一只手
Yī zhī shǒu — One-Hand Numbers
📐 Standards alignment
ACTFL World-Readiness: Communication (interpersonal, interpretive) · Cultures (a real everyday practice) · Comparisons (gesture systems differ between cultures)
Can-Do targets (NCSSFL-ACTFL, Novice Low):
- I can show numbers on one hand the Chinese way.
- I can ask how many of something there are.
- I can answer a “how many” question with a number.
Learning objectives
- Produce at least three of the one-hand signs for 6–10
- Ask 几个？ about a group of objects
- Count backwards from 十 to 一
Materials
Two hands, and a handful of small objects to count.
Prior knowledge
Unit 4 Lesson 1 — your child should be able to count 一 to 十 out loud.
Key vocabulary
六 七 八 九 十 几个
Forwards, then backwards
Count 一 to 十 together once. Then try it backwards: 十 九 八 七 六 五 四 三 二 一. Backwards is genuinely hard and turns a chant into real knowledge — end with a rocket blast-off.
Ten numbers, one hand
In English-speaking countries you need two hands to show seven. In China you do not — there is a hand shape for every number up to ten, all on one hand. It is used constantly in markets and shops, where one hand is busy holding something. Numbers one to five are the ones you would guess; six to ten are the interesting part.
Six to ten, and one question
Flip each card to find the hand shape. Make the shape with your own hand as you say the word.
Note: hand shapes vary a little from region to region — the ones above are the most widespread. If a family member from a Chinese-speaking place does one differently, theirs is right too, and that is worth talking about.
Say it and show it
Work from 六 up to 十: say the word, make the shape, hold it up. Then mix them up. Then try it with the hand behind your back — can your child form the shape without looking?
Ask and answer
Grab a handful of small objects, put them on the table, and ask:
几个？ — How many?
Your child counts them in Chinese, then answers with just the number — and holds up the one-hand sign at the same time. Swap roles and repeat five times with different amounts.
Memory game — find the pairs
Match each character to its meaning.
Find the matching pairs!
Listen and choose
Press each play button and pick what you heard.
1. Press play. Which number?
2. Press play. What is being asked?
3. Press play. Which number?
The silent shopkeeper
One person is the shopkeeper and may not speak — only hold up a one-hand number. The other has to say that number out loud in Chinese to “buy” it. Get it right and you win the item; get it wrong and the shopkeeper shakes their head. Swap after five. This is genuinely how the signs get used, which children find very satisfying.
Show what you know
1. Which hand sign is two crossed index fingers?
2. You want to know how many biscuits are left. What do you ask?
Unit 4 complete!
Your child can count to ten and back, count real objects, ask 几个？, and show numbers on one hand the way people actually do. Halfway through Kindergarten, and already useful in a real shop.
Take it home
Teach the hand signs
Teach one person at home the hand signs for six to ten. Then test them: you make a shape, they say the number in English. Draw your favourite hand sign in the box.
I taught:
The ten-second countdown
Next time something needs a countdown — a race, a jump into the pool, the microwave — do it in Chinese from 十 down to 一. See if you can get the whole family joining in by the end of the week.
How many people joined in?
Note for teachers & parents
Three signs is a win. Small hands struggle with the seven pinch and the nine hook. If your child can do ten, eight and six, that is a complete success — the fiddly ones come with bigger fingers.
Watch for: counting backwards often breaks down around 六. Practise 十 九 八 on its own a few times before attempting the whole run.