Chinese measure words (量词): the complete guide with table

In English you say "a book", "three cats". In Chinese you cannot put a number directly before a noun: you need a word in between, the measure word or classifier (量词 liàngcí, "measuring word").

Number + measure word + noun

• 一本书 yì běn shū: a book

• 三只猫 sān zhī māo: three cats

• 两杯咖啡 liǎng bēi kāfēi: two coffees

English actually has something similar with uncountable nouns: "a cup of tea", "a sheet of paper", "a pair of shoes", "three head of cattle". Chinese extends this principle to all nouns.

Each measure word is linked to a category of objects, often by shape: 张 for flat things (paper, tables, beds, tickets), 条 for long, flexible things (rivers, trousers, fish, roads), 本 for bound things (books, notebooks, magazines). Learning measure words is also learning how Chinese speakers "see" objects.

Golden rule: learn every noun with its measure word, the way you'd learn the gender of nouns in French or German. Don't memorise "书 = book"; memorise "一本书 = a book".

个 is by far the most common measure word. It's used:

• for people: 一个人, 三个学生, 两个朋友;

• for many objects with no specific measure word: 一个苹果, 一个问题 (a question), 一个国家 (a country), 一个星期 (a week), 一个月 (a month);

• for abstract things: 一个想法 (an idea), 一个机会 (an opportunity).

In speech, 个 often replaces a more specific measure word (一个杯子, 一个椅子). If in doubt, 个 will usually be understood, but not always correct. Phrases like ✗ 一个书 or ✗ 一个猫 sound clearly wrong.

Pronunciation: 个 is tone 4 (gè), but it's very often pronounced neutral in speech: 一个 yí ge, 这个 zhège, 那个 nàge. Note that 一 does become yí before 个 (underlying tone 4).

Note: 一个月 (one month) uses 个, but not 一个年: ✓ 一年 (one year), ✓ 一天 (one day). 年, 天, 分钟 act as units themselves and need no measure word.

Here are the measure words you'll meet in HSK levels 1 to 3, roughly ordered by frequency. For each: the category of objects and typical examples. No need to learn them all at once: start with the first ten.

Measure words don't only follow numbers. They also follow demonstratives and question words:

这 / 那 / 哪 + (number) + measure word + noun

• 这本书 zhè běn shū: this book

• 那件衣服 nà jiàn yīfu: that piece of clothing

• 哪个人? nǎ ge rén, which person?

• 这三个学生 zhè sān gè xuésheng: these three students (the order is demonstrative + number + measure word)

几 + measure word (+ noun)?, how many (small number, usually < 10):

• 你家有几口人? How many people are in your family?

• 你要几杯咖啡? How many coffees do you want?

With 多少 (how many, larger or unknown number), the measure word is optional: 多少(个)学生?

每 + measure word + noun, each, every:

• 每个人: everyone; 每天: every day (no measure word with 天, 年).

The noun can be dropped if context is clear, but never the measure word:

• 你要哪个? Which one do you want?

• 我要这个。 I want this one.

• 我买了三本。 I bought three (books).

Chinese has two words for "two":

• 二 èr: for counting and inside numbers: 一、二、三; 十二 (12); 第二 (second); 二月 (February).

• 两 liǎng: before a measure word, meaning "two (things)": 两个人, 两本书, 两杯茶, 两天.

✗ 二个人 → ✓ 两个人

✗ 二本书 → ✓ 两本书

In compound numbers, keep 二: 十二个人 (12 people), 二十二本书 (22 books). For 200 and 2,000, you can say 两百 or 二百, and 两千 (more common).

Another trap: money. 2 yuan = 两块钱, not "二块钱".

Some measure words count actions, not objects. They go after the verb:

Verb + number + verbal measure word

• 次 cì: how many times an action happens. 我去过两次北京。 I've been to Beijing twice.

• 遍 biàn: one time from start to finish (reading, listening, saying in full). 请再说一遍。 Please say it again (lit. say it once more in full).

• 下 xià: a brief action. 等一下: wait a moment; 看一下: take a quick look.

Watch the object position: with an ordinary noun, you usually say verb + number + 次 + object (我看过三次这个电影), but with a pronoun, verb + pronoun + number + 次 (我见过他两次).

As with nominal measure words, 第 + number + 次 gives the ordinal: 第一次来中国, to come to China for the first time.

• ✗ 一书 → ✓ 一本书. The measure word is mandatory between number and noun.

• ✗ 这书 occurs in speech, but ✓ 这本书 is the standard form and the only correct one in writing.

• ✗ 二杯茶 → ✓ 两杯茶.

• ✗ 一个年 → ✓ 一年. No measure word with 年, 天, 分钟, 岁 (which is itself a unit).

• 一只狗 or 一条狗? Both exist! 条 is very common for dogs, and so is 只. Some nouns accept several measure words.

• ✗ 一位我朋友 → ✓ 我的一位朋友 or 我一个朋友 (the possessor comes first).

• 位 is polite: use it for guests, teachers, customers (几位? → "How many of you?" at a restaurant). Don't say ✗ 一位小偷 (a thief): it sounds ironic!

Memory tip: group nouns by measure word when you review. A card "张: 纸, 票, 桌子, 床, 照片" works better than five separate cards. Above all, learn every new word with its measure word: that's what Hanlu's vocabulary cards do.