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:
一个苹果
an apple- 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:
两个苹果
two apples三个苹果
three apples五个苹果
five applesCOMMON 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!
一条裤子
pants一条狗
a dog一条蛇
a snake一条路
a roadView More Phrases
| PHRASES | PINYIN | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一条带子 | yì tiáo dàizi | A belt |
| 一条路 | yì tiáo lù | A road |
| 一条绳子 | yì tiáo shéngzi | A rope |
| 一条河 | yì tiáo hé | A river |
| 一条蛇 | yì tiáo shé | A snake |
| 一条狗 | yì tiáo gǒu | A dog |
| 一条裤子 | yì tiáo kùzi | Pants |
| 一条线 | yì tiáo xiàn | A thread (or subway line!) |
| 一条床单 | yì tiáo chuángdān | A bedsheet |
| 一条毯子 | yì tiáo tǎnzi | A blanket |
| 一条鱼 | yì tiáo yú | A fish |
| 一条尾巴 | yì tiáo wěiba | A tail |
| 一条小溪 | yì tiáo xiǎoxī | A brook/stream |
| 一条毛巾 | yì tiáo máojīn | A towel |
| 一条腿 | yì tiáo tuǐ | A leg |
| 一条街道 | yītiáo jiēdào | A street |
张 zhāng
张 zhāng is typically used with things that you can open, spread, or unfold.
一张桌子
a table一张票
a ticket一张纸
a piece of paperView More Phrases
| PHRASES | PINYIN | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一张纸 | yìzhāng zhǐ | A piece of paper |
| 一张床 | yìzhāng chuáng | A bed |
| 一张画 | yìzhāng huà | A painting |
| 一张嘴 | yì zhāngzuǐ | A mouth |
| 一张日历 | yìzhāng rìlì | A calendar |
| 一张报纸 | yìzhāng bàozhǐ | A newspaper |
| 一张脸 | yìzhāng liǎn | A face |
| 一张单子 | yìzhāng dānzǐ | A bill |
| 一张白纸 | yìzhāng báizhǐ | A piece of white paper |
| 一张弓 | yì zhānggōng | A bow (weapon) |
| 一张照片 | yìzhāng zhàopiàn | A picture |
| 一张桌子 | yìzhāng zhuōzi | A table |
| 一张牌 | yìzhāng pái | A playing card |
| 一张床 | yìzhāng chuáng | A bed |
| 一张银行卡 | yìzhāng yínhángkǎ | A bank card |
| 一张海报 | yìzhāng hǎibào | A poster |
| 一张网 | yì zhāngwǎng | A net |
| 一张票 | yìzhāng piào | A ticket |
台 tái
台 tái is used for appliances or performances.
一台电脑
a computer一台洗衣机
a washing machine一台戏
a dramaView More Phrases
| PHRASES | PINYIN | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一台电脑 | yì tái diànnǎo | A computer |
| 一台电视 | yì táidiàn shì | A TV |
| 一台空调 | yì tái kōngtiáo | An air conditioner |
| 一台冰箱 | yì tái bīngxiāng | A refrigerator |
| 一台洗衣机 | yì tái xǐyījī | A washing machine |
| 一台机器 | yì tái jīqì | A machine |
| 一台演出 | yì tái yǎnchū | A performance |
| 一台电扇 | yì tái diànshàn | An electric fan |
| 一台车 | yì táichē | A vehicle |
| 一台照相机 | yì tái zhàoxiàngjī | A camera (pictures) |
| 一台摄影机 | yì tái shèyǐngjī | A camera (film) |
| 一台戏 | yì tái xì | A drama |
快 kuài
块 kuài is for chunks or pieces of something.
