Chinese Grammar Bank
CHINESE MEASURE WORDS
Chinese Measure Words are definitely one of the most intimidating and confusing aspects of the language!
But don’t worry, there is actually a logic behind them and once you get it, they won’t seem as intimidating.
WHAT IS A CHINESE MEASURE WORD?
This isn’t a crazy foreign concept. If you know English, you already know about measure words!
For example, when I want a sandwich, what will I use to make it?
- Two slices of bread
- Two breads
You picked A, right? Two slices of bread.
Slice is an example of a measure word in English. Other examples of measure words in English are “a stick of gum” or “a piece of paper.”
The big difference between Mandarin and English is that Mandarin uses measure words way more often than in English. In English measure words are normally used to measure (how much bread? A slice). In Mandarin, this is simply part of how nouns are used.
At first, it may seem odd to use measure words with things like 老师 (teacher) or 苹果 (apple) that do not use measure words in English, but over time saying 一个老师 (a person teacher) will feel as natural as saying “a teacher.”
THE STRUCTURE
PATTERN
Number + Measure Word + Noun
Measure words are always used (at least implicitly) with a number. For example, to say “one apple” or “an apple” you will say:
- 一 is the number
- 个 is the measure word
- 苹果 is the noun
No matter what your number, the measure word will never change as shown below:
COMMON MEASURE WORDS
Ideas for how to use this resource:
- Read through each group and try to pick up what the unifying feature of each measure word is
- Study through doodling – write the measure word and then draw some of the objects around it, to help cement the concept in your memory
- Find words you already know on these lists and think of any words you already know in this category
Do not feel obligated to make flashcards and memorize each of these measure word-noun pairings right now. Focus on learning the measure words for the nouns you already know and developing a general understanding of the more common measure words.
条 tiáo
条 tiáo is for long, thin objects.
For some, like 狗 (gǒu, dog), this seems like a stretch, but imagining a long, thin dog in your head will help you remember this measure word + noun pairing!
张 zhāng
张 zhāng is typically used with things that you can open, spread, or unfold.
台 tái
台 tái is used for appliances or performances.
快 kuài
块 kuài is for chunks or pieces of something.
只 zhǐ，匹 pī，头 tóu
These measure words are typically used for animals and socks, shoes, or jewellery.
辆 liàng，列 liè，架 jià
This measure word is typically used for transportation objects.
座 zuò，栋 dòng
This measure word is used for buildings.
Collective Measure Words
Some measure words aren’t referring to individual objects, they’re referring to groups.
For an English example: A herd of elephants. Herd refers to the collective group.
Some more examples from Mandarin:
|
一副对联
A rhyming couplet |
一双鞋子
A pair of shoes |
一打鸡蛋
A dozen eggs |
|
一批衣服
A lot of clothing |
一套餐具
A set of silverware |
一帮坏人
A gang of bad guys |
|
一副手套
A set of gloves |
一班人
A team/class of people |
一群孩子
A group of kids |
FAQs
What is a measure word?
The concept of measuring words actually exists in other languages! Like in English for certain nouns such as three glasses, or a bar of chocolate for example.
The only difference in Chinese is that all nouns must have a measure word before them.
How to use a measure word in Chinese?
Measure words are always used (at least implicitly) with a number. The structure always looks like this:
Number + Measure Word + Noun
For example: 一个苹果.
What are the most common measure words?
The most common measure words are 个， 张，本，杯， 条，只 and 辆. Some you will find on this page, but you can find many other more specific Chinese Measure Words here.
I don’t know what Measure Word to use?
If you don’t know what measure word to use in a Chinese sentence, go with 个 gè. It’s a very general keyword and people will still understand what you are trying to say.
Better use this one than none!
How to say “measure word” in Chinese?
Measure Word in Chinese is 量词 liàng cí.
Any other Chinese Grammar I should learn?
The Chinese Grammar is not as difficult as other people might think.
There are indeed some key grammar points to learn early in your studies, and the more you study more complicated they are, but this is the case in any other languages.
Some Chinese Grammar to look for in the early steps of your studies are the use of the three “de”, the 是 sentence, and the 有 sentence.
Make sure to check out our Chinese Grammar Bank for more lessons like this (for all levels!).
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BONUS || Free PDF
As there’s a lot to take in when it comes to measuring words we thought we’d create a one-stop graphic that you can print and use at your own free will!
Our FREE Measure Words PDF is 8 pages in total and includes the most commonly used measure words in Mandarin.
The good thing, remember, is there is no pressure to learn all these.
Level up as and when you want. Perhaps study 5 new ones per day and start filtering them into conversation!
We hope you find it useful. Do share it, print it, and utilize it!