Compiled by Ron Meshanko
Huli is a Engan language spoken in around Tari in Hela Province, and in the south of Enga Province in Papua New Guinea. In 2011 there were about 150,000 speakers of Huli, which is also known as Huli-Hulidana or Huri. 1
The Engan languages are spoken in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Huli is part of the South Engan branch of the family, along with Angal, Kewa and Samberigi. These languages are possibly part of the Trans-New Guinea language family.
One interesting aspect of Huli is that numbers are pentadecimal (base-15). This means that 16 is 15 + 1 (nguira-ni mbira), 17 is 15 + 2 (nguira-ni kira), 30 is 15 x 2 (ngui ki), and so on. 2
Huli has a pandanus language called tayenda tu ha illili (bush divide taboo) used for collecting karuka nuts as well as hunting or traveling. 3 Tayenda is used to evade malevolent bush spirits. The grammar for Tayenda is nearly identical to normal Huli, but the vocabulary is changed, often borrowing words from Duna but with changed meanings. 4
Huli alphabet and pronunciation

Notes
- At the beginning of words d is pronounced [d̥], and is pronounced [dʲ] between i and a at the ends of words
- r only appears in the middle of words
- Between vowels b = [β] and g = [ɣ]
- Many Huli speakers pronounced t as [s] before i
The Huli Pentadecimal Numbering System: 2
Number | Reading | Meaning |
---|---|---|
0 | ? | – |
1 | mbira | 1 obj. |
2 | kira | 2 obj. |
3 | tebira | 3* obj. |
4 | maria | 4 obj. |
5 | duria | 5* obj. |
6 | waragaria | 6 obj. |
7 | karia | 7 obj. |
8 | halira | 8 obj. |
9 | dira | 9 obj. |
10 | pira | 10 obj. |
11 | bearia | 11 obj. |
12 | hombearia | 12 obj. |
13 | haleria | 13 obj. |
14 | deria | 14 obj. |
15 | nguira | 15 obj. |
16 | nguira-ni mbira | 15 obj. and 1 obj. |
17 | nguira-ni kira | 15 obj. and 2 obj. |
18 | nguira-ni tebira | 15 obj. and 3* obj. |
19 | nguira-ni maria | 15 obj. and 4 obj. |
20 | nguira-ni duria | 15 obj. and 5* obj. |
21 | nguira-ni waragaria | 15 obj. and 6 obj. |
22 | nguira-ni karia | 15 obj. and 7 obj. |
23 | nguira-ni halira | 15 obj. and 8 obj. |
24 | nguira-ni dira | 15 obj. and 9 obj. |
25 | nguira-ni pira | 15 obj. and 10 obj. |
26 | nguira-ni bearia | 15 obj. and 11 obj. |
27 | nguira-ni hombearia | 15 obj. and 12 obj. |
28 | nguira-ni haleria | 15 obj. and 13 obj. |
29 | nguira-ni deria | 15 obj. and 14 obj. |
30 | ngui ki | 15 × 2 |
31 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga mbira | (15 × 2) + (1 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
32 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga kira | (15 × 2) + (2 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
33 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga tebira | (15 × 2) + (3* obj. of the 3rd 15) |
34 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga maria | (15 × 2) + (4 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
35 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga duria | (15 × 2) + (5* obj. of the 3rd 15) |
36 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga waragaria | (15 × 2) + (6 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
37 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga karia | (15 × 2) + (7 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
38 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga halira | (15 × 2) + (8 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
39 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga dira | (15 × 2) + (9 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
40 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga pira | (15 × 2) + (10 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
41 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga bearia | (15 × 2) + (11 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
42 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga hombearia | (15 × 2) + (12 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
43 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga haleria | (15 × 2) + (13 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
44 | ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga deria | (15 × 2) + (14 obj. of the 3rd 15) |
45 | ngui tebo | 15 × 3 |
46 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga mbira | (15 × 3) + (1 obj. of the 4th 15) |
47 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga kira | (15 × 3) + (2 obj. of the 4th 15) |
48 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga tebira | (15 × 3) + (3* obj. of the 4th 15) |
49 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga maria | (15 × 3) + (4 obj. of the 4th 15) |
50 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga duria | (15 × 3) + (5* obj. of the 4th 15) |
51 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga waragaria | (15 × 3) + (6 obj. of the 4th 15) |
52 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga karia | (15 × 3) + (7 obj. of the 4th 15) |
53 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga halira | (15 × 3) + (8 obj. of the 4th 15) |
54 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga dira | (15 × 3) + (9 obj. of the 4th 15) |
55 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga pira | (15 × 3) + (10 obj. of the 4th 15) |
56 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga bearia | (15 × 3) + (11 obj. of the 4th 15) |
57 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga hombearia | (15 × 3) + (12 obj. of the 4th 15) |
58 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga haleria | (15 × 3) + (13 obj. of the 4th 15) |
59 | ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga deria | (15 × 3) + (14 obj. of the 4th 15) |
60 | ngui ma | 15 × 4 |
61 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga mbira | (15 × 4) + (1 obj. of the 5th 15) |
62 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga kira | (15 × 4) + (2 obj. of the 5th 15) |
63 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga tebira | (15 × 4) + (3* obj. of the 5th 15) |
64 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga maria | (15 × 4) + (4 obj. of the 5th 15) |
65 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga duria | (15 × 4) + (5* obj. of the 5th 15) |
66 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga waragaria | (15 × 4) + (6 obj. of the 5th 15) |
67 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga karia | (15 × 4) + (7 obj. of the 5th 15) |
68 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga halira | (15 × 4) + (8 obj. of the 5th 15) |
69 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga dira | (15 × 4) + (9 obj. of the 5th 15) |
