[Previous Snapshot | Contents| Next Snapshot]

African Number Words Based upon the Human Body

Counting words throughout the world are often based upon the human body. The following table gives the literal derivations of various words for numbers from a variety of African languages.

The word for the number...	is derived from a phrase meaning...
15	Three fists
10	Two hands
20	Man complete
100	Five men finished
9	Hand and hand less one
2	Raise a separate finger
6	To cross over
6	Take the thumb
9	One in the belly
40	A mattress

Most of these words refer to counting on fingers and on toes. This is fairly obvious for the first six number words. "To cross over" and "To take the thumb" refer to moving from one hand of five fingers to the next finger (or thumb) on the other hand. "One in the belly" for 9 refers to the nine months of pregancy and "a matress" for forty refers to all the fingers and toes of a husband and wife lying together on a matress.

Reference

• Zaslavsky, C. (1973). Africa Counts, 172-189, Boston: Prindle, Weber & Schmidt.