Chinese Measure Words 🤔 71 Frequently Used (With Free PDF, Video and Quiz)

Your Complete Guide to Chinese Measure Words

Chinese measure words can be one of the most intimidating and confusing things about learning Chinese for beginners.

Even for advanced learners it can be difficult to know which is the correct measure word to use because there are literally hundreds of them!

That’s why we’ve put together a complete guide to 12 of the most common and 59 of the most frequently used Chinese measure words.

Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced learner of Chinese you’ll be able to expand beyond just using 个 gè.

To make things easier, we’ve split up the measure words into different categories, starting with 12 of the most common Chinese measure words.

For any beginners you might want to get your head around the first 12 before trying to learn anymore.

You’ll notice that some measure words appear in more than one category as some can be used for a variety of objects.

Chinese Measure Words – 12 of the Most Common

Chinese Measure Words – People and Animals

Chinese Measure Words – Body Parts

Chinese Measure Words – Food

Chinese Measure Words – Plants, Fruit and Vegetables

Chinese Measure Words – Vehicles and Buildings

Chinese Measure Words – Household Items

Chinese Measure Words – Clothing and Jewellery

Chinese Measure Words – Time

Chinese Measure Words – Units of Measure

Chinese Measure Words – Pairs, Collections and Groups

FREE DOWNLOAD – Measure Words PDF

TEST YOURSELF – Chinese Measure Words Quiz

Chinese Measure Words – 12 of The Most Common

Firstly, don’t let yourself be too overwhelmed by the concept of measure words. They do actually exist in other languages like English for certain nouns such as three glasses, or a bar of chocolate.

The only difference in Chinese is that all nouns must have a measure word before them

It may take a little bit of getting used to at first, but after a little while, including a measure word will just seem like second nature!

#1 – 个 gè

The king of all measure words!

个 gè can be used as a generic measure word if you’re not sure of the correct one. Although hopefully with our guide you’ll be able to up your Chinese game and start using some other measure words instead!

In general 个 gè should be used as a measure word for people and unspecified items:

• 一个朋友 yí gè péngyou – A friend
• 一个东西 yī gè dōngxī – A thing

#2 – 张 zhāng

This is an important measure word to learn for anyone living or travelling in China as it is used for flat things such as pieces of paper.

For instance it would be used when buying tickets:

• 两张火车票 liǎng zhāng huǒchē piào – Two train tickets
• 一张硬卧票 yī zhāng yìng wò piào – One soft sleeper ticket

This measure word is also used for other flat objects like certain furniture:

• 一张双人床 yī zhāng shuāngrén chuáng – A double bed
• 我想订一张桌子 wǒ xiǎng dìng yī zhāng zhuōzi – I want to book a table

#3 – 本 běn

This is another important one to learn, because here 个 really can’t be used as a replacement, or you’re going to get some strange looks!

本 běn is used for when you are talking about books, magazines, notebooks etc.

• 一本杂志 yī běn zázhì – A magazine
• 一本笔记本 yī běn bǐjìběn – A notebook

#4 – 杯 bēi

If you want to advance your Chinese ordering beyond pointing at the menu and saying 这个 zhège, then this is a good word to start with.

杯 bēi is the measure word used for glasses or cups. This is an easy one to get used to as we use glass as a measure word in other languages.

• 两杯红酒 liǎng bēi hóngjiǔ – Two glasses of red wine
• 三杯啤酒 sān bēi píjiǔ – Three glasses of beer

To ask for a physical glass you need to add 子 zi at the end (杯子 bēizi).

#5 – 瓶 píng

Similar to 杯 bēi, 瓶 píng is a good measure word to learn for when ordering drinks in bars or restaurants.

瓶 píng is the quantifier for bottles, it’s helpful to learn so that you can distinguish between ordering a bottle or glass of something.

• 一瓶水 yī píng shuǐ – A bottle of water
• 一瓶白葡萄酒 yī píng bái pútáojiǔ – A bottle of white wine

#6 – 条 tiáo

Now, we’ve come onto a slightly more tricky and obscure measure word because the connection between words it’s used for doesn’t seem immediately obvious.