一块钱
1 cent一块蛋糕
a cake一块西瓜
a watermelonView More Phrases
| PHRASES | PINYIN | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一块蛋糕 | yíkuài dàngāo | A piece of cake |
| 一块饼干 | yíkuài bǐnggān | A cookie |
| 一块巧克力 | yíkuài qiǎokèlì | A piece of chocolate |
| 一块肉 | yíkuài ròu | A piece of meat |
| 一块点心 | yíkuài diǎnxin | A pastry/dimsum |
| 一块玻璃 | yíkuài bōli | A piece of glass |
| 一块板子 | yíkuài bǎnzi | A plank |
| 一块布 | yíkuài bù | A piece of fabric |
| 一块木头 | yíkuài mùtou | A piece of wood |
| 一块手表 | yíkuài shǒubiǎo | A watch |
| 一块皮 | yíkuài pí | A piece of skin |
| 一块药 | yíkuài yào | A pill |
| 一块糖 | yíkuài táng | A sugar cube |
| 一块石头 | yíkuài shítou | A rock |
| 一块砖头 | yíkuài zhuāntou | A brick |
| 一块钱 | yíkuài qián | 1 cent |
| 一块香皂 | yíkuài xiāngzào | A bar of soap |
| 一块骨头 | yíkuài gǔtou | A bone |
只 zhǐ，匹 pī，头 tóu
These measure words are typically used for animals and socks, shoes, or jewellery.
一只大象
an elephant一头牛
a cow一匹马
a horseView More Phrases
| PHRASES | PINYIN | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一只狗 | yì zhǐ gǒu | A dog |
| 一只猫 | yì zhǐ māo | A cat |
| 一只鸟 | yì zhǐ niǎo | A bird |
| 一只鸡 | yì zhǐ jī | A chicken |
| 一只鸭 | yì zhǐ yā | A duck |
| 一只猴子 | yì zhǐ hóuzi | A monkey |
| 一只大象 | yì zhǐ dàxiàng | An elephant |
| 一只虫子 | yì zhǐ chóngzi | A bug |
| 一只老鼠 | yì zhǐ lǎoshǔ | A mouse |
| 一只蝴蝶 | yì zhǐ húdié | A butterfly |
| 一头羊 | yìtóu yáng | A sheep |
| 一头牛 | yì tóuniú | A cow |
| 一头老虎 | yìtóu lǎohǔ | A tiger |
| 一头狮子 | yìtóu shīzǐ | A lion |
| 一只青蛙 | yì zhǐ qīngwā | A frog |
| 一匹马 | yì pī mǎ | A horse |
| 一只兔子 | yì zhǐ tùzi | A rabbit |
| 一只鞋子 | yì zhǐ xiézi | A shoe |
| 一只耳环 | yì zhǐ ěrhuán | An earring |
| 一只袜子 | yì zhǐ wàzi | A sock |
辆 liàng，列 liè，架 jià
This measure word is typically used for transportation objects.
一辆自行车
a bike一架飞机
a planeView More Phrases
| PHRASES | PINYIN | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一辆出租车 | yí liàng chūzūchē | A taxi |
| 一辆轿车 | yí liàng jiàochē | A carriage |
| 一辆自行车 | yí liàng zìxíngchē | A bike |
| 一列火车 | yí liè huǒchē | A train |
| 一列高铁 | yí liè gāotiě | A bullet-train |
| 一架飞机 | yí jià fēijī | A plane |
座 zuò，栋 dòng
This measure word is used for buildings.
一座楼
a building一栋房子
an apartmentView More Phrases
| PHRASES | PINYIN | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一座楼 | yī zuò lóu | A building |
| 一座桥 | yī zuò qiáo | A bridge |
| 一座大厦 | yī zuò dàshà | A large building |
| 一座别墅 | yī zuò biéshù | A villa |
| 一栋大楼 | yí dòng dàlóu | A big building |
| 一栋房子 | yí dòng fángzi | An apartment |
| 一座庙 | yīzuò miào | A temple |
| 一栋楼房 | yí dòng lóufáng | A building (2+ stories) |
| 一座城堡 A castle | yīzuò chéngbǎo | A castle |
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!