dertien

Dertien is the Dutch cardinal numeral for the quantity thirteen. It is used in counting, to express age (dertien jaar oud), dates, measurements, and other contexts where a specific number is required.

In Dutch, the teen numbers 13 through 19 are formed by combining a base digit with the word for ten, with some phonetic changes. Specifically, 13 is dertien, 14 veertien, 15 vijftien, 16 zestien, 17 zeventien, 18 achttien, and 19 negentien. The pattern reflects a broader Germanic naming tradition in which a base number plus a “ten/teen” suffix yields the teen numbers. Etymologically, dertien derives from three and ten and has roots in Old Dutch, with cognates in other Germanic languages such as German dreizehn and English thirteen.

As an ordinal, thirteen is expressed as dertiende (the thirteenth). In cultural and practical contexts, the number 13 can carry superstitious associations in many Western cultures, but in Dutch usage it generally functions like other teen numbers in everyday language, education, and official notation.

Dertien also appears in literature, media, and place names as a symbolic or literal reference to the number thirteen. For Dutch speakers and learners, it remains a straightforward element of the basic counting system and a common component of the teen-number family.