ICU plural rules guide
Plural categories differ across languages, so templates must be locale-aware.
Cardinal vs ordinal
Cardinal plurals describe quantity (1 item, 2 items). Ordinals describe position (1st, 2nd, 3rd). ICU supports both with plural and selectordinal.
Why locale matters
English uses few categories, while Arabic, Russian, and others may require more branches. Copying only English branches can break grammar in target languages.
Safe template strategy
Start with source intent, then generate locale-specific branches and let translators fill text inside each branch. Never drop required categories for the target language.
Quick workflow
1) Inspect categories in plural rules by locale. 2) Build structure with target template. 3) Test values in plural playground. 4) Validate in validator.