In Chinese, you can't put a number directly in front of a noun — you need a measure word (量词, liàngcí) in between, chosen by the shape or category of the thing you're counting. Here's the full reference, grouped by what they're used for.
The pattern is always number + measure word + noun: 一个人 (yí gè rén) — "one person," not 一人. When you're not sure which measure word to use, is the safe fallback most people will understand, even if it isn't the "textbook correct" one.
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 个 | the default — people, and most things when unsure | 一个人 (yí gè rén) — one person |
| 位 | people, when being polite or formal | 三位老师 (sān wèi lǎoshī) — three teachers |
| 只 | most animals | 一只猫 (yì zhī māo) — one cat |
| 条 | long, thin animals — fish, snakes, dogs | 一条鱼 (yì tiáo yú) — one fish |
| 匹 | horses | 一匹马 (yì pǐ mǎ) — one horse |
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 张 | flat things — paper, tickets, photos, tables | 一张纸 (yì zhāng zhǐ) — one sheet of paper |
| 片 | thin flat pieces or slices | 一片面包 (yí piàn miànbāo) — one slice of bread |
| 根 | thin stick-like things — chopsticks, bananas, hair | 一根香蕉 (yì gēn xiāngjiāo) — one banana |
| 支 | stick-like things you hold — pens, cigarettes | 一支笔 (yì zhī bǐ) — one pen |
| 颗 | small round things — seeds, pearls, stars | 一颗星星 (yì kē xīngxing) — one star |
| 粒 | tiny grains — rice, beans | 一粒米 (yí lì mǐ) — one grain of rice |
| 座 | large, solid things — buildings, mountains, bridges | 一座山 (yí zuò shān) — one mountain |
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 本 | books, magazines | 一本书 (yì běn shū) — one book |
| 辆 | vehicles | 一辆车 (yí liàng chē) — one car |
| 架 | machines, aircraft | 一架飞机 (yí jià fēijī) — one airplane |
| 间 | rooms | 一间房间 (yì jiān fángjiān) — one room |
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 件 | tops/jackets, and abstract "matters" or items | 一件衣服 (yí jiàn yīfu) — one piece of clothing; 一件事 (yí jiàn shì) — one matter |
| 条 | pants, skirts, roads, rivers — long, narrow things | 一条裤子 (yì tiáo kùzi) — one pair of pants |
| 双 | pairs — shoes, chopsticks, hands | 一双鞋 (yì shuāng xié) — one pair of shoes |
| 套 | matching sets — outfits, furniture sets, apartments | 一套衣服 (yí tào yīfu) — one outfit |
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 杯 | a cup/glass of | 一杯茶 (yì bēi chá) — one cup of tea |
| 瓶 | a bottle of | 一瓶水 (yì píng shuǐ) — one bottle of water |
| 碗 | a bowl of | 一碗饭 (yì wǎn fàn) — one bowl of rice |
| 包 | a pack/bag of | 一包烟 (yì bāo yān) — one pack of cigarettes |
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 次 | times / occurrences | 去过三次 (qùguo sān cì) — been there three times |
| 遍 | times through, start to finish | 看一遍 (kàn yí biàn) — read through it once |
| 群 | groups, crowds | 一群人 (yì qún rén) — a crowd of people |
| 些 | an indefinite "some" | 一些书 (yìxiē shū) — some books |
Two things to watch for: before a measure word, "two" is , not — 两个人, never 二个人. And "this" / "that" also need a measure word: 这个 (zhège, "this one"), 那本书 (nà běn shū, "that book").
