Measure words
Measure Words/量词（liang4ci2)
| In Chinese, most specified or numbered nouns must be preceded by measure words according to the type of object. It is like the English use of “pair” in the phrase “two pairs of pants”. Like the word “pair,” Chinese measure words are placed between the noun and the preceding number or demonstrative pronoun. |
1. 这本书里没有一个汉字。
- Zhè bĕn shū lǐ méi yŏu yí gè Hànzì.
- This book doesn’t contain one Chinese character.
2. 那间宿舍有六十个学生。
- Nà jiān sùshè yŏu liùshí ge xuésheng.
- That dorm has sixty students.
Some Common Measure Words
Column key: Trad. is Traditional, Simp. shows changes made for the simplified variant (if any).
| Trad. | Simp. | Pinyin | Main uses | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 個 | 个 | ge | individual things, people — usage of this classifier in conjunction with any noun is generally accepted if the person does not know the proper classifier. | 一个书包 yí ge shūbāo, a schoolbag |
| 把 | bǎ | “handful” — objects that can be held or grabbed (knives, scissors, keys; also chairs) | 一把刀 yì bă dāo. One knife. | |
| 包 | bāo | “package”, “bundle” | 一包纸巾 yì bāo zhǐ jīn; a package of paper towels | |
| 杯 | bēi | “cup” — drinks | 一杯水 yì bēi shuǐ. A cup of water. | |
| 本 | běn | “volume” — any bound print or written matter (books, etc.) | 一本书 yì běn shū. A book. | |
| 册 | cè | slimmer volumes of books | ||
| 次 | cì | “time” — opportunities, accidents | ||
| 滴 | dī | “droplet” water, blood, and other such fluids | 一滴水 yì dī shuǐ. a drop of water | |
| 點 | 点 | diǎn | ideas, suggestions, can also mean “a bit” | |
| 朵 | duǒ | flowers, clouds | 一朵花 yì duŏ huā. One flower. | |
| 根 | gēn | thin, slender objects, lit. “a root of a…” (needles, pillars, grass, vegetable roots etc.) | 一根针 yì gēn zhēn. A needle | |
| 家 | jiā | gathering of people (families, companies, etc.) | ||
| 架 | jià | objects with a “frame” or structure; generally used for machines or mechanical objects (esp. cars, planes, etc.) | 一架車 yì jià chē. One car. | |
| 件 | jiàn | matters, clothing, etc. | 一件衣服 yí jiàn yī fù | |
| 節 | 节 | jié | “a section” — of bamboo, tutorials and classes, etc. | |
| 輛 | 辆 | liàng | automobiles, bicycles, vehicles, etc. | 一辆车 yí liàng chē. One car. |
| 面 | miàn | any flat and smooth objects, lit. “a surface of a…” (mirrors, flags, walls, etc.) | 一面镜子 yí miàn jìng zi. One mirror | |
| 匹 | pǐ | horses and other mounts, or rolls/bolts of cloth | 一匹马 yì pǐ mă. One horse. | |
| 片 | piàn | “slice” — any flat objects, like cards, slices of bread, tree leaves etc. | 一片叶子 yì piàn yè zi. One leaf. | |
| 瓶 | píng | “bottle” — drinks | ||
| 艘 | sōu | ships | 一艘船 yì sōu chuán. One ship. | |
| 所 | suǒ | any buildings, apartment | ||
| 台 | tái | heavy objects (TVs, computers, etc.) and performances (in theatre esp., etc.) | ||
| 條 | 条 | tiáo | long, narrow, flexible objects (fish, trousers, etc.) | 一条鱼 yì tiáo yú. One fish. |
| 頭 | 头 | tóu | “head” — herd animals (pigs, cows, sheep etc., never for fowls or birds), hair | 一头牛 yì tóu niú (Literally translated into English, “头” means head. So literally we are saying one head of cattle.) |
| 位 | wèi | polite classifier for people (e.g. “gentleman”, “professors”) | ||
| 張 | 张 | zhāng | “sheet” — squarish or rectangular flat objects (paper, tables, etc.), faces, bows, paintings, tickets, constellations | 一张纸 yì zhāng zhĭ. One piece of paper. |
| 支 | zhī | stick-like objects (pens, chopsticks, etc.) | 一支笔 yì zhī bî. One pen. | |
| 隻 | 只 | zhī | one of a pair (e.g. hands, limbs), animals (birds, cats, etc.) | 一只狗 yì zhī gŏu. One dog. |
| 種 | 种 | zhǒng | types or kinds of objects, ideas, etc. | |
| 棟 | 栋 | dǒng | building object | 一栋房子 yí dòng fáng zí. One house |