Beginner course – Lesson 15 of 15
Measure Words in Mandarin
In Mandarin, you cannot say "one book" directly. A small word goes between the number and the noun. These are called measure words.
How measure words work
The pattern is number + measure word + noun. So "one person" is 一个人 (yí ge rén): one, measure word, person.
Common measure words
| Chinese | Pinyin | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 个 | gè | People and many everyday things | 一个人 (yí ge rén) – one person |
| 本 | běn | Books | 两本书 (liǎng běn shū) – two books |
| 杯 | bēi | Cups and glasses | 一杯茶 (yì bēi chá) – a cup of tea |
| 张 | zhāng | Flat things, like tickets and paper | 一张票 (yì zhāng piào) – one ticket |
| 只 | zhī | Many animals | 一只猫 (yì zhī māo) – one cat |
| 件 | jiàn | Clothes on the upper body, and matters | 一件衣服 (yí jiàn yīfu) – one piece of clothing |
| 辆 | liàng | Vehicles | 一辆车 (yí liàng chē) – one car |
个
gè
People and many everyday things
一个人 (yí ge rén) – one person
本
běn
Books
两本书 (liǎng běn shū) – two books
杯
bēi
Cups and glasses
一杯茶 (yì bēi chá) – a cup of tea
张
zhāng
Flat things, like tickets and paper
一张票 (yì zhāng piào) – one ticket
只
zhī
Many animals
一只猫 (yì zhī māo) – one cat
件
jiàn
Clothes on the upper body, and matters
一件衣服 (yí jiàn yīfu) – one piece of clothing
辆
liàng
Vehicles
一辆车 (yí liàng chē) – one car
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