We are about to unravel the secrets of these mysterious words in Chinese known as measure words. A measure word, or classifier, is used to classify the unit of a noun when counting. It is always necessary to use a measure word when specifying the quantity of a noun in Chinese.
For example:
- 三个人 (sān gè rén, three people)
- 四本书 (sì běn shū, four books)
Measure words in English?
Although measure words may initially appear unfamiliar, it’s worth noting that we do use them in English. We simply do not use them frequently. Let’s look at few of them:
- A bar of chocolate
- Two rolls of toilet paper
- Three slices of bread
Why are they necessary?
Measure words are useful because they add precision to a sentence. By indicating the quantity or type of a noun, they help to clarify what the speaker or writer means. They can also help to avoid confusion when nouns have multiple meanings or when there are multiple nouns in a sentence. Let’s look at a few examples:
The examples below highlight the need for measure words. Without the measure word “个”(gè) we would not be able to differentiate between whether we are specifying an amount or referring to a time or month.
| 三点 | sān diǎn | three o’clock | 三个点 | sān gè diǎn | three dots |
| 五月 | wǔ yuè | May | 五个月 | wǔ gè yuè | five months |
How measure words differentiate meaning:
四根香蕉 (sì gēn xiāngjiāo) — four bananas
四束香蕉 (sì shù xiāngjiāo) — four bunches of bananas
Learning measure words
Honestly, measure words can be challenging to learn. There are over 150 measure words in modern Chinese and since different measure words are used for different nouns, they need to be memorized. You might be horrified right now, imagining yourself spending long hours trying to memorize a long list of these words. But don’t worry, you don’t need to learn them in such a tedious way. On this website, I will give you the measure word used for the nouns as you learn them. That way you can learn them together. For words you learn on your own, you can always find the appropriate measure word in a digital dictionary (I recommend using the Pleco dictionary app).
Find patterns
As you progress, you’ll discover patterns with common measure words. Let’s take a look at two examples.
- 一只猫(yì zhī māo, a cat)
- 一条蛇 (yī tiáo shé, a snake)
The measure word 只 (zhī)is often used for animals, and can also be used for nouns that represent a pair of body parts, such as hands, arms, legs, and so on.
- 一只 + 狗(gǒu, dog)
- 一只 + 鸟(niǎo, bird)
- 一只 + 鸡(jī, chicken)
The measure word 条 (tiáo) is often used for things that are relatively long and thin.
- 一条 + 绳子( shéngzi, rope)
- 一条 + 河 (hé, river)
- 一条 + 路(lù, road)
The magic measure word
The most commonly used and most versatile measure word is 个 (gè). It is technically intended for people and non-specific things. I refer to it as the “magic measure word” because it can be used for a vast range of nouns, including those with their own unique measure words. When in doubt about the appropriate measure word for a particular noun, it’s always better to use 个 than to omit the measure word altogether. That being said, it’s still essential to learn and use at least the most common measure words, because overuse of 个 will mark you as a beginner level student.
Final remarks
As with any challenging aspect of the language, how you frame learning makes a difference. You could see learning measure words as an arduous task, or you could view it as an opportunity to investigate patterns and gain deeper insight into why each is used. I’d recommend that you frame it as finding clues to solve a puzzle and have fun while trying to remember them. You can even make a matching game out of it. Find creative ways to explore Chinese and you’ll be surprised how quickly you learn.