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Counting in Chinese and Measure Words

两杯咖啡 liang bēi kāfēi (two cups of coffee): Counting in Chinese and Using Measure Words

In this post we’ll learn about counting in Chinese, which means that we’ll introduce the important concept of Chinese measure words. First, we’ll start by covering the basics of Chinese numbers. Next, we’ll introduce the concept of a measure word, which is an essential part of Chinese grammar. After that we’ll see some common and useful measure words for different types of nouns. We’ll divide them into small groups so you can digest them more easily. We’ll include examples and practice for each group.

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Counting in Chinese: Numbers

First, let’s review Chinese numbers. We’ll include the characters, which you would write out in similar cases to when you’d write out one, two, three, and so on. For most everyday uses, you’ll see 1, 2, 3.

Numbers 1 through 10

Let’s start with the basics, the numbers one through ten.

one
二 / 两èr / liǎngtwo
sānthree
four
five
liùsix
seven
eight
jiǔnine
shíten

Notice that there are two ways to say two: 二 èr and两 liǎng. You use 二 èr when you’re counting from one to ten or talking about money or phone numbers or the like. When you’re counting things, you use 两 liǎng. One way to think of it is that 两 liǎng is more like “a pair of.”

Higher Numbers

To make the numbers from eleven to 19, just say shí (ten) plus the number in the ones place. For example, twelve is literally “ten-two.”

  • 十一 shí yīeleven
  • 十二 shí èrtwelve
  • 十三 shí sānthirteen
  • 十八 shí bāeighteen

For twenty, thirty, and other tens places, just swap the order. “Two-ten(s)” is twenty, “three-ten(s)” is thirty, and so on. You can add a ones place as well, for example “two-ten(s)-one” is twenty-one.

  • 二十 èr shítwenty
  • 二十一 èr shí yītwenty-one
  • 八十 bā shíeighty

For more Chinese numbers, check out this post.

Chinese Measure Words

Now that you know Chinese numbers, you’ll need to know how to use them. In English and many languages, if you want to count something you simply use the number and the plural of the noun. But in Chinese (as well as in many other languages!) you can’t just do that. You need the help of a little word called a measure word or a counter.

This isn’t so terribly unlike English, if you think about it. English has two types of nouns. The first are count nouns, which you can count: one dog, two dogs; one person, three people; one day, seven days. But the other kind of nouns are mass nouns or uncountable nouns, things like flour, water, air, advice, happiness, and so on. You can’t count these in the same way: two flours or four advices is just plain wrong.

We can count mass nouns, we just need the help of a word that’s pretty much exactly like Chinese measure words: two cups of flour, four glasses of water, three pieces of advice. In many cases, these words refer to a container, or a unit of measurement, or something like that. And they’re often related to size or shape or type of noun: one volume of literature, two sticks of butter, three slices of bread.

If you can understand these two concepts from English, you can understand Chinese measure words. The only adjustment to your thinking that you have to make is to think of all Chinese nouns as mass nouns.

Using Chinese Measure Words

Let’s see how Chinese measure words are most commonly used. We’ll take běn as an example; this is the measure word used for books, magazines, and other bound volumes.

First, measure words are used for counting. They typically come between the number and the noun being counted.

  • 两本书
    liǎng běn shū

    two books
  • 五本书
    wǔ běn shū

    five books

Measure words are also used with the demonstratives zhè (this) and (that) words like měi (every).

  • 这本书
    zhè běn shū

    this book
  • 那本书
    nà běn shū
    that book
  • 每本书
    měi běn shū
    every book

Another common use of measure words is with certain quantity expressions.

  • 多少本书
    duōshǎo běn shū
    how many books
  • 很多本书
    hěnduō běn shū
    many books
  • 几本书
    jǐ běn shū
    a few books

Common Chinese Measure Words

Now let’s look at some common and useful Chinese measure words. Just like English, you use different measure words depending on the type of thing you’re counting. We’ll divide them into groups so it’s easier to master them.

