Quantifiers: 都, 每, 一些, 几, 多, 少

Quantifiers are the words that tell you how much or how many. Chinese has a handful of common ones, and each comes with its own little rule about where it sits and what it pairs with. Let's go through them one at a time.

都: all, both

都 (dōu) means "all" or "both," but here's the catch: it's an adverb, so it goes before the verb, not before the noun. It points back at something you already mentioned.

• 我们都是学生。 — We're all students.
• 他们都来了。 — They all came.

The thing 都 refers to comes earlier in the sentence. So 都 looks backward, summing up whatever subject came before it.

• 这些菜都很好吃。 — These dishes are all delicious.

A common beginner mistake is putting 都 after the verb. Keep it in front:

• ✅ 我们都喜欢。 — We all like it.
• ❌ 我们喜欢都。

每: every, each

每 (měi) means "every" or "each." It works with a measure word, and it loves to team up with 都.

• 每天 — every day
• 每个人 — every person
• 每个学生 — every student

When 每 is the subject, you usually pair it with 都 later in the sentence. 每 sets up "each one," and 都 sweeps them all together.

• 每个人都有名字。 — Everyone has a name.
• 我每天都喝水。 — I drink water every day.

A few common time words like 每天 (every day), 每年 (every year), and 每周 (every week) don't need a measure word, because the time word already acts as one.

一些: some, a few

一些 (yìxiē) means "some" or "a few." It goes right before a noun, and unlike most number phrases, it doesn't take a measure word.

• 一些人 — some people
• 我买了一些水果。 — I bought some fruit.

You can shorten 一些 to just 些 after 这 or 那:

• 这些 — these
• 那些 — those

So 这些书 is "these books." This is one of the most common ways you'll see 些 in real sentences.

几: a few, several (and "how many")

几 (jǐ) does double duty. With a measure word, it means "a few" or "several," usually a small number under ten.

• 几个朋友 — a few friends
• 我有几本书。 — I have several books.

But 几 is also the question word for "how many" when you expect a small answer.

• 你有几个孩子? — How many kids do you have?

How do you tell them apart? Context and tone. In a statement it means "a few"; in a question it's asking "how many." Same word, and the sentence around it makes the meaning clear.

多 and 少: many and few

多 (duō, many/much) and 少 (shǎo, few/little) describe amount. They're really adjectives, so they behave like other adjective predicates, which means they want 很 in front when used plainly.

• 人很多。 — There are a lot of people.
• 钱很少。 — There's very little money.

When they come before a noun to modify it, they usually take an extra word. 多 often pairs up as 很多 or 许多:

• 很多人 — many people
• 很多书 — many books

少 is trickier before a noun and beginners rarely need it that way, so lean on 很多 for "many" and use 少 mainly as a predicate ("there's little").

• 今天作业很多。 — There's a lot of homework today.
• 这里人很少。 — There are few people here.

How they fit together

A quick way to keep them straight:

Word	Meaning	Where it sits
都	all, both	before the verb
每	every, each	before measure word, often with 都
一些	some, a few	before noun, no measure word
几	a few / how many	before measure word
多	many	as 很多 before noun, or 很多 as predicate
少	few	usually a predicate with 很

A quick recap

都 is an adverb that sums up "all" before the verb. 每 means "each" and likes a 都 partner. 一些 is "some" with no measure word. 几 is "a few" or "how many." And 多/少 act like adjectives, so reach for 很多 when you want "many." Get the placement right and these six will cover almost every amount you need.