A measure word sits between a number and a noun in Chinese. Look up what each one counts, by HSK level, and see a short list of everyday noun and measure word pairs. Free, instant, no account.
104 measure words in the dictionary. Type above to filter the table below.
A short hand-picked list of standard pairings. Each noun and measure word is also in the HSK Studio dictionary. It is a teaching list, not every noun.
| Phrase | Noun | Measure word |
|---|---|---|
| 一个人 | 人 rén: person | 个 gè |
| 一位老师 | 老师 lǎoshī: teacher | 位 wèi |
| 一只猫 | 猫 māo: cat | 只 zhī |
| 一条鱼 | 鱼 yú: fish | 条 tiáo |
| 一条河 | 河 hé: river | 条 tiáo |
| 一本书 | 书 shū: book | 本 běn |
| 一张纸 | 纸 zhǐ: paper | 张 zhāng |
| 一张桌子 | 桌子 zhuōzi: table | 张 zhāng |
| 一把椅子 | 椅子 yǐzi: chair | 把 bǎ |
| 一杯水 | 水 shuǐ: water | 杯 bēi |
| 一辆车 | 车 chē: car | 辆 liàng |
| 一件衣服 | 衣服 yīfu: clothes | 件 jiàn |
| 一棵树 | 树 shù: tree | 棵 kē |
| 一首歌 | 歌 gē: song | 首 shǒu |
| 一封信 | 信 xìn: letter | 封 fēng |
| 一双鞋 | 鞋 xié: shoe | 双 shuāng |
| 一台电脑 | 电脑 diànnǎo: computer | 台 tái |
| 一部电影 | 电影 diànyǐng: film | 部 bù |
104 entries marked as classifiers whose definition says what they count, in HSK 3.0 level order.
| Word | Pinyin | HSK | What it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 本 | běn | 1 | measure word for books |
| 点 | diǎn | 1 | measure word for small round things; (point, dot) |
| 个 | gè | 1 | measure word for general objects |
| 号 | hào | 1 | number; measure word for people, items |
| 回 | huí | 1 | to return; (measure word for times) |
| 家 | jiā | 1 | home, family; measure word for families; (suffix indicating a person specializing in something) |
| 件 | jiàn | 1 | measure word for items |
| 块 | kuài | 1 | measure word for pieces, chunks, money |
| 年 | nián | 1 | year; measure word for years |
| 日 | rì | 1 | measure word for days; (sun) |
| 岁 | suì | 1 | measure word for age |
| 天 | tiān | 1 | day; measure word for days |
| 下 | xià | 1 | down, below; to go down; measure word for times |
| 些 | xiē | 1 | measure word for an indefinite amount |
| 只 | zhī | 1 | measure word for animals, one of a pair |
| 杯 | bēi | 1 | cup; trophy cup; classifier for certain containers of liquids: glass, cup |
| 口 | kǒu | 1 | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 班 | bān | 2 | class, team; (measure word for groups) |
| 包 | bāo | 2 | to wrap, to pack; bag; measure word for bundles |
| 笔 | bǐ | 2 | pen; (measure word for writing tools) |
| 次 | cì | 2 | measure word of time or occasion; (next in order) |
| 间 | jiān | 2 | measure word for rooms; between |
| 面 | miàn | 2 | suffix indicating a person with a certain characteristic; (to face; side, aspect; measure word for flat objects) |
| 名 | míng | 2 | name, reputation; measure word for people |
| 条 | tiáo | 2 | measure word for long, thin, or strip-like objects; (clause, item) |
| 头 | tóu | 2 | head; (measure word for animals); (first) |
| 位 | wèi | 2 | measure word for people |
| 周 | zhōu | 2 | week; (measure word for circumference, cycle) |
| 瓶 | píng | 2 | bottle; vase; pitcher; classifier for wine and liquids |
| 把 | bǎ | 3 | measure word for objects with handles; particle for object-fronting |
| 遍 | biàn | 3 | measure word for actions |
| 层 | céng | 3 | measure word for layer, floor |
| 段 | duàn | 3 | measure word of segment, paragraph |
| 封 | fēng | 3 | measure word for letters; (to seal) |
| 角 | jiǎo | 3 | measure word for fractions, angle, currency |
| 节 | jié | 3 | measure word for segments, sections, lessons; festival, joint; (to save, to control) |
| 句 | jù | 3 | measure word of sentence |
| 辆 | liàng | 3 | measure word for vehicles |
| 毛 | máo | 3 | measure word for money; (hair) |
| 起 | qǐ | 3 | to rise, to get up; (measure word for events) |
| 声 | shēng | 3 | sound, voice; measure word for sounds |
| 双 | shuāng | 3 | pair, measure word for pairs |
| 页 | yè | 3 | measure word for page |
| 张 | zhāng | 3 | to open; measure word for flat objects |
| 种 | zhǒng | 3 | measure word for kinds |
| 倍 | bèi | 4 | measure word meaning times, -fold |
| 部 | bù | 4 | department, part; measure word for books, machines, etc. |
| 场 | chǎng | 4 | measure word for events, performances, etc. |
| 道 | dào | 4 | path, way, method; measure word for long objects |
| 队 | duì | 4 | team, squad; (measure word for teams) |
| 顿 | dùn | 4 | measure word for meals, scolding; (to pause) |
| 份 | fèn | 4 | measure word for copies, shares |
| 幅 | fú | 4 | measure word for paintings, photos, etc. |
| 管 | guǎn | 4 | control, manage, care about, bother with; (pipe, tube); (measure word for tubular objects) |
| 棵 | kē | 4 | measure word for trees, plants, and other similar objects |
| 列 | liè | 4 | to arrange in a row, to list; measure word for rows or lines |
| 排 | pái | 4 | to line up, to arrange; row, line; measure word for rows |
| 篇 | piān | 4 | measure word for essays, articles, papers; piece, sheet |
| 片 | piàn | 4 | piece, slice, area; measure word for flat objects |
| 期 | qī | 4 | period, phase; measure word for issues, semesters, etc. |
| 身 | shēn | 4 | body, oneself; measure word for clothes |