• 两条鱼 liǎng tiáo yú – Two fish
• 一条路 yī tiáo lù – A road
• 这条河 zhè tiáo hé – This river
• 两条裤子 liǎng tiáo kù zi – Two pairs of trousers

It may seem strange to have the same measure word for fish and road. What do they have in common?

However, it actually makes sense, in general this measure word is used for long, narrow or skinny objects and animals.

You’ll see that this measure word appears in quite a few different categories.

#7 – 件 jiàn

This is a measure word that has quite a few broad uses. 件 jiàn is used for some items of clothing, presents or problems/matters.

• 一件衬衫 yī jiàn chènshān- A shirt
• 一件事 – yī jiàn shì – One matter or problem

Unlike 条 tiáo, it isn’t clear how these words are all connected!

#8 – 块 kuài

Most people will be familiar with the measure word 块 kuài which is used as the colloquial classifier for 元 yuán. However, it is also used for big pieces of something, portions and wristwatches.

• 三块钱 sān kuài qián – Three yuan
• 一块石头 yī kuài shítou – A rock

#9 – 家 jiā

This is another word that most people will be familiar with as it’s the word for home or family.

But, 家 jiā is also a measure word and is used for families or business establishments.

• 这家公司 zhè jiā gōng sī – This company
• 一家酒吧 – yī jiā jiǔ bā – A bar
• 两家人家 liǎng jiā rénjiā – Two families

#10 – 只 zhī

In general 只 zhī is the go to measure word for animals, although not all animals. (You can have a look at the animals section to see which).

It is also used for body parts that come in pairs, to mean “one of a pair”.

• 五只猫 – wǔ zhī māo – Five cats
• 四只鸡 sì zhī jī – Four chickens
• 一只耳朵 yì zhī ěr duo- An ear

#11 – 辆 liàng

The measure word 辆 liàng is used for vehicles with wheels, although not for trains (check out the transport section).

• 一辆摩托车 yī liàng mótuō chē – A motorbike
• 三辆自行车 sān liàng zì xíng chē – Three bicycles
• 五辆车 wǔ liàng chē – Five cars

#12 – 双 shuāng

This is the measure word for pairs. However, 双 shuāng is not used for all things you would say pair for in English. For example as we saw earlier the measure word for a pair of trousers is actually 条 tiáo.

• 一双筷子 yī shuāng kuàizi – A pair of chopsticks
• 一双鞋 yī shuāng xié – A pair of shoes
• 两双手套 liǎng shuāng shǒutào – Two pairs of gloves

PRO TIP: If you select a word in Pleco many words will have the appropriate measure word at the bottom of the page

Chinese Measure Words – People and Animals

First up in our categories is people and animals. Some of these measure words we’ve already covered in the most common measure words section.

People

Animals

There are four different measure words used for animals in Chinese.

• 只 zhī – Used for most animals including birds
  • 一只鸟 yī zhī niǎo – A bird
  • 一只狗 yī zhī gǒu – A dog
  • 一只大象 yī zhī dà xiàng – An elephant

• 头 tóu – Bigger animals, normally livestock
  • 一头猪 yī tóu zhū – A pig
  • 一头牛 yī tóu niú – A cow

• 匹 pǐ – Horses, mules etc.
  • 一匹马 yī pǐ mǎ – A horse

• 条 tiáo – Fish, snakes
  • 一条蛇 yì tiáo shé – A snake
  • 一条鱼 yì tiáo yú – A fish
  • 一条龙 yì tiáo lóng – A dragon

Chinese Measure Words – Body Parts

Here are the six Chinese measure words used for classifying body parts in Chinese.

张 zhāng – Measure word for face, mouth
一张脸 yì zhāng liǎn – A face
一张嘴 yì zhāng zuǐ – A mouth

根 gēn – Thin, slender body parts e.g. finger, a hair

• 一根手指 yì gēn shǒu zhǐ – A finger
• 一根头发 yì gēn tóu fa – A hair

只 zhī – For body parts, this means “one of a pair”.
一只耳朵 yì zhī ěr duo – An ear
一只手 yì zhī shǒu – A hand

条 tiáo – Long, narrow body parts

• 一条腿 yì tiáo tuǐ – A leg

双 shuāng – A pair of body parts
一双眼睛 yì shuāng yǎnjing – A pair of eyes
一双手 yì shuāng shǒu – A pair of hands

颗 kē – Small, normally round body parts

• 一颗牙齿 yì kē yá chǐ – A tooth
• 一颗心 yì kē xīn – A heart

Chinese Measure Words – Food

This is the must read category for anyone who wants to improve their restaurant ordering skills.

