Measure words — the 25 that cover almost everything
A number can never touch a noun directly in Chinese: you need a measure word between them. 一个人, 两本书, 三杯茶. 个 is the default and works with most nouns when you are stuck.
Structure
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Number + Measure word + Noun
两本书 — two books.
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这/那 + Measure word + Noun
这本书 — this book.
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几 + Measure word + Noun
几个人 — how many people.
How it works
English does this too, but only for uncountables: two slices of bread, three cups of tea. Chinese extends it to every countable noun. 两书 is as broken as "two breads"; you need 两本书.
The same slot is used after 这 (this), 那 (that) and 几 (how many): 这本书, 那个人, 几杯咖啡. And 一 is often dropped in speech after 这/那.
The 25 that carry the load: 个 (general), 本 (books), 张 (flat things: paper, tickets, tables, beds), 只 (animals, one of a pair), 件 (clothes, matters), 条 (long thin things: fish, trousers, roads), 把 (things with handles), 杯 (cups), 瓶 (bottles), 碗 (bowls), 辆 (vehicles), 架 (planes, machines), 位 (people, polite), 口 (family members), 家 (businesses), 间 (rooms), 双 (pairs), 套 (sets), 块 (chunks, money), 片 (slices), 支 (pens, sticks), 份 (portions, copies), 次 (times, occasions), 遍 (times, from start to finish), 点 (a little).
When you cannot remember one, use 个. It is wrong for some nouns but always understood — far better than dropping the measure word entirely, which sounds like broken grammar rather than a small slip.
Examples
Quick drill — 5 questions
Five fill-in-the-gap questions built from the example sentences above. No sign-up, no score kept — just a check that the pattern has actually landed.
Choose the word that belongs in the gap:
Common mistakes
| ✗ Wrong | ✓ Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 我有两书。 | 我有两本书。 | A number can never sit directly against a noun. |
| 三个纸 | 三张纸 | Flat sheets take 张. 个 is understood here but marks you as a beginner. |
| 这书很好。 | 这本书很好。 | 这 and 那 need a measure word just as numbers do. |
Measure words — the top 25 — frequently asked questions
What is a measure word in Chinese?
A word that must sit between a number (or 这/那/几) and a noun: 两本书 — two [volume] books. English uses them only for uncountables ("two slices of bread"); Chinese requires one for every countable noun.
Can I just use 个 for everything?
Almost. 个 is the general-purpose measure word and will be understood with most nouns, so it is the right fallback when you are stuck. But some pairings are so fixed that 个 sounds clearly wrong — 一本书, 一张纸, 一条鱼 — and those are worth learning as vocabulary.
How many Chinese measure words are there?
Several hundred exist, but everyday Chinese runs on about 25: 个, 本, 张, 只, 件, 条, 把, 杯, 瓶, 碗, 辆, 架, 位, 口, 家, 间, 双, 套, 块, 片, 支, 份, 次, 遍 and 点. HSK 1–3 uses barely a dozen of them.
Do measure words change for plural?
No. Chinese nouns and measure words have no plural form — the number does that job. 一本书, 两本书, 一百本书 all use the same 本 and the same 书.
Next, learn
Put it to work
Drill the vocabulary for this level on the HSK 1 word list, rebuild scrambled sentences in the Sentence Builder, read graded stories that use this pattern in the story library, or follow a step-by-step route through the whole site in Guided Learning Paths.