Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm still learning to speak Yoruba. I notice that the Yoruba translation for numbers is made unnecessarily difficult and desperately needs updating. For example there is no translation for million or billion (millionu and billionu are simply the english translations with a 'u' at the end ). In Igbo million=nde and billion=ijeri. Looking around the net for translations is confusing as different sites say different things.

If I wanted to teach a young child how to say 0-100 they would first need to learn hard sums in adding, subtracting.
46 = eerindinladota (50 - 4)
70 = adorin (20 * 4 - 10)

After 15, I would need to subtract in order to figure out the rest,
11 -Ọkanla
12 -Ejila
13 -Ẹtala
14 -Ẹrinla
15 -Ẹdogun
16 -Ẹrindinlogun (20 - 4)
17 -Ẹtadinlogun (20 - 3)
18 -Ejindinlogun (20 - 2)
19 -Ọkandinlogun (20 - 1)
20 -Ogun, ogún, okòó or Okowo

Everything from 20 upwards to me is a confused mess. Is there anyway to make numerology in Yoruba more straightforward with clear and official translations for tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions?

Sometimes I wonder who came up with that horrendous method of numbering. Even Igbo the so-called difficult language to learn has very easy numerology. Anyways the deed is been done, I don't see anyway it can be changed at this point in time. We just got to go with the flow.

OP, Yoruba number system is indigenously base-20. I would say that your confusion over the 'unnecessary difficulty' of Yoruba is expected. You, like many others, have been taught to think in base-10, so you don't even realize that Yoruba is base-20, and so you fail to appreciate it for what it is. Also, you are not a lone. Like many Yoruba, Igbo as well do not understand their own indigenous counting system. Many of the names for numbers have been given new meanings that fit the Europeans base-10 system. The number system you see now for Igbo is a change that occurred only in the past 100 years (at most). If you really want, you're free to make that change to Yoruba. After all, it is your people's language, and by extension, your language.

Thank you for bringing this up,why I won't be angry with your claim is that u said u are still learning how to speak the language and I wish u all the best,Yoruba dun lede'po Yoruba yanranti, to start with the addition and subtraction in those numbers is to quicken ur brain. The milionu and bilionu is what we call ayalo ede (borrowed language) every language has this ayalo ede even in English.

You are right, OP.
The minus base 20+/- based numerology system kinda makes it hard.... So in my Opinion, it needs a restructuring.

YourNemesis:
You are right, OP.
The minus base 20+/- based numerology system kinda makes it hard.... So in my Opinion, it needs a restructuring.

It only appears hard because yoruba language is being relegated. when you think of it yoruba numerals are mathematically intelligent. think of 2,400 "egbejila" which literally means 200 x 12

even the million and billion the op talked about have real yoruba words that are just unpopular, we must promote the language not undergoing unnecessary reconstruction that will only kill the essence of the language's numeral system

You all should check this site out YorubaNumeral.com

You can translate any number from 0 to 25 billion to Yoruba, with explanation for every number.

Just input your desired number and get the translation immediately.

Saves you a lot effort especially if you need to do this frequently