• 碗 wǎn – For food in bowl
  • 一碗面 yì wǎn miàn – A bowl of noodles
  • 一碗汤 yì wǎn tāng – A bowl of soup
• 份 fèn – For a meal of a fixed menu in a restaurant
  • 一份米饭 yí fèn mǐfàn – An order of rice
• 串 chuàn – Skewer
  • 一串肉 yī chuàn ròu – A skewer of meat
• 盘 pán – dish, and can be used for a plate of food
  • 一盘菜 yì pán cài – A dish
  • 一盘饺子 yì pán jiǎozi – A plate of dumplings

• 锅 guō – Pot, pan, boiler
  • 一锅粥 yì guō zhōu – A pot of porridge
  • 一锅汤 yì guō tāng – A pot of soup
• 笼 lóng – Bamboo or wooden utensil for steaming food
  • 一笼包子 yì lóng bāozi – An order of steamed stuffed buns
  • 一笼蒸饺 yì lóng zhēngjiǎo – An order of steamed dumplings
• 碟 dié – Small plate
  • 一碟醋 yì dié cù – A dish of vinegar
  • 一碟花生米 yì dié huāshēngmǐ – A dish of peanuts
• 顿 dùn – Meal
  • 一顿饭 yí dùn fàn – A meal
  • 一顿早餐 yí dùn zǎocān – A breakfast

• 片 piàn – Thin slice of food
  • 一片面包 yí piàn miànbāo – A slice of bread
  • 一片培根 yí piàn péigēn – A slice of bacon
• 块 kuài – A portion, piece or thick slice of food
  • 一块蛋糕 yí kuài dàngāo – A piece of cake
  • 一块西瓜 yí kuài xīguā – A slice of watermelon

• 包 bāo – Pack, packet or bag
  • 一包糖果 yì bāo tángguǒ – A pack of candies
  • 一包饼干 yì bāo bǐnggān – A pack of biscuits
• 盒 hé – Box or carton
  • 一盒牛奶 yì hé niúnǎi – A carton of milk
  • 一盒巧克力 yì hé qiǎokèlì – A box of chocolate

In our most common measure words we already saw the words for bottle (瓶 píng) and glass (杯 bēi), here are a couple more:

• 听 tīng – Can
  • 一听可乐 yì tīng kělè – A can of cola
• 罐 guàn – Jar, pot, tin
  • 一罐蜂蜜 yí guàn fēngmì – A jar of honey

Make sure to have a look at guide to reading a Chinese menu, for more tips on ordering food at restaurants.

We also have a handy menu cheat sheet, which you can save on Instagram.

Of course, if all else fails when trying to order food in a restaurant there is always the “这个 zhège” technique, which you can see Campbell using at the end of the video below.

Chinese Measure Words – Plants, Fruit and Vegetables

Plants

There are three Chinese measure words used for plants.

Fruit and Vegetables

The measure words for fruit and vegetables tend to describe the size and shape of them. There are also some fruit or vegetables such as apples or aubergines, where you can just use 个 gè.

• 根 gēn – Long slender objects; thin, flexible strands
  • 一根胡萝卜 yì gēn húluóbo – A carrot
  • 一根黄瓜 yì gēn huángguā – A cucumber

• 颗 kē – Small objects, objects appearing small (hearts, pearls, diamonds, teeth, satellites, etc.)
  • 一颗葡萄 yì kē pú tao – A grape
  • 一颗樱桃 yì kē yīng táo – A cherry

• 粒 lì – Gain; classifier for small round things (seeds, peas, bullets, peanuts, pills, grains etc.)
  • 一粒大米 yí lì dà mǐ – A grain of rice
  • 一粒黄豆 yì lì huáng dòu – A soya bean

• 头 tóu – Bulb
  • 一头蒜 yì tóu suàn – A bulb of garlic
  • 一头洋葱 yì tóu yángcōng – An onion

• 瓣 bàn – For segment, section, clove (normally 儿 is added)
  • 一瓣儿蒜 yí bànr suàn – A clove of garlic
  • 一瓣儿橘子 yí bànr júzi – A slice of orange

• 把 bǎ – For a quantity of things that can be held in one hand
  • 一把香蕉 yì bǎ xiāngjiāo – A bunch of bananas
  • 一把青菜 yì bǎ qīngcài – A bunch of green vegetables

Chinese Measure Words – Vehicles and Buildings

Vehicles

We already saw the measure word for most wheeled vehicles in our most common measure words sections.

