Is 38 a prime number?
38 is not a prime number. Here is the quickest way to see it.
The answer
No. 38 is not a prime number: 2 × 19 = 38.
How to see that 38 is not prime
38 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 38.
38 has four factors: 1 and 38, plus one pair in between, 2 and 19.
Split 38 into prime factors
38 splits straight into two primes, 2 × 19, so its factor tree has only one branch.
38 in the times tables
No fact from the 2 to 12 times tables, up to × 12, makes 38. Its smallest pair, 2 × 19, needs the 19 times table, which goes past 12.
See the 19 times table, where 19 × 2 = 38 is one of the facts.
Quick checks that catch 38
- The last digit, 8, is even, so 2 goes in.
38 at a glance
- In words
- thirty-eight
- In Roman numerals
- XXXVIII
- Odd or even
- Even: it ends in 8
- Its factors add up to
- 60, or 22 without 38 itself, which makes 38 a deficient number
The numbers either side of 38
- 37 is prime: 2, 3 and 5 do not go into it, and 7 × 7 is already past 37. Check 37 in full
- 39 is not prime. Its digits add up to 3 + 9 = 12, which is a multiple of 3. That means 39 is a multiple of 3 too, so 3 is a factor. Check 39 in full
Turn the digits round
38 backwards is 83. 83 is prime: 2, 3, 5 and 7 do not go into it, and 11 × 11 is already past 83. Check 83 in full
Related pages
More numbers
Questions parents ask
Which prime numbers are either side of 38?
37 below it and 41 above it, a gap of 4.
What is 38 squared?
38 × 38 = 1444.
What is the smallest number with as many factors as 38?
6. It has 4 factors, the same as 38.
Number facts are the base of 11+ maths
Factors, multiples, primes and square numbers come up all over 11+ maths, from simplifying fractions to ratio. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.