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Level Foundations · HSK 1

Measure Words, 这/那/哪, 二 vs 两, 些 and 第

English uses "counters" with some nouns: a cup of tea, a sheet of paper, