarized roughly as:

1–5 → basic numbers
6–9 → 5 + unit
10 → fukk
11–19 → 10 + remainder
20–90 → number of tens + fukk
numbers between tens → tens + ak + remainder
100 → téeméer
1,000 → junni/junne
larger numbers → larger units combined with smaller units

Once these patterns become familiar, Wolof’s numerical system becomes highly predictable. (⁠ResearchGate)

The pages that follow can then look at how this general system is used in specific situations: telling time, talking about money, and expressing measurements.

Basic Numbers in Wolof (1–10)

The foundation of Wolof numbers lies in its single-digit numbers, which are essential for counting and forming larger numbers.

Number	Wolof	Pronunciation Guide
1	benn	[ben]
2	ñaar	[ɲaːr]
3	ñett	[ɲet]
4	ñeent	[ɲɛnt]
5	juroom	[dʒuroːm]
6	juroom-benn	[dʒuroːm-ben]
7	juroom-ñaar	[dʒuroːm-ɲaːr]
8	juroom-ñett	[dʒuroːm-ɲet]
9	juroom-ñeent	[dʒuroːm-ɲɛnt]
10	fukk	[fuk]