How do measure words work in Mandarin Chinese?

Measure words in Chinese follow this pattern:

For example, in the phrase 两把椅子 (transcribed liǎngbǎ yǐzi, meaning “two chairs”), the number is 两 (meaning two), the measure word is 把, and the noun is 椅子 (meaning chair).

A measure word (also called “classifier”) categorizes a noun when counting, and is indispensable in Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin Chinese is more nuanced than English in some aspects, and the use of the measure words is one of these cases. They are a bit more involved than their English counterparts, and many Chinese measure words have no English equivalent.

There are two parts to the topic on measure words. This post focuses on how to use a measure word before a noun (a noun refers to people and things, such as words like: “teacher,” “table,” and “water”). Another post focuses on the patterns of the 10 most common measure words for nouns in Mandarin Chinese, and explores measure words for verbs.

Let’s dive in and learn about the strategies for using measure words in Mandarin Chinese!

Measure words are used when we count nouns in Mandarin. For example, in English you can say “two chairs,” but in Mandarin you need to say “two - measure word - chairs.” Nouns take different measure words based on their types, features, shapes, containers, and units. For example, we can say that vehicles can form a group that have a common characteristic, so they belong to a certain “type,” e.g., they are used for traveling. So, we would expect that a special measure word will go with them. People, animals, and things can be grouped together based on their shape: narrow and long, round, etc. For example, pencils, snakes, and scarves all share the same shape. We would expect a special measure word to precede them, and indeed, 条 (tiáo) is the measure word for “narrow and long” things.

*We say 一双鞋 (transcribed yīshuāng xié, meaning “a pair of shoes”) because the two shoes are separated. This does not apply to pants, glasses, or scissors, because they are not considered separable in Mandarin Chinese, therefore 双 cannot be used. The measure word for pants is 条 (tiáo), for glasses is 副 (fù), and for scissors is 把 (bǎ).

Here are a few more points you need to keep in mind in regard to measure words.

• Measure words are used after “this” and “that,” for example:

  • 这双鞋

    Transcription: zhèshuāng xié

    Translation: this pair of shoes

• Measure words are also used after “which” and “how many.” For example:

  • 你最喜欢哪座城市?

    Transcription: Nǐ zuì xǐhuan nǎzuò chéngshì?

    Translation: Which city do you like most?
  • 来了几位老师?

    Transcription: Lái le jǐwèi lǎoshī?

    Translation: How many teachers came?

• A measure word can be used with different nouns. For example, as mentioned before, 条 (tiáo) can be used with fish, pencils, etc., because it is the measure word used for long and narrow things. Another example is 件 (jiàn) that can be used with clothes (top half), gifts, luggage, etc.

  • 一件衬衫

    Transcription: yījiàn chènshān

    Translation: a shirt
  • 一件礼物

    Transcription: yījiàn lǐwù

    Translation: a gift

• A noun can be used with different measure words depending on the situation. For example:

  • 一碗米饭

    Transcription: yīwǎn mǐfàn

    Translation: a bowl of rice

  As compared to:

  • 一斤米饭

    Transcription: yījīn mǐfàn

    Translation: 500 grams of rice

  The former is often used in a home context, and the latter can be used in a restaurant/take away context.

• In very few cases, no measure word is needed, because the noun itself happens to be a measure word as well. For example, 三天 (transcribed sāntiān, meaning “three days”), where 天 combines both the measure word for days and the noun “day.”

• 两 (transcribed liǎng, meaning “two”)is used with measure words, not 二 (transcribed èr, meaning “two”). For example, when you want to say “two men,” you use 两 not 二, and say 两个男人 (liǎnggè nánrén).

• When the quantity is one, the word 一 (transcribed yī, meaning “one”) is often omitted in spoken Chinese, but the measure word remains:

  • 他想喝一杯茶。 = 他想喝杯茶。

    Transcription: Tā xiǎng hē yībēi chá. = Tā xiǎng hē bēi chá.

    Translation: He wants to drink a cup of tea.

In this post, we reviewed the three tips to master measure words in Mandarin Chinese:

1. Follow the pattern “number + measure word + noun.”

2. Pick your measure words depending on the noun in question: type, feature, shape, container, and unit of the noun.

3. One measure word can be used with multiple nouns and one noun can have different measure words.

Now that you know what a measure word is in Mandarin Chinese, let’s make sure you can use them like a pro. Put your new skills into practice with some activities on Mandarin measure words! Also, remember to read our other article, which will help you learn the measure words more efficiently and take you to the next level of Mandarin!