Chinese grammar · Beginner (A1)
Measure words
Between a number and a noun, Chinese always adds a measure word: 一个人, 两杯咖啡, 三张桌子. The common ones and how to use them.
Number + measure word + noun
English says “a cup of coffee” or “a pair of shoes”, but “two apples” with nothing in between. In Chinese, every noun needs a measure word between the number and the noun: (yí ge rén, one person), (liǎng bēi kāfēi, two cups of coffee), (sān zhāng zhuōzi, three tables).
(ge) is the most common measure word and works for people and many things. If you don't know the right one, is usually understood. Before a measure word, “two” is (liǎng), not (èr): , never 二个.
When it's clear what you mean, you can leave out the noun: (wǒ yào liǎng bēi, I'd like two cups).
- 一个人yí ge rénone person
- 两杯咖啡liǎng bēi kāfēitwo cups of coffee
- 三张桌子sān zhāng zhuōzithree tables
- 我要两杯。Wǒ yào liǎng bēi.I'd like two cups.
The common measure words
Many measure words describe a shape or a container: is for flat things, for long, thin things and for things you hold by a handle. Learn each noun together with its measure word. Notice how the tone of changes with the tone of the measure word.
| Measure word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (ge) | people and many things | (yí ge píngguǒ, an apple) |
| (wèi) | people (polite) | (yí wèi lǎoshī, a teacher) |
| (kǒu) | members of a family | (wǒ jiā yǒu sān kǒu rén, there are three of us) |
| (bēi) | cups, glasses | (yì bēi chá, a cup of tea) |
| (píng) | bottles | (yì píng shuǐ, a bottle of water) |
| (zhāng) | flat things: tables, beds, tickets, photos | (yì zhāng zhuōzi, a table) |
| (bǎ) | things with a handle: chairs, umbrellas, knives | (yì bǎ yǐzi, a chair) |
| (běn) | books | (yì běn shū, a book) |
| (jiàn) | tops, coats; matters | (yí jiàn chènshān, a shirt) |
| (tiáo) | long, thin things: trousers, skirts, fish, roads | (yì tiáo kùzi, a pair of trousers) |
| (shuāng) | pairs: shoes, socks, chopsticks | (yì shuāng xié, a pair of shoes) |
| (jīn) | half a kilo | (yì jīn píngguǒ, half a kilo of apples) |
| (hé) | boxes | (yì hé jīdàn, a box of eggs) |
| (kuài) | pieces; yuan (money) | (yí kuài dàngāo, a piece of cake) |
| (tào) | flats, sets | (yí tào fángzi, a flat) |
| (tái) | machines | (yì tái diànnǎo, a computer) |
| (liàng) | vehicles | (yí liàng chē, a car) |
| (bù) | films | (yí bù diànyǐng, a film) |
| (cì) | times, occasions | (yí cì, once) |
这, 那 and 哪 + measure word
“This”, “that” and “which” also take a measure word before a noun: (zhè bēi kāfēi, this cup of coffee), (nà jiàn chènshān, that shirt), (nǎ zhāng zhuōzi, which table). The everyday forms are (zhège, this one), (nàge, that one) and (nǎge, which one); many people say zhèige, nèige and něige.
With a number, the order is or + number + measure word + noun: (zhè liǎng ge píngguǒ, these two apples). To ask “how many”, use (jǐ) + measure word: (jǐ ge), (jǐ bēi).
- 这个多少钱？Zhège duōshao qián?How much is this one?
- 我要那件。Wǒ yào nà jiàn.I'll take that one. (a top)
- 这两个苹果很甜。Zhè liǎng ge píngguǒ hěn tián.These two apples are very sweet.
- 你要几杯？Nǐ yào jǐ bēi?How many cups would you like?
No plural, and words without a measure word
Chinese nouns don't change in the plural: (yí ge píngguǒ, one apple), (sān ge píngguǒ, three apples). The number and the measure word show how many.
A few words are measure words themselves, so they come straight after the number: (yì tiān, one day), (sān nián, three years), (èrshí suì, twenty years old), (wǔ kuài, five yuan). Weeks, months and hours usually take : (yí ge xīngqī, a week), (liǎng ge yuè, two months), (bā ge xiǎoshí, eight hours).
- 一个星期有七天。Yí ge xīngqī yǒu qī tiān.A week has seven days.
- 我每天工作八个小时。Wǒ měi tiān gōngzuò bā ge xiǎoshí.I work eight hours a day.