Measure Words (Classifiers): The System and the Common Ones

In English you can say "three books" or "two dogs" with nothing extra. In Chinese you can't. You have to slip a little word in between the number and the noun. These are measure words, sometimes called classifiers, and Chinese uses them everywhere. The good news is the system is regular, and a handful of them cover most of what you'll need.

The basic pattern

number + measure word + noun

• 三本书 sān běn shū (three books)
• 两个人 liǎng ge rén (two people)
• 五张纸 wǔ zhāng zhǐ (five sheets of paper)

You can't skip the measure word. 三书 is wrong. The measure word is required every time you count a noun.

The same goes after 这, 那, and 几:

• 这本书 zhè běn shū (this book)
• 那个人 nàge rén (that person)
• 几张票 jǐ zhāng piào (how many tickets)

Why different nouns take different ones

A measure word often matches the shape or type of the thing. Flat things, long things, and bound things each have their own. You don't pick freely. Each noun has its proper measure word, and you learn them as a pair, the same way you'd learn the noun itself.

It feels like a lot at first, but in practice you'll reuse the same dozen or so constantly.

The one to learn first: 个

个 ge is the all-purpose measure word. It's used for people and for many general objects, and if you forget the correct one, 个 will usually get you understood.

• 一个人 yí ge rén (one person)
• 三个问题 sān ge wèntí (three questions)
• 两个苹果 liǎng ge píngguǒ (two apples)

Note that 个 is normally toneless (neutral tone) in speech. Start here, then add the others as you go.

The common ones

Here are the measure words you'll meet early and use the most:

Measure word	Used for	Example
个 ge	people, general things	一个朋友 (a friend)
本 běn	books, bound items	两本书 (two books)
张 zhāng	flat things (paper, tables, tickets)	三张纸 (three sheets)
只 zhī	many animals	一只猫 (a cat)
条 tiáo	long thin things (fish, roads, pants)	一条鱼 (a fish)
块 kuài	chunks, pieces, and money	五块钱 (five yuan)
杯 bēi	cups of something	一杯茶 (a cup of tea)
件 jiàn	clothes, matters	两件衣服 (two pieces of clothing)
双 shuāng	pairs	一双鞋 (a pair of shoes)
位 wèi	people, politely	三位老师 (three teachers)

A couple of these are worth a closer look.

位 wèi is a polite version of 个 for people. Use it for teachers, guests, or anyone you want to show respect to: 一位老师 sounds more respectful than 一个老师.

块 kuài does double duty. It means a chunk or piece of something (一块蛋糕, a piece of cake), and it's also the everyday word for money (十块钱, ten yuan).

Measure words for containers and groups

Some measure words come from real containers or amounts, and these feel more natural to English speakers because English does the same thing:

• 一杯水 yì bēi shuǐ (a cup of water)
• 一瓶水 yì píng shuǐ (a bottle of water)
• 一些书 yìxiē shū (some books)

一些 yìxiē is handy. It means "some" or "a few" and works with almost any noun, so it's a nice safe choice when you want a vague amount.

A sound note: 一 changes tone

You'll notice 一 yī doesn't always stay first tone. Before most measure words it shifts. Before a fourth-tone measure word like 个 (which counts as fourth-tone here) it becomes yí, and before other tones it becomes yì. So 一个 is "yí ge" and 一张 is "yì zhāng." Your ear will pick this up naturally, and there's a separate article on this tone change if you want the full rule.

Quick recap

Every time you count a noun in Chinese, you need a measure word between the number and the noun. Start with 个, the catch-all, then build up the common ones like 本, 张, 只, and 条. Learn each measure word together with the nouns it goes with, the way you learned the demonstrative pattern, and the whole system will start to feel automatic.