Editing Luganda (section)

== Numbers ==
The Luganda system of [[cardinal number (linguistics)|cardinal number]]s is quite complicated. The numbers 'one' to 'five' are specialised numerical [[adjective]]s that [[agreement (linguistics)|agree]] with the [[noun]] they [[grammatical modifier|qualify]]. The words for 'six' to 'ten' are numerical nouns that do not agree with the qualified noun.

'Twenty' to 'fifty' are expressed as multiples of ten using the cardinal numbers for 'two' to 'five' with the plural of 'ten'. 'Sixty' to 'one hundred' are numerical nouns in their own right, derived from the same roots as the nouns for 'six' to 'ten' but with different class prefixes.

In a similar pattern, 'two hundred' to 'five hundred' are expressed as multiples of a hundred using the cardinal numbers with the plural of 'hundred'. Then 'six hundred' to 'one thousand' are nouns, again derived from the same roots as 'six' to 'ten'. The pattern repeats up to 'ten thousand', then standard nouns are used for 'ten thousand', 'one hundred thousand' and 'one million'.

The words used for this system are:

Numerical adjectives (declined to agree with the qualified noun):
* {{lang|lg|emu}} ({{lang|lg|omu}}, {{lang|lg|limu}}, {{lang|lg|kamu}}, {{lang|lg|kimu}}, ...) 'one'
* {{lang|lg|bbiri}} ({{lang|lg|babiri}}, {{lang|lg|abiri}}, ...) 'two'
* {{lang|lg|ssatu}} ({{lang|lg|basatu}}, {{lang|lg|asatu}}, ...) 'three'
* {{lang|lg|nnya}} ({{lang|lg|bana}}, {{lang|lg|ana}}, ...) 'four'
* {{lang|lg|ttaano}} ({{lang|lg|bataano}}, {{lang|lg|ataano}}, ...) 'five'
Numerical nouns:
* 'Six' to 'ten' (Classes II and V)
** {{lang|lg|mukaaga}} 'six' (Class II)
** {{lang|lg|musanvu}} 'seven'
** {{lang|lg|munaana}} 'eight'
** {{lang|lg|mwenda}} 'nine'
** {{lang|lg|kkumi}} 'ten'; plural {{lang|lg|amakumi}} (Class V)
* 'Sixty' to 'one hundred' (Classes III and IV)
** {{lang|lg|nkaaga}} 'sixty' (Class III)
** {{lang|lg|nsanvu}} 'seventy'
** {{lang|lg|kinaana}} 'eighty' (Class IV)
** {{lang|lg|kyenda}} 'ninety'
** {{lang|lg|kikumi}} 'one hundred'; plural {{lang|lg|bikumi}}
* 'Six hundred' to 'one thousand' (Class VII)
** {{lang|lg|lukaaga}} 'six hundred'
** {{lang|lg|lusanvu}} 'seven hundred'
** {{lang|lg|lunaana}} 'eight hundred'
** {{lang|lg|lwenda}} 'nine hundred'
** {{lang|lg|lukumi}} 'one thousand'; plural {{lang|lg|nkumi}}
* 'Six thousand' to 'ten thousand' (Class VI)
** {{lang|lg|kakaaga}} 'six thousand'
** {{lang|lg|kasanvu}} 'seven thousand'
** {{lang|lg|kanaana}} 'eight thousand'
** {{lang|lg|kenda}} 'nine thousand'
** (archaic) {{lang|lg|kakumi}} 'ten thousand'; plural {{lang|lg|bukumi}}
Standard nouns:
* {{lang|lg|omutwalo}} 'ten thousand'; plural {{lang|lg|emitwalo}} (Class II)
* {{lang|lg|akasiriivu}} 'one hundred thousand'; plural {{lang|lg|obusiriivu}} (Class VI)
* {{lang|lg|akakadde}} 'one million'; plural {{lang|lg|obukadde}} (Class VI)
* {{lang|lg|akawumbi}} 'one billion' (1,000,000,000); plural {{lang|lg|obuwumbi}} (Class VI)
* {{lang|lg|akase}} 'one trillion' (1,000,000,000,000); plural {{lang|lg|obuse}} 
* {{lang|lg|akafukunya}} 'one quintillion' (1,000,000,000,000,000,000); plural {{lang|lg|obufukunya}} (Class VI)
* {{lang|lg|akasedde}} 'one septillion' (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000); plural {{lang|lg|obusedde}} (Class VI)