Group 1: Chinese Measure Words for People and Everyday Objects

The first Chinese measure word that you should learn is . It is used to count people, and it’s also the sort of catch-all measure word that you can use if you’re not sure which is the correct measure word to use. Don’t rely on it too much, though, because it will sound unnatural, overly simplistic, or even childlike. (Kids use all the time before they learn more precise measure words.)

measure wordthings it countsexamples
people, general objects一个人 yīgè rén (one person) 三个女人 sān gè nǚrén (three women)  
杯 bēicups, glasses一杯咖啡 yībēi kāfēi (a cup of coffee) 四杯水 sìbēi shuǐ (four glasses of water)  
本 běnbooks, magazines, bound volumes本书  liǎng běn shū (two books) 五本笔记本 wǔ běn bǐjìběn (five notebooks)  
台 táimachines, devices两台电脑 liǎng tái diànnǎo (two computers) 三台电视 sān tái diànshì (three televisions)  
zhāngflat objects, things that come in sheets张桌子sān zhāng zhuōzi (three tables) 十张纸 shí zhāng zhǐ (ten sheets of paper)  
部 bùworks of literature, films, phones, some machines两部手机 liǎng bù shǒujī (two cell phones) 三部电影 sān bù diànyǐng (three films)  
把 bǎthings with handles, things that can be easily grabbed一把椅子yī bǎ yǐzi (one chair) 两把刀 liǎng bǎ dāo (two knives)

Practice 1

Let’s stop there and review this first batch of measure words. Choose the correct measure word out of the four choices. Then translate the whole phrase.

1.___女人yī ___ nǚrén部 bù个 gè杯 bēi  tái
2.___咖啡liǎng ___ kāfēi本 běn  tái杯 bēi部 bù
3.___电脑sān ___ diànnǎo  tái本 běn zhāng把 bǎ
4.___yī ___ shuǐ把 bǎ杯 bēi个 gè  tái
5.___  shí ___ shū  tái部 bù本 běn把 bǎ
6.___男孩liù ___ nánhái zhāng本 běn台 tái个 gè
7.___桌子liǎng ___ zhuōzi把 bǎ  zhāng  tái本 běn
8.___sì ___chuáng zhāng本 běn台 tái部 bù
9.___学生 qī ___ xuéshēng部 bù本 běn杯 bēi个 gè
10.___椅子bā ___ yǐzi杯 bēi zhāng把 bǎ部 bù
11.___手机 wǔ ___ shǒujī本 běn台 tái部 bù  tái
12.___电视sān ___ diànshì台 tái杯 bēi zhāng本 běn

Group 2: Chinese Measure Words for Around the House

Now let’s look at some more common Chinese measure words that you can use for things that you’ll find around the house.

measure wordthings it countsexamples
栋 dòngbuildings一栋房子 yī dòng fángzi (one house)
那栋大楼  nà dòng dàlóu (that building)  
  jiānrooms两间卧室 liǎng jiān wòshì (two bedrooms) 一间客厅 yī jiān kètīng (a/one living room)  
shàndoors, windows两扇门 liǎng shàn mén (two doors) 窗户 nà shàn chuānghu (that window)  
  liàngvehicles这辆车zhè liàng chē (this car) 那辆自行车 nà liàng zìxíngchē (that bike)  
只 zhīanimals两只狗 liǎng zhī gǒu (two dogs) ​那只猫 nà zhī māo (that cat)  
盏 zhǎnlamps一盏台灯  yī zhǎn tái dēng (one desk/table lamp) 三盏灯 sān zhǎn dēng (three lamps)

Practice 2

Once again, let’s review. We’ll mix measure words from the first two groups.

