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One to five

Five new words today — but they're the smallest words you'll ever learn, and you've been counting on your fingers since you were three. Today your fingers learn to speak Amatu.

1 · Say this

un, du, san, fo, go (oon · doo · sahn · foh · goh) one, two, three, four, five.

Hold up a hand and count across it. Five fingers, five little words, each one a single clean beat. That's the whole lesson — the first handful of numbers, ready to drop in front of anything you already name.

2 · A closer look: un, du, san, fo, go

These are the counting numbers, one through five. Each is short and stands on its own — say it, and you've said the number. Put one in front of a noun and you've counted that noun:

Amatu Says Means
un "oon" one
du "doo" two
san "sahn" three
fo "foh" four
go "goh" five

Now count things you already know:

un cho — one dog. du mau — two cats. san omo — three children. fo taru — four trees. go yari — five friends.

🌍 You already know the nouns

Every word being counted here you met long ago — cho (dog, Lesson 32), mau (cat, Lesson 32), omo (child, Lesson 23), taru (tree, Lesson 42), yari (friend, Lesson 23). The number just slides in front, and nothing else changes. The noun stays exactly as you learned it, whether it's one or five.

⚠️ Watch out

Keep du as a clean "doo" and go as a pure "goh" — no slide into "go-uh," just one bright beat each. san ends on a soft "n," like the close of peace shan (Lesson 4). And un is "oon," not the English "un-"; let the "oo" ring full before the "n" lands.

3 · Your turn

Out loud:

  1. one dog → un cho
  2. two cats → du mau
  3. three children → san omo
  4. four trees → fo taru
  5. five friends → go yari

4 · Tonight's phrase

go yari — five friends — five small words on one hand, and now they can count everything you already love to name.

30-second check

Cover the page. (1) Count one through five out loud: un, du, san, fo, go. (2) Count your friends: five friends. (3) Count the cats: two cats. Five clean beats and three quick counts? Then your fingers just learned to speak — and the rest of the numbers are only a hand away.

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