Measure words (also called classifiers) are short nouns or particles that appear between a number or demonstrative and a noun, and they reflect the kind of thing being counted. They are essential in Mandarin because you can’t say 数字 + 名词 directly for most nouns.
Common Measure Words
Common measure words each serve different categories of nouns, and learners should memorize a few key ones for everyday use. Here are some of the most frequently used measure words with example nouns.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 个 | gè | general measure word / one piece | |
| 本 | běn | for books, notebooks | |
| 张 | zhāng | for flat objects like paper, tickets | |
| 支 | zhī | for long, thin objects like pens, pencils | |
| 条 | tiáo | for long, flexible things like fish, noodles, roads | |
| 只 | zhī | for animals and certain single items like a hand, an eye | |
| 杯 | bēi | for cups or glasses of liquid | |
| 瓶 | píng | for bottles of liquid | |
| 台 | tái | for machines or equipment like TVs, computers | |
| 双 | shuāng | for pairs like shoes, chopsticks |
Measure Word Usage
When you quantify a noun, you place the measure word immediately after the number, demonstrative, or other modifier, and then the noun follows. The measure word agrees with the type of noun, so choosing the right one matters for meaning and naturalness.
English: "three apples" Wrong Mandarin: sān píngguǒ Right Mandarin: sān gè píngguǒ (using 个 as the general measure word)
Measure words also appear with demonstratives: zhè gè, nà běn, etc. And when you use a measure word, the noun usually cannot be directly counted without it.
More Examples
Here you can add some additional example phrases for each measure word to show the kinds of nouns they classify. This helps learners see patterns and typical usages.
Special Cases
Some nouns use more than one possible measure word depending on context, and a few measure words carry extra meaning or formality. Also, certain intangible or uncountable nouns don’t take measure words in the usual way.
Summary
Measure words are small but crucial classifiers that signal the category of a noun and must appear between numbers (or modifiers) and nouns in Mandarin. Learn a handful of common measure words like gè (个), běn (本), and zhāng (张) to count everyday things naturally.
By practicing measure words with real nouns you care about, you’ll make your speech more precise and fluently measurable.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025