Chinese Measure Words: The Complete Guide (with Quiz)

What Are Measure Words?

In English, we sometimes use special words between numbers and nouns: "a piece of paper," "two cups of coffee," "a pair of shoes." Chinese does this with every noun, using words called measure words or classifiers (量词, liàngcí).

The basic structure is: Number + Measure Word + Noun. So "one book" becomes 一本书 (yī běn shū), where 本 (běn) is the measure word specifically for books and bound items.

Using the wrong measure word is a common mistake for learners, but it rarely causes misunderstanding. Think of it like saying "a piece of book" in English — it sounds odd but the meaning is clear. Still, using correct measure words marks the difference between basic and natural-sounding Chinese.

The 12 Most Essential Measure Words

个 (gè) — The universal measure word. Works for people, general objects, and as a fallback when you do not know the specific one: 一个人 (a person), 一个苹果 (an apple).

本 (běn) — Books, magazines, dictionaries: 一本书 (a book), 三本杂志 (three magazines).

杯 (bēi) — Cups and glasses of liquid: 一杯水 (a glass of water), 两杯咖啡 (two cups of coffee).

只 (zhī) — Small animals: 一只猫 (a cat), 两只鸟 (two birds).

条 (tiáo) — Long thin things, fish, roads, pants: 一条鱼 (a fish), 一条路 (a road).

张 (zhāng) — Flat things like paper, tables, photos: 一张纸 (a sheet of paper), 一张桌子 (a table).

件 (jiàn) — Clothing (upper body) and matters: 一件衣服 (a piece of clothing), 一件事 (a matter).

辆 (liàng) — Vehicles: 一辆车 (a car), 两辆自行车 (two bicycles).

双 (shuāng) — Pairs: 一双鞋 (a pair of shoes), 一双筷子 (a pair of chopsticks).

瓶 (píng) — Bottles: 一瓶水 (a bottle of water).

块 (kuài) — Pieces, chunks, and money colloquially: 一块蛋糕 (a piece of cake), 十块钱 (ten yuan).

位 (wèi) — People (polite form): 一位老师 (a teacher), 两位客人 (two guests).

Rules and Tips

Demonstratives need measure words too. When using "this" or "that," include the measure word: 这本书 (this book), 那只猫 (that cat).

Look for patterns. Measure words often relate to shape or category: 条 (tiáo) for long things, 张 (zhāng) for flat things, 块 (kuài) for chunk-shaped things.

Practice with our interactive Measure Word Practice tool which includes both a study mode and a quiz. For Chinese number basics, see our Number Converter. The AllSet Learning grammar wiki has additional examples.