The Assiniboines call 7, _shak ko we_, or _u she nah_, the odd number.[150] The Crow 1, _hamat,_ signifies "the least";[151] the Mississaga 1, _pecik_, a very small thing.[152] In Javanese, Malay, and Manadu, the words for 1, which are respectively _siji_, _satu_, and _sabuah_, signify 1 seed, 1 pebble, and 1 fruit respectively[153]--words as natural and as much to be expected at the beginning of a number scale as any finger name could possibly be.

Among almost all savage races one form or another of palpable arithmetic is found, such as counting by seeds, pebbles, shells, notches, or knots; and the derivation of number words from these sources can constitute no ground for surprise.

The Marquesan word for 4 is _pona_, knot, from the practice of tying breadfruit in knots of 4.

The Maori 10 is _tekau_, bunch, or parcel, from the counting of yams and fish by parcels of 10.[154] The Javanese call 25, _lawe_, a thread, or string; 50, _ekat_, a skein of thread; 400, _samas_, a bit of gold; 800, _domas_, 2 bits of gold.[155] The Macassar and Butong term for 100 is _bilangan_, 1 tale or reckoning.[156] The Aztec 20 is _cem pohualli_, 1 count; 400 is _centzontli_, 1 hair of the head; and 8000 is _xiquipilli_, sack.[157] This sack was of such a size as to contain 8000 cacao nibs, or grains, hence the derivation of the word in its numeral sense is perfectly natural.

In Japanese we find a large number of terms which, as applied to the different units of the number scale, seem almost purely fanciful.