Chinese is a unique language that has its own system of measure words, also known as classifiers. These measure words are used to count or quantify different objects, and they must be used alongside the corresponding noun. Learning about Chinese measure words is an important aspect of mastering the language, as they are used frequently in daily conversation. Here’s a guide on Chinese measure words and how to use them correctly.
When using measure words in Chinese, it is important to know which measure word corresponds with the noun you are describing. Some nouns have multiple measure words that can be used, so it’s important to choose the correct one for the context. Additionally, the measure word must be used alongside the number, and cannot be omitted.
For example, to say “two apples” in Chinese, you would say “兩個蘋果” (ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄍㄜˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄛˇ). If you were counting dogs, you would use the measure word “隻” (ㄓ), so “two dogs” would be “兩隻狗” (ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄓ ㄍㄡˇ).
| Measure Word | Bopomofo | Pinyin | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 個 | ㄍㄜˋ | gè | General objects, people |
| 隻 | ㄓ | zhī | Animals (cats, dogs, birds) |
| 頭 | ㄊㄡˊ | tóu | Large animals (horses, cows) |
| 條 | ㄊㄧㄠˊ | tiáo | Long, thin objects (snakes, rivers, pants) |
| 件 | ㄐㄧㄢˋ | jiàn | Clothing (shirts, jackets, dresses) |
| 瓶 | ㄆㄧㄥˊ | píng | Bottles, liquids |
| 匹 | ㄆㄧˇ | pǐ | Cloth, textiles |
| 輛 | ㄌㄧㄤˋ | liàng | Vehicles (cars, bikes, buses) |
| 架 | ㄐㄧㄚˋ | jià | Machines (planes, computers, cameras) |
| 粒 | ㄌㄧˋ | lì | Small, round objects (beads, pills, grains) |
| 扇 | ㄕㄢˋ | shàn | Fans, doors |
| 道 | ㄉㄠˋ | dào | Dishes, questions |
| 雙 | ㄕㄨㄤ | shuāng | Pairs (shoes, socks, gloves) |
| 台 | ㄊㄞˊ | tái | Electronic devices (TVs, phones, computers) |
| 顆 | ㄎㄜ | kē | Small, solid objects (seeds, teeth, gems) |
| 把 | ㄅㄚˇ | bǎ | Objects with handles (umbrellas, knives, chairs) |
| 支 | ㄓ | zhī | Long, thin objects (pen, pencil) |
| 棵 | ㄎㄜ | kē | Trees, plants |
| 位 | ㄨㄟˋ | wèi | People (for social positions or seating arrangements) |
| 包 | ㄅㄠ | bāo | Bags of … |
| 名 | ㄇㄧㄥˊ | míng | People (for names) |
| 天 | ㄊㄧㄢ | tiān | Days |
| 次 | ㄘˋ | cì | Times (for occurrences) |
| 頓 | ㄉㄨㄣˋ | dùn | Meals, courses |
| 遍 | ㄅㄧㄢˋ | biàn | Times (for actions, movements) |
| 分 | ㄈㄣ | fēn | Portions, segments |
| 篇 | ㄆㄧㄢ | piān | Articles, essays, papers |
| 句 | ㄐㄩˋ | jù | Sentences |
| 首 | ㄕㄡˇ | shǒu | Songs, poems, music |
| 曲 | ㄑㄩ | qǔ | Pieces of music |
| 部 | ㄅㄨˋ | bù | Movies, books, machines |
| 場 | ㄔㄤˊ | chǎng | Events, performances |
| 種 | ㄓㄨㄥˇ | zhǒng | Types, kinds |
| 塊 | ㄎㄨㄞˋ | kuài | Chunks, pieces, lumps (of food or material) |
| 批 | ㄆㄧ | pī | Batches, shipments, groups |
| 箱 | ㄒㄧㄤ | xiāng | Boxes, crates |
| 份 | ㄈㄣˋ | fèn | Portions, servings (of food) |
| 套 | ㄊㄠˋ | tào | Sets, collections (of items) |
| 張 | ㄓㄤ | zhāng | Flat objects (paper, pictures, maps) |
| 頁 | ㄧㄝˋ | yè | Pages |
| 根 | ㄍㄣ | gēn | Long, thin objects (rope, wire) |
| 只 | ㄓˇ | zhǐ | Gloves, socks |
| 面 | ㄇㄧㄢˋ | miàn | Flat objects (mirrors, flags, screens) |
| 頸 | ㄐㄧㄥˇ | jǐng | Giraffes, necks |
| 朵 | ㄉㄨㄛˇ | duǒ | Flowers, clouds, mushrooms |
| 杯 | ㄅㄟ | bēi | Cups, glasses of … |
| 本 | ㄅㄣˇ | bĕn | Books, magazines |
| 筆 | ㄅㄧˇ | bĭ | Money |
| 打 | ㄉㄚˇ | dá | A dozen of … |
| 袋 | ㄉㄞˋ | dài | Bags of … |
| 家 | ㄐㄧㄚ | jiā | Companies, restaurants, stores |
| 間 | ㄐㄧㄢ | jiān | Rooms |
| 碗 | ㄨㄢˇ | wǎn | Food and drink (bowl) |
| 項 | ㄒㄧㄤˋ | xiàng | Itemized things (clauses, tasks, research projects, etc.) |
| 些 | ㄒㄧㄝ | xiē | A small amount or small number (greater than one) |
| 點 | ㄉㄧㄢˇ | diǎn | A little; a bit; some |
| 段 | ㄉㄨㄢˋ | duàn | Stories, periods of time, lengths of thread, etc. (a section, segment or part) |
| 片 | ㄆㄧㄢˋ | piàn | Slices, tablets, tracts of land, areas of water; CDs, movies, DVDs; scenes, feelings, atmospheres, etc. |
| 則 | ㄗㄜˊ | zé | Written items |
| 群 | ㄑㄩㄣˊ | qún | People or animals (a group, herd, flock or pack) |
| 所 | ㄙㄨㄛˇ | suǒ | Houses, small buildings, institutions, etc. (schools, hospitals, etc.) |
| 門 | ㄇㄣˊ | mén | Subjects of study or fields of technical training |
| 罐 | ㄍㄨㄢˋ | guàn | Jars, pots or tins |
| 桶 | ㄊㄨㄥˇ | tǒng | Buckets, pails, cans, barrels, tubs, kegs |
| 列 | ㄌㄧㄝˋ | liè | A series or row of things |
| 串 | ㄔㄨㄢˋ | chuàn | A string of things (string, bunch, cluster) |
Chinese measure words are an important aspect of the language that must be mastered in order to communicate effectively. By understanding the different types of measure words and how to use them correctly, learners can enhance their Chinese language skills and communicate more accurately in everyday conversation.
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