Numbers in Wayuu



Learn numbers in Wayuu

Knowing numbers in Wayuu is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Wayuu. Learning to count in Wayuu may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Wayuu is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Wayuu.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Wayuu?

Wayuu (Wayuunaiki), also known as Goajiro, is an Indigenous South-American language that belongs to the Arawakan language family. It is spoken by the Wayuu people in the north of the state of Zulia, Venezuela, and in the department of La Guajira, Colombia. Wayuu counts about 305,000 speakers.

List of numbers in Wayuu

Here is a list of numbers in Wayuu. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Wayuu from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Wayuu. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Wayuu.

• 1) waneeshia
• 2) piama
• 3) apünüin
• 4) pienchi
• 5) ja’rai
• 6) aipirua
• 7) akaraishi
• 8) mekiisalü
• 9) mekie’etasalü
• 10) po’loo
• 11) po’loo waneeshimüin
• 12) po’loo piamamüin
• 13) po’loo apünüinmüin
• 14) po’loo pienchimüin
• 15) po’loo ja’ralimüin
• 16) po’loo aipiruamüin
• 17) po’loo akaraishimüin
• 18) po’loo mekiisalümüin
• 19) po’loo mekie’etasalümüin
• 20) piama shikii
• 30) apünüin shikii
• 40) pienchi shikii
• 50) ja’rai shikii
• 60) aipirua shikii
• 70) akaraishi shikii
• 80) mekiisalü shikii
• 90) mekie’etasalü shikii
• 100) po’loo shikii
• 1,000) miirü
• one million) miyon
• one billion) miyaatta
• one trillion) piyon

Numbers in Wayuu: Wayuu numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Wayuu is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Wayuu you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Wayuu with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Wayuu is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Wayuu. Also, learning how to number in Wayuu yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Wayuu at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Wayuu

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Digits from zero to nine are specific words: seero [0], waneeshia (or wanee, waneesia) [1], piama [2], apünüin [3], pienchi [4], ja’rai [5], aipirua [6], akaraishi [7], mekiisalü [8], and mekie’etasalü [9].

Tens are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word shikii separated with a space, except for ten: po’loo [10], piama shikii [20], apünüin shikii [30], pienchi shikii [40], ja’rai shikii [50], aipirua shikii [60], akaraishi shikii [70], mekiisalü shikii [80], and mekie’etasalü shikii [90].

Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the unit digit suffixed by müin (e.g.: po’loo aipiruamüin [16], piama shikii pienchimüin [24]).

Hundreds are formed starting with the multiplier digit suffixed by tua (with the exception of 800 and 900 where the salü ending becomes sattua), then the word for hundred (po’looin shikii, where po’loo gains the suffix in), except for one hundred: po’loo shikii (or ten times ten) [100], piantua po’looin shikii [200], apünüintua po’looin shikii [300], pienchitua po’looin shikii [400], ja’raitua po’looin shikii [500], aipiruatua po’looin shikii [600], akaraishitua po’looin shikii [700], mekiisattua po’looin shikii [800], and mekie’etasattua po’looin shikii [900].

When a hundred is compound with a round ten, the multiplier digit of the ten is suffixed by müin (e.g.: po’loo shikii, po’loomüin [110], piantua po’looin shikii, pienchimüin shikii [240], but apünüintua po’looin shikii, akaraishi shikii mekiisalümüin [378]).

Thousands are formed starting with the multiplier digit, then the word for thousand (miirü, loanword from the Spanish mil), except for one thousand: miirü [1,000], piama miirü [2,000], apünüin miirü [3,000], pienchi miirü [4,000], ja’rai miirü [5,000], aipirua miirü [6,000], akaraishi miirü [7,000], mekiisalü miirü [8,000], and mekie’etasalü miirü [9,000].

The word for million, miyon, is also a loanword from Spanish (millón). Then we have miyaatta or miituasü miyonniirua [10⁹, billion], and piyon or miituasü miirüin miyonniirua [10¹², trillion].

Diccionario de computación en wayuunaiki, by José Álvarez (2011), in Spanish