70 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga pira | (15 × 4) + (10 obj. of the 5th 15) |
71 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga bearia | (15 × 4) + (11 obj. of the 5th 15) |
72 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga hombearia | (15 × 4) + (12 obj. of the 5th 15) |
73 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga haleria | (15 × 4) + (13 obj. of the 5th 15) |
74 | ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga deria | (15 × 4) + (14 obj. of the 5th 15) |
75 | ngui dau | 15 × 5 |
76 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga mbira | (15 × 5) + (1 obj. of the 6th 15) |
77 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga kira | (15 × 5) + (2 obj. of the 6th 15) |
78 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga tebira | (15 × 5) + (3* obj. of the 6th 15) |
79 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga maria | (15 × 5) + (4 obj. of the 6th 15) |
80 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga duria | (15 × 5) + (5* obj. of the 6th 15) |
81 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga waragaria | (15 × 5) + (6 obj. of the 6th 15) |
82 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga karia | (15 × 5) + (7 obj. of the 6th 15) |
83 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga halira | (15 × 5) + (8 obj. of the 6th 15) |
84 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga dira | (15 × 5) + (9 obj. of the 6th 15) |
85 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga pira | (15 × 5) + (10 obj. of the 6th 15) |
86 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga bearia | (15 × 5) + (11 obj. of the 6th 15) |
87 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga hombearia | (15 × 5) + (12 obj. of the 6th 15) |
88 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga haleria | (15 × 5) + (13 obj. of the 6th 15) |
89 | ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga deria | (15 × 5) + (14 obj. of the 6th 15) |
90 | ngui waraga | 15 × 6 |
91 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga mbira | (15 × 6) + (1 obj. of the 7th 15) |
92 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga kira | (15 × 6) + (2 obj. of the 7th 15) |
93 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga tebira | (15 × 6) + (3* obj. of the 7th 15) |
94 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga maria | (15 × 6) + (4 obj. of the 7th 15) |
95 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga duria | (15 × 6) + (5* obj. of the 7th 15) |
96 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga waragaria | (15 × 6) + (6 obj. of the 7th 15) |
97 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga karia | (15 × 6) + (7 obj. of the 7th 15) |
98 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga halira | (15 × 6) + (8 obj. of the 7th 15) |
99 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga dira | (15 × 6) + (9 obj. of the 7th 15) |
100 | ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga pira | (15 × 6) + (10 obj. of the 7th 15) |
* Different form
Huli numbering rules 5
Now that you’ve had a gist of the most useful numbers, let’s move to the writing rules for the tens, the compound numbers, and why not the hundreds, the thousands and beyond (if possible).
- The Huli language has a pentadecimal numeral system, i.-e. of base fifteen. Thus, we can consider numbers from one to fourteen as digits, and fifteen itself as “ten”. Each number root is suffixed by either -ra or -ria, which denotes an object is counted.
- Digits from one to fourteen are: mbira [1], kira [2], tebira [3], maria [4], duria [5], waragaria [6], karia [7], halira [8], dira [9], pira [10], bearia [11], hombearia [12], haleria [13], and deria [14].
- Tens are formed by setting the word for fifteen (ngui), followed by the root of the multiplier digit separated with a space, except for fifteen itself: ngui [15] (1015), ngui ki [30] (15*2, or 2015), ngui tebo [45] (15*3, or 3015), ngui ma [60] (15*4, or 4015), ngui dau [75] (15*5, or 5015), and ngui waraga [90] (15*6, or 6015). We can suppose the system goes on, but we only know the Huli tens up to ninety (in base-10) at the moment.
- From sixteen (1115) to twenty-nine (1E15), compound numbers are formed by adding the suffix -ni to the fifteen word, followed by the unit separated by a space: nguira-ni mbira [16] (15+1), nguira-ni kira [17] (15+2), nguira-ni tebira [18] (15+3), nguira-ni maria [19], nguira-ni duria [20], nguira-ni waragaria [21], nguira-ni karia [22], nguira-ni halira [23], nguira-ni dira [24], nguira-ni pira [25], nguira-ni bearia [26], nguira-ni hombearia [27], nguira-ni haleria [28], and nguira-ni deria [29] (15+14).
- From thirty-one (2115) to forty-four (2E15), compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, which literally means “fifteen two”, followed by the expression ngui tebone-gonaga meaning “plus x of the third fifteen”, and the unit (e.g.: ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga maria [34] (15*2+4), ngui ki, ngui tebone-gonaga haleria [43]).
- From forty-six (3115) to fifty-nine (3E15), compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, which literally means “fifteen three”, followed by the expression ngui mane-gonaga meaning “plus x of the fourth fifteen”, and the unit (e.g.: ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga tebira [48] (15*3+8), ngui tebo, ngui mane-gonaga hombearia [57]).
- From sixty-one (4115) to seventy-four (4E15), compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, which literally means “fifteen four”, followed by the expression ngui dauni-gonaga meaning “plus x of the fifth fifteen”, and the unit (e.g.: ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga waragaria [66] (15*4+6), ngui ma, ngui dauni-gonaga deria [74]).
- From seventy-six (5115) to eighty-nine (5E15), compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, which literally means “fifteen five”, followed by the expression ngui waragane-gonaga meaning “plus x of the sixth fifteen”, and the unit (e.g.: ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga maria [79] (15*5+4), ngui dau, ngui waragane-gonaga pira [85]).
- From ninety-one (6115) to one hundred and four (6E15), compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, which literally means “fifteen six”, followed by the expression ngui kane-gonaga meaning “plus x of the seventh fifteen”, and the unit (e.g.: ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga karia [97] (15*6+7), ngui waraga, ngui kane-gonaga pira [100]).