But what about the measure words for other modes of transport in Chinese?

Buildings

If you’ve ever written put your address in Chinese for a food delivery app or Taobao, then you may have seen some of these measure words for buildings included in your address.

• 座 zuò – Measure word for big buildings, mountains, bridges
  • 一座大厦 yí zuò dà shà – A mansion
  • 一座桥 yí zuò qiáo – A bridge
  • 一座寺庙 yí zuò sìmiào – A temple

• 栋 dòng – Measure word for buildings
  • 一栋房子 yí dòng fángzi – A house
  • 一栋别墅 yí dòng biéshù – A villa

• 间 jiān – Room
  • 一间屋子 yì jiān wūzi – A room
  • 一间教室 yì jiān jiàoshì – A classroom

• 所 suǒ – For buildings whose purposes are explicitly stated
  • 一所学校 yì suǒ xuéxiào – A school
  • 一所医院 yì suǒ yīyuàn – A hospital

• 家 jiā – As seen in our most common words this is the measure word for families or businesses
  • 一家宾馆 yì jiā bīnguǎn – A hotel
  • 一家公司 yì jiā gōngsī – A company
  • 一家电影院 yì jiā diànyǐngyuàn – A cinema

Chinese Measure Words – Household Items

Appliances/Electronics

• 台 tái – Heavy objects (TVs, computers, etc.)
  • 一台电脑 yì tái diànnǎo – A computer
  • 一台电视 yì tái diànshì – A television
• 部 bù – Measure word for small devices, films, machines, dictionaries, etc.
  • 一部手机 yí bù shǒujī – A mobile phone
• 盏 zhǎn – Lamp
  • 一盏台灯 yī zhǎn táidēng – A standing lamp

Daily use items

• 把 bǎ – Most commonly used to quantify objects that can be grasped or objects with a handle
  • 一把椅子 yì bǎ yǐzi – A chair
  • 一把勺子 yì bǎ sháozi – A spoon
• 床 chuáng – Used for bedsheets (床 chuáng is also the word for bed)
  • 一床棉被 yī chuáng miánbèi – A cotton blanket
• 条 tiáo – Towel, tablecloth
  • 一条毯子 yī tiáo tǎnzi – A blanket

Furniture

• 张 zhāng – Rectangular or flat objects (we saw this one earlier in the most common Chinese measure words list)
  • 一张饭桌 yì zhāng fànzhuō – A dining table
  • 一张沙发 yì zhāng shāfā – A sofa
• 扇 shàn – Door or window: open and close on hinges
  • 一扇门 yí shàn mén – A door
  • 一扇窗 yí shàn chuāng – A window
• Some furniture uses the generic 个 as well
  • 一个衣柜 yí gè yīguì – A wardrobe
  • 一个书架 yí gè shūjià – A bookshelf

Chinese Measure Words – Clothing and Jewellery

In the most common measure word section we will have seen the word 件 jiàn which can be used for most articles of clothing. However, here are some other measure words also used for clothing.

If you have an interest in clothes or just want to know vocab for some online shopping, have a look at our guides to clothes in Chinese and jewellery in Chinese.

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Chinese Measure Words – Time

These are definitely some important measure words to learn. Be careful though, as some of them are only used in writing, and aren’t really used in spoken Chinese.