Digits are specified from left to right, combined with {{lang|lg|na}} (following {{lang|lg|kkumi}}) and {{lang|lg|mu}} (following any other word). For example:
* 12 {{lang|lg|kkumi na bbiri}} (10 + 2)
* 22 {{lang|lg|amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} (10 × 2 + 2)
* 65 {{lang|lg|nkaaga mu ttaano}} (60 + 5)
* 122 {{lang|lg|kikumi mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} (100 + 10 × 2 + 2)
* 222 {{lang|lg|bikumi bibiri mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} (100 × 2 + 10 × 2 + 2)
* 1,222 {{lang|lg|lukumi mu bikumi bibiri mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} (1,000 + 100 × 2 + 10 × 2 + 2)
* 1,024 {{lang|lg|lukumi mu amakumi abiri mu nnya}} (1,000 + 10 × 2 + 4)
* 2,222 {{lang|lg|nkumi bbiri mu bikumi bibiri mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} (1,000 × 2 + 100 × 2 + 10 × 2 + 2)
* 2,500 {{lang|lg|nkumi bbiri mu bikumi bitaano}} (1,000 × 2 + 100 × 5)
* 7,500 {{lang|lg|kasanvu mu bikumi bitaano}} (7,000 + 100 × 5)
* 7,600 {{lang|lg|kasanvu mu lukaaga}} (7,000 + 600)
* 9,999 {{lang|lg|kenda mu lwenda mu kyenda mu mwenda}} (9,000 + 900 + 90 + 9)
* 999,000 {{lang|lg|obusiriivu mwenda mu omutwalo mwenda mu kenda}}
* 1,000,000 {{lang|lg|akakadde}} (1,000,000)
* 3,000,000 {{lang|lg|obukadde busatu}} (1,000,000 × 3)
* 10,000,000 {{lang|lg|obukadde kkumi}} (1,000,000 × 10)
* 122,000,122 {{lang|lg|obukadde kikumi mu amakumi abiri mu bubiri mu kikumi mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} (1,000,000 * (100 + 10 × 2 + 2) + 100 + 10 × 2 + 2)

The numerical adjectives agree with the qualified noun:
* {{lang|lg|emmotoka emu}} 'one car' (Class III)
* {{lang|lg|omukazi omu}} 'one woman' (Class I)
* {{lang|lg|emmotoka taano}} 'five cars'
* {{lang|lg|abakazi bataano}} 'five women'
but
* {{lang|lg|emmotoka kikumi}} 'a hundred cars'
* {{lang|lg|abakazi kikumi}} 'a hundred women'
and
* {{lang|lg|abasajja kkumi n'omu}} 'eleven men' (Class I)
* {{lang|lg|ente kkumi n'emu}} 'eleven cattle' (Class III)

The forms {{lang|lg|emu}}, {{lang|lg|bbiri}}, {{lang|lg|ssatu}}, {{lang|lg|nnya}} and {{lang|lg|ttaano}} are used when counting (as well as when qualifying nouns of classes III and VII).

However, a complication arises from the agreement of numerical adjectives with the powers of ten. Since the words for 'ten', 'hundred', 'thousand' and so on belong to different classes, each power of ten can be inferred from the form of the adjective qualifying it, so the plural forms of the powers of ten ({{lang|lg|amakumi}} 'tens', {{lang|lg|bikumi}} 'hundreds', {{lang|lg|bukumi}} 'tens of thousands' — but not {{lang|lg|nkumi}} 'thousands') are usually omitted, as long as this does not result in ambiguity.

For example:
* 40 {{lang|lg|amakumi ana}} → {{lang|lg|ana}}
* 22 {{lang|lg|amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} → {{lang|lg|abiri mu bbiri}}
* 222 {{lang|lg|bikumi bibiri mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} → {{lang|lg|bibiri mu abiri mu bbiri}}
* 1,024 {{lang|lg|lukumi mu amakumi abiri mu nnya}} → {{lang|lg|lukumi mu abiri mu nnya}}
* 2,222 {{lang|lg|nkumi bbiri mu bikumi bibiri mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} → {{lang|lg|nkumi bbiri mu bibiri mu abiri mu bbiri}}
* 2,500 {{lang|lg|nkumi bbiri mu bikumi bitaano}} → {{lang|lg|nkumi bbiri mu bitaano}}
* 7,500 {{lang|lg|kasanvu mu bikumi bitaano}} → {{lang|lg|kasanvu mu bitaano}}
* 122,000,122 {{lang|lg|obukadde kikumi mu amakumi abiri mu bubiri mu kikumi mu amakumi abiri mu bbiri}} → {{lang|lg|obukadde kikumi mu abiri mu bubiri mu kikumi mu abiri mu bbiri}}

Note that:
* {{lang|lg|amanda amakumi ana}} '40 batteries' cannot be shortened to {{lang|lg|amanda ana}} because this means "four batteries", and {{lang|lg|embwa amakumi ana}} '40 dogs' cannot be shortened to {{lang|lg|embwa ana}} because {{lang|lg|ana}} is the form of {{lang|lg|nnya}} used with {{lang|lg|embwa}}, so this actually means 'four dogs'.
* {{lang|lg|Nkumi}} 'thousands' is also not usually omitted because the form the numerical adjectives take when qualifying it is the same as the counting form, so 3,000 will always be rendered {{lang|lg|nkumi ssatu}}.