1.___男人yī ___ nánrén辆 liàng个 gè只 zhī间 jiān
2.___ liǎng ___ chuáng间 jiān只 zhī zhāng辆 liàng
3.___ nà ___ chē杯 bēi辆 liàng把 bǎ只 zhī
4.___沙发 zhè ___ shāfā zhāng台 tái本 běn部 bù
5.___  shí ___ shū扇 shàn辆 liàng本 běn杯 bēi
6.___ sì ___ gǒu台 tái扇 shàn只 zhī把 bǎ
7.___ 台灯  nà ___ tái dēng辆 liàng只 zhī台 tái盏 zhǎn
8.___电脑sān ___ diànnǎo  tái扇 shàn杯 bēi部 bù
9.___ liǎng ___ mén杯 bēi间 jiān把 bǎ扇 shàn
10.___自行车 wǔ ___ zìxíngchē只 zhī辆 liàng辆 liàng间 jiān
11.___手机 wǔ ___ shǒujī本 běn台 tái部 bù间 jiān
12.___茶?jǐ ___ chá?杯 bēi本 běn间 jiān部 bù
13.___卧室 sān ___ wòshì把 bǎ间 jiān辆 liàng台 tái
14.___学生nà ___ xuéshēng间 jiān只 zhī杯 bēi个 gè

Group 3: Chinese Measure Words for Around Town

Next we’ll see some common Chinese measure words that you can use to talk about things you’re likely to see around town.

measure wordthings it countsexamples
家 jiāworkplaces, businesses这家商店zhè jiā shāngdiàn (this store)
两家银行 liǎng jiā yínháng (two banks)  
tiáolong, winding things一条街liǎng yītiáo jiē (a/one street) 那条河 nà tiáo hé (that river)  
所 suǒbuildings with specific purposes这所学校 zhè suǒ xuéxiào (this school) 那所医院 nà suǒ yīyuàn (that hospital)  
lièthings that come in series  这列火车zhè liè huǒchē (this train)两列地铁Liǎng liè dìtiě (two subway trains)  
zuòlarge buildings, bridges  两座桥liǎng zuò qiáo (two bridges) 那座寺庙nà zuò sìmiào (that temple)

Practice 3

Let’s review. We’ll mix measure words from the first three groups.

1.十二___商店 shí’èr ___ shāngdiàn杯 bēi tiáo商 jiā  liàng
2.___女人yī ___ nǚrén部 bù个 gè杯 bēi tái
3.___ liǎng ___ chá家 jiā杯 bēi  liàng tiáo
4.___ zhè ___ jiē tiáo shàn家 jiā只 zhī
5.___房子 nà ___ fángzi只 zhī tiáo把 bǎ栋 dòng
6.___医院 liǎng ___ yīyuàn tiáo所 suǒ本 běn shàn
7.___电脑 sān ___ diànnǎo 家 jiā把 bǎ shàn台 tái
8.二十五___èr shí wǔ ___ rén本 běn个 gè家 jiā杯 bēi
9.___银行 nà ___ yínháng家 jiā shàn把 bǎ  liàng
10.二十___èrshí ___ chē本 běn只 zhī  liàng zhāng
11. 十六___酒店 shíliù ___ jiǔdiàn  liàng家 jiā shàn只 zhī
12.三十二___学校 sānshí’èr ___ xuéxiào shàn tiáo所 suǒ本 běn

Group 4: Chinese Measure Words for Food and Drink

Finally, let’s look at some Chinese measure words that you can use to talk about food and drinks. (Don’t forget about bēi, which you use for cups and glasses.)

瓶 píngbottles一瓶水yī píng shuǐ (a/one bottle of water)
两瓶啤酒 liǎng píng píjiǔ (two bottles of beer)  
份 fènportions, servings一份沙拉yī fèn shālā (a/one salad) 两份炒饭 liǎng fèn chǎofàn (two portions fried rice)  
碗 wǎnbowls一碗米饭 yī wǎn mǐfàn (a bowl of rice) 一碗汤 yī wǎn tāng (a bowl of soup)  
盘 pán plates一盘鸡肉 yī pán jīròu (a plate of chicken) 一盘饺子 yī pán jiǎozi (a plate of dumplings)  
块 kuàipieces两块馅饼liǎng kuài xiàn bǐng (two pieces of pie) 一块鸡肉yīkuài jīròu (a piece of chicken)  
壶 húpots一壶茶  yī hú chá (a pot of tea) 一壶咖啡yī hú kāfēi  (a pot of coffee)

Practice 4

Let’s practice Chinese measure words for food in context. Make polite requests using 请给我 Qǐng gěi wǒ (Please give me… May I have…). Translate the complete phrases.

