10 Common Measure Words to Learn Today
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In addition to the very commonly used 个 (gè), here are 10 common Chinese measure words that every Chinese language learner should know.
1. 只 (zhī)
只 (zhī) is a common measure word used for birds and certain animals. It can also be used for one of a pair, usually when referring to certain parts of the human body that come in pairs, like eyes and hands. Less commonly, it’s used with objects like boats and suitcases.
三只鸟 (sān zhī niǎo) - three birds
一只手 (yī zhī shǒu) - a hand
2. 本 (běn)
本 (běn) is used with books, textbooks and other similar book-like bound objects, such as photo albums.
一本书 (yī běn shū) - a book
两本词典 (liǎng běn cídiǎn) - a dictionary
3. 辆 (liàng)
辆 (liàng) is another common measure word you’ll need to use when talking about vehicles like cars and buses.
五辆车 (wǔ liàng chē) - five cars
一辆公交车 (yī liàng gōngjiāo chē) - a bus
4. 瓶 (píng)
瓶 (píng) is similar to the English measure word “bottle,” but can also be used to refer to jars, flasks and vases.
一瓶水 (yī píng shuǐ) - a bottle of water
两瓶葡萄酱 (liǎng píng pútáo jiàng) - two jars of grape jelly
5. 杯 (bēi)
Like 瓶 (píng), 杯 (bēi) is another Chinese measure word with a close English equivalent. It’s used as a classifier for containers of liquids, much like “glass” and “cup” in English.
一杯水 (yī bēi shuǐ) - a cup of water
三杯啤酒 (sān bēi píjiǔ) - three cups of beer
6. 碗 (wǎn)
碗 (wǎn) is used like the English measure word “bowl.” It comes in handy when ordering food that comes in bowls, such as rice or noodles.
一碗米饭 (yī wǎn mǐfàn) - a bowl of rice
两碗面条 (liǎng wǎn miàntiáo) - two bowls of noodles
7. 双 (shuāng)
双 (shuāng) is roughly equivalent to the English measure word “pair.” It’s used with words for things that come in pairs like shoes, socks and chopsticks.
一双筷子 (yī shuāng kuàizi) - a pair of chopsticks
一双鞋子 (yī shuāng xiézi) - a pair of shoes
8. 件 (jiàn)
件 (jiàn) is a super useful measure word that’s most commonly used with clothing. It also works with certain items of furniture and luggage, as well as with abstract events.
一件衣服 (yī jiàn yīfú) - a piece of clothing
一件事 (yī jiàn shì) - a matter (as in, a business matter, i.e. something that happened)
9. 张 (zhāng)
张 (zhāng) is a measure word that’s most commonly used with flat objects like paper, cards, tickets, desks and tables.
一张桌子 (yī zhāng zhuōzi) - a table
两张票 (liǎng zhāng piào) - two tickets
10. 种 (zhǒng)
种 (zhǒng) is used when talking about a sort, kind or type of thing. It can be used with nouns that refer to either objects or abstract concepts or feelings.
一种动物 (yī zhǒng dòngwù) - a type of animal
一种感觉 (yī zhǒng gǎnjué) - a kind of feeling (or, a type of feeling, a sort of feeling, etc.)
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