| 首 | shǒu | 4 | measure word for songs, poems, etc. |
| 台 | tái | 4 | measure word for machines, vehicles, etc.; (platform, stage) |
| 趟 | tàng | 4 | measure word for trips, journeys |
| 通 | tōng | 4 | to go through, to be open; to lead to, to connect; (measure word for whole sets) |
| 项 | xiàng | 4 | measure word for projects, items |
| 夜 | yè | 4 | night; measure word for segments of the night |
| 组 | zǔ | 4 | group, team; (to organize; measure word for groups) |
| 座 | zuò | 4 | seat, place; measure word for seats |
| 辈 | bèi | 5 | lifetime; generation; group of people; class; classifier for generations; (literary) classifier for people |
| 版 | bǎn | 6 | edition, version; measure word for editions |
| 成 | chéng | 6 | measure word for one-tenth |
| 尺 | chǐ | 6 | measure word for length; ruler |
| 串 | chuàn | 6 | string, bunch; measure word for strings |
| 滴 | dī | 6 | to drip; measure word |
| 顶 | dǐng | 6 | top; to carry on the head; measure word for hats |
| 栋 | dòng | 6 | measure word for buildings |
| 番 | fān | 6 | measure word for actions, occurrences |
| 户 | hù | 6 | measure word for households |
| 环 | huán | 6 | ring, loop; measure word for rings; to surround |
| 局 | jú | 6 | measure word for games, sets |
| 卷 | juǎn | 6 | to roll, to curl; roll; measure word for rolls |
| 款 | kuǎn | 6 | sum of money; measure word for items |
| 粒 | lì | 6 | grain; measure word for small particles |
| 轮 | lún | 6 | wheel; to take turns; measure word for rounds |
| 盘 | pán | 6 | measure word for plates, coils; (to coil) |
| 捧 | pěng | 6 | to hold in both hands; (measure word for handfuls) |
| 平方 | píngfāng | 6 | square; measure word |
| 艘 | sōu | 6 | measure word for ships |
| 线 | xiàn | 6 | thread, line; measure word for lines |
| 样 | yàng | 6 | measure word for kinds, types |
| 章 | zhāng | 6 | measure word for chapters |
| 枝 | zhī | 6 | branch; measure word for long, thin objects |
| 株 | zhū | 6 | measure word for plants |
| 股 | gǔ | 6 | thigh; part of a whole; portion of a sum; (stock) share; strand of a thread; low-level administrative unit, translated as "section" or "department" etc, ranked below 科; classifier for long winding things like ropes, rivers etc; classifier for smoke, smells etc: thread, puff, whiff; classifier for bands of people, gangs etc; classifier for sudden forceful actions |
| 标 | biāo | 7-9 | mark; sign; label; to mark with a symbol, label, lettering etc; to bear (a brand name, registration number etc); prize; award; bid; target; quota; (old) the topmost branches of a tree; visible symptom; classifier for military units |
| 缸 | gāng | 7-9 | jar; vat; classifier for loads of laundry |
| 缕 | lǚ | 7-9 | strand; thread; detailed; in detail; classifier for wisps (of smoke, mist or vapor), strands, locks (of hair) |
| 码 | mǎ | 7-9 | weight; number; code; to pile; to stack; classifier for length or distance (yard), happenings etc |
| 腔 | qiāng | 7-9 | (bound form) cavity; tune; accent (in one's speech); (old) (classifier for carcasses of slaughtered livestock) |
| 堂 | táng | 7-9 | (main) hall; large room for a specific purpose; relationship between cousins etc on the paternal side of a family; of the same clan; classifier for classes, lectures etc; classifier for sets of furniture |
| 窝 | wō | 7-9 | nest; pit or hollow on the human body; lair; den; place; to harbor or shelter; to hold in check; to bend; classifier for litters and broods |
| 盏 | zhǎn | 7-9 | a small cup; classifier for lamps |
| 桩 | zhuāng | 7-9 | stump; stake; pile; classifier for items |
Definitions are adapted from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). HSK levels follow HSK 3.0 as assigned in the HSK Studio dictionary; see the HSK vocabulary lists.
A measure word (量词, liàngcí, also called a classifier) goes between a number or 这/那 and a noun: 一本书 (one book), 三只猫 (three cats), 这个人 (this person). English has a few, such as a sheet of paper, but Chinese uses one for almost every counted noun.
个 (gè) is the general measure word and is understood with most nouns, so it is the safe default for a learner. Native speakers prefer a specific one for many nouns, for example 一本书 rather than 一个书, and a specific measure word is the one to learn alongside each new noun.
They go by what the noun looks like or is: 条 for long, thin things (鱼, 河, 裤子), 张 for flat things (纸, 桌子), 本 for bound volumes (书), 只 for animals and one of a pair, and 件 for items of clothing and for matters (一件衣服, 一件事). The table lists what the dictionary says each one counts.
They are the dictionary entries marked as classifiers whose definition says what they count, taken from HSK Studio's HSK 3.0 dictionary. Definitions are adapted from CC-CEDICT. The list covers words that work as measure words, including time and money units such as 年, 天 and 块; it is not an exhaustive grammar reference.
At HSK 1 the table includes 个, 本, 只, 件, 杯, 岁, 块, 天, 年 and 些, among others. Filter the table by typing a level, such as 1, to list them all.
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