亿

• Pinyin: yì
• Hanzi breakdown: 亿 = 亻 (person radical) + 乙 (phonetic), simplified from 億

Meaning

Hundred million. The number 100,000,000, a basic large counting unit in Chinese.

Chinese counting groups numbers in units of 万 (ten thousand) and 亿 (hundred million), which differs from Western grouping by thousands. One 亿 equals one hundred million. Frequently used when discussing population, money, and large-scale data.

Examples

1. 中国有十四亿人口。 China has a population of 1.4 billion.
2. 这家公司赚了好几亿。 This company made several hundred million.
3. 地球上有七十多亿人。 There are over 7 billion people on Earth.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, news, data

Tone: informational

Do Say

• 中国有十四亿人。(China has 1.4 billion people.)
• 这个项目花了两亿。(This project cost two hundred million.)

Don't Say

• 我有一亿个朋友。(Don't use 亿 for casual exaggeration in formal contexts — it literally means a hundred million.)

Origin & History

Ancient character originally meaning 'to be content.' The meaning shifted to the large number 100,000,000 over time. Simplified from 億.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal