If you’ve started learning Mandarin, you may have noticed that you cannot simply say “one book” or “three people” directly like in English. In Chinese, you need something called a measure word (量词, liàng cí) between the number and the noun. Measure words are an essential part of speaking naturally and correctly. The good news is that a small number of them are used very frequently in daily conversation.
In this post, you’ll learn five of the most common Chinese measure words with plenty of practical examples to help you sound more natural right away.
1. General Measure Word 个 (gè)
个 (gè) is the most commonly used measure word in Chinese. It is a general-purpose classifier and can be used with many nouns, especially when you are unsure which measure word to use. It is often used for people and everyday objects.
Example sentences:
一个人 (yí gè rén) – one person
三个人 (sān gè rén) – three people
一个苹果 (yí gè píngguǒ) – one apple
我有一个朋友 (wǒ yǒu yí gè péngyou) – I have one friend
这个手机很好 (zhè gè shǒujī hěn hǎo) – This phone is very good
2. For Flat Objects 张 (zhāng)
张 (zhāng) is used for flat objects like paper, tickets, tables, or beds. Think of anything with a flat surface such as a ticket (票, piào) or table (桌子, zhuōzi).
Example sentences:
一张纸 (yì zhāng zhǐ) – a piece of paper
两张票 (liǎng zhāng piào) – two tickets
一张桌子 (yì zhāng zhuōzi) – one table
我买了一张电影票 (wǒ mǎi le yì zhāng diànyǐng piào) – I bought a movie ticket
桌子上有一张照片 (zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì zhāng zhàopiàn) – There is a photo on the table
3. For Books 本 (běn)
本 (běn) is used for bound items such as books, magazines, or notebooks. If you are studying at a school (学校, xuéxiào), you will use this measure word often.
Example sentences:
一本书 (yì běn shū) – one book
两本杂志 (liǎng běn zázhì) – two magazines
我有三本中文书 (wǒ yǒu sān běn Zhōngwén shū) – I have three Chinese books
这本书很好看 (zhè běn shū hěn hǎo kàn) – This book is very interesting
他买了一本新词典 (tā mǎi le yì běn xīn cídiǎn) – He bought a new dictionary
4. For Long Objects 条 (tiáo)
条 (tiáo) is used for long, flexible objects such as rivers, roads, fish, or even pants. It is also used for abstract things like news or messages. For example, road (路, lù) or river (河, hé).
Example sentences:
一条鱼 (yì tiáo yú) – one fish
两条路 (liǎng tiáo lù) – two roads
一条裤子 (yì tiáo kùzi) – one pair of pants
这条河很长 (zhè tiáo hé hěn cháng) – This river is very long
我收到一条消息 (wǒ shōu dào yì tiáo xiāoxi) – I received a message
5. For Vehicles 辆 (liàng)
辆 (liàng) is used for vehicles with wheels such as cars, taxis, and buses. It is very useful when talking about transportation like taxi (出租车, chū zū chē) or bus (公交车, gōng jiāo chē).
Example sentences:
一辆车 (yí liàng chē) – one car
三辆出租车 (sān liàng chūzū chē) – three taxis
那辆车很贵 (nà liàng chē hěn guì) – That car is expensive
我看到两辆公交车 (wǒ kàn dào liǎng liàng gōngjiāo chē) – I saw two buses
他买了一辆新车 (tā mǎi le yí liàng xīn chē) – He bought a new car
How Measure Words Work in Sentences
The basic structure for using measure words is very simple: number plus measure word plus noun. For example, three books becomes 三本书 (sān běn shū). If you want to say “this” or “that”, the structure becomes demonstrative plus measure word plus noun. For example, this book becomes 这本书 (zhè běn shū).
Here are some combined examples:
我有两个朋友 (wǒ yǒu liǎng gè péngyou) – I have two friends
那本书很有意思 (nà běn shū hěn yǒu yìsi) – That book is very interesting
这条路很长 (zhè tiáo lù hěn cháng) – This road is very long
一张地图在桌子上 (yì zhāng dìtú zài zhuōzi shàng) – A map is on the table
Tips to Remember Measure Words Easily
Start by mastering 个 (gè) because it works in many situations. Then gradually learn specific ones like 本 (běn) for books and 张 (zhāng) for flat objects. When learning new nouns, always try to learn them together with their measure word. For example, instead of just learning “book” 书 (shū), learn 一本书 (yì běn shū). This habit will help you sound more natural and fluent much faster. Also, don’t worry about making mistakes. Even native speakers sometimes use 个 (gè) informally when they forget the correct measure word.
Vocabulary
- 个 (gè) – general measure word
- 张 (zhāng) – for flat objects
- 本 (běn) – for books
- 条 (tiáo) – for long objects
- 辆 (liàng) – for vehicles
- 票 (piào) – ticket
- 杂志 (zázhì) – magazine
- 裤子 (kùzi) – pants
- 出租车 (chūzū chē) – taxi
- 消息 (xiāoxi) – message