• 秒 miǎo – Second 一秒钟 yī miǎo zhōng – One second
• 分 fēn – Minute 一分钟 yī fēnzhōng – One minute
• 天 tiān – Day 一天 yī tiān – One day
• 日 rì – Day 一日 yī rì – One day (used in written form)
• 周 zhōu – Week 一周 yī zhōu – One week (used in written form)
• 年 nián – Year 一年 yī nián – One year
• 代 dài – Era, generation 上一代 shàng yīdài – The previous generation
• 次 cì – Time 一次 yī cì – Once

Some words that indicate an amount of time can’t be used on their own and need to have the measure word 个 gè used as part of them:

• 一个小时 yī gè xiǎoshí – One hour
• 一个星期 yī gè xīngqí – One week
• 一个月 yī gè yuè – One month
• 一个年代 yī gè niándài – One decade
• 一个世纪 yī gè shìjì – One century

Chinese Measure Words – Units of Measure

Next, are some Chinese measure words for units of measure. The weight units of measure are especially helpful to learn for shopping for fresh ingredients such as fruit and vegetables.

Weight

• 斤 jīn – 0.5 kg
• 吨 dūn – Ton
• 磅 bàng – Pound (lb)

Length

• 寸 cùn – One inch (different length to western inch – 3.3333cm)
• 尺 chǐ – One foot (different length to western foot – 1/3 m)
• 里 lǐ – 0.5 km

As you can see a Chinese inch and a Chinese foot, is not the same length as those used in the west – so be careful you don’t get confused!

Money

• 块 kuài – Colloquial measure word for 1 元 yuán
• 毛 máo – Colloquial measure word for 1 角 jiǎo (1/10 yuan)
• 笔 bǐ – An unspecified sum of money

Volume and Degree

• 升 shēng – 1 litre
• 斗 dòu – 10 litres
• 度 dù – Degree, level (e.g. temperature, degree of angle etc.)

More units of measurement can be found in our complete guide to measurements in Chinese.

Chinese Measure Words – Pairs, Collections and Groups

Pairs

We’ve already seen two of these in the clothes and jewellery section, but they can also be used as measure words in other situations.

Collections and Groups

In Chinese there are also quite a few different measure words for collections and groups of people or objects.

• 些 xiē – A few
  • 一些東西 yī xiē dōngxī – A few things
• 种 zhǒng – A kind
  • 一种动物 yī zhǒng dòngwù – A type of animal
• 群 qún – Group, flock
  • 一群人 yī qún rén – A group of people
  • 一群羊 yī qún yáng – A flock of sheep
• 众 zhòng – A crowd
  • 一众人 yī zhòng rén – A crowd of people
• 组 zǔ – Set, series
  • 一组邮票 yī zǔ yóupiào – A set of stamps
• 帮 bāng – A group or a band
  • 一帮贼 yī bāng zéi – A group of thieves

• 班 bān – A class
  • 一班学生 yī bān xuéshēng – A class of students
• 排 pái – A row, queue
  • 一排电杆 yī pái diàn gān – A row of electrical posts
• 队 duì – A team, battalion
  • 一队军人 yī duì jūnrén – A battalion of soldiers
• 打 dá – A dozen
  • 一打鸡蛋 yī dá jīdàn – A dozen eggs
• 叠 dié – Stack
  • 一叠箱 yī dié xiāng – A stack of boxes/containers
  • 一叠钱 yī dié qián – A stack of money

If you made it this far, congratulations, you’ve officially mastered the measure words in Chinese!

Now let’s see how if you can hear them in conversation here. Watch this video and write down all the measure words you spot!

So what did you think? Did you enjoy our guide? Did you learn anything new?

Drop us a comment below if you have any questions or even requests for further articles or videos – we are always all ears!

If you want to push your language skills even further, why not check out our guide to Vietnamese Measure Words as well – because learning more languages is just fun!

FREE DOWNLOAD – Measure Words PDF

As that might’ve been a lot to take in (don’t worry, it gets easier)… we thought it’d be a good thing to spend some hours creating the perfect PDF for you guys to download, FREE!

Yes indeed, there is no catch, no email to hand over, no donations – we create them out of sheer love for the language, and our readers!

It took us some time to make so we really hope you like it and use it.

TEST YOURSELF – Our Measure Words Quiz

So we’ve done everything we can! We’ve held your hand until this far, but now it’s time to go it along and take on the Measure Words yourself!

Don’t worry, we believe in you!

This quiz is really simple to follow – every question has four options so just take a guess if you don’t know.

Results are immediate and if you like, why not share your score below?

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Chinese Measure Words – FAQ’s

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