1. 两杯咖啡 liǎng bēi kāfēi2. 一瓶啤酒  yī píng píjiǔ
3.两份炒饭 liǎng fèn chǎofàn4.  三碗 sān wǎn mǐfàn
5. 一块馅饼yī kuài xiàn bǐng6. 一把叉子 yī bǎ chāzi
7. 一份面条 yī fèn miàntiáo8. 一盘猪肉饺子 yī pán zhūròu jiǎozi
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Answer Key

Practice 1

1. 一个女人yī gè nǚrén (a/one woman) 2. 两杯咖啡liǎng bēi kāfēi (two cups of coffee) 3. 三台电脑sān tái diànnǎo (three computers) 4. 一杯水yī bēi shuǐ (a/one glass of water) 5. 十本书  shí běn shū (ten books) 6. 六个男孩liù gè nánhái (six boys) 7. 两张桌子liǎng zhāng zhuōzi (two tables) 8. 四张床sì zhāng chuáng (four beds) 9. 七个学生 qī gè xuéshēng (seven students) 10. 八把椅子bā bǎ yǐzi (eight chairs) 11. 五部手机 wǔ bù shǒujī (five cell phones) 12. 三台电视sān tái diànshì (three televisions)

Practice 2

1. 一个男人yī gè nánrén (one man) 2. 两张床 liǎng zhāng chuáng (two beds) 3. 那辆车 nà liàng chē (that car) 4. 这张沙发 zhè zhāng shāfā (this sofa) 5. 十本书  shí běn shū (ten books) 6. 四只狗 sì zhǐ gǒu (four dogs) 7. 那盏台灯  nà zhǎn tái dēng (that lamp) 8. 三台电脑 sān tái diànnǎo (three computers) 9. 两扇门 liǎng shàn mén (two doors) 10. 五辆自行车 wǔ liàng zìxíngchē (five bikes) 11. 五部手机 wǔ bù shǒujī (five cell phones) 12. 几杯茶?jǐ bēi chá? (how many cups of tea?) 13. 三间卧室 sān jiān wòshì (three bedrooms) 14. 那个学生nà gè xuéshēng (that student)

Practice 3

十二商店 shí’èr jiā shāngdiàn (twelve stores), 2. 一个女人yī gè nǚrén (a/one woman), 3. 两杯茶 liǎng bēi chá (two cups of tea), 4. 这条街 zhè tiáo jiē (this street), 5. 那栋房子 nà dòng fángzi (that house), 6. 两所医院 liǎng suǒ yīyuàn (two hospitals) 7. 三台电脑 sān tái diànnǎo (three computers), 8. 二十五个人èr shí wǔ gè rén (twenty five people), 9. 那家银行 nà jiā yínháng (that bank), 10. 二十辆车èrshí liàng chē (twenty cars), 11. 十六家酒店 shíliù jiā jiǔdiàn (sixteen hotels) 12. 三十二所学校 sānshí’èr suǒ xuéxiào (thirty two schools)

Practice 4

1. 请给我两杯咖啡。  Qǐng gěi wǒ liǎng bēi kāfēi. May I please have two cups of coffee? 2. 请给我一瓶啤酒。  Qǐng gěi wǒ yī píng píjiǔ. May I please have a bottle of beer? 3. 请给我两份炒饭。 Qǐng gěi wǒ liǎng fèn chǎofàn. May I please have two orders of fried rice? 4.  请给我三碗米饭。 Qǐng gěi wǒ sān wǎn mǐfàn. May I please have three bowls of rice? 5. 请给我一块馅饼。 Qǐng gěi yī kuài xiàn bǐng. May I please have a piece of pie? ​6. 请给我一把叉子。 Qǐng gěi wǒ yī bǎ chāzi. May I please have a fork? 7. 请给我一份面条。 Qǐng gěi wǒ yī fèn miàntiáo. May I please have an order of noodles? 8. 请给我一盘猪肉饺子。 Qǐng gěi wǒ yī pán zhūròu jiǎozi. May I please have a plate of pork dumplings?

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