Why does the Chinese word for "Ten thousand" sound like
Wan (Obi-Wan)?!

The Real Meaning

In Mandarin Chinese, the character (pronounced as wàn) actually translates to Ten thousand.

The Funny Part

Chinese counts in 万 (10,000s), not thousands. A million = 'a hundred ten-thousands'. Confusing? Welcome to Chinese math.

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Nice Teacher says...

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万 means ten thousand! wàn — fourth tone. Chinese counts in 万 (ten-thousands) instead of thousands. Different but logical!