Plurals and Quantifiers
Mandarin Chinese handles plurals and quantifiers differently from English, relying on measure words and context rather than adding endings. This guide goes over key quantifiers and how to indicate plurality.
Plurals
Mandarin does not typically mark nouns for plural with an ending; instead, plurality is shown by context, quantifiers, or the marker men 们 when referring to people or animals in groups.
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Quantifiers
Quantifiers (or measure words) are required when you specify an amount of a noun, and different nouns take different quantifiers based on shape, nature, or category.
Common Quantifiers
Common quantifiers include ge 个 for general use, bēi 杯 for cups or glasses, zhī 支 for slender objects like pens, and liàng 辆 for vehicles; choosing the right quantifier makes your speech natural.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍎 一个苹果 | yí ge píngguǒ | One apple | Basic singular measure word |
| 🍌 两根香蕉 | liǎng gēn xiāngjiāo | Two bananas | Measure word for long, thin fruits |
| 🍇 一串葡萄 | yì chuàn pútao | A bunch of grapes | Measure word for clusters |
| 🥝 三个奇异果 | sān ge qíyìguǒ | Three kiwis | General measure word |
| 🥥 四个椰子 | sì ge yēzi | Four coconuts | Larger round fruits |
| 🍊 五个橙子 | wǔ ge chéngzi | Five oranges | Common fruit count |
| 🍓 一盒草莓 | yì hé cǎoméi | A box of strawberries | Measure word for containers |
| 🥭 两个芒果 | liǎng ge mángguǒ | Two mangoes | Tropical fruit count |
| 🍐 三个梨子 | sān ge lízi | Three pears | Standard counting |
| 🍒 一碟樱桃 | yì dié yīngtáo | A plate of cherries | Measure word for small piles |
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Using men 们
The plural marker men 们 attaches to pronouns or nouns denoting people to emphasize a group, as in wǒmen 我们 "we" or lǎoshīmen 老师们 "teachers"; it is not used with inanimate objects.
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More Examples
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 🍉 我买了一大箱西瓜。 | Wǒ mǎi le yí dà xiāng xīguā. | I bought a big box of watermelons. |
| 🍊 桌子上有很多橙子。 | Zhuōzi shàng yǒu hěn duō chéngzi. | There are many oranges on the table. |
| 🥑 你想要几个牛油果？ | Nǐ xiǎng yào jǐ ge niúyóuguǒ? | How many avocados do you want? |
| 🍋 一篮柠檬放在角落里。 | Yì lán níngméng fàng zài jiǎoluò lǐ. | A basket of lemons is placed in the corner. |
| 🍐 店里有很多袋装的梨子。 | Diàn lǐ yǒu hěn duō dài zhuāng de lízi. | The store has many bagged pears. |
Summary
Mandarin marks plural mostly through quantifiers and context rather than noun endings; learn common measure words like ge 个 and use men 们 for groups of people to signal plurality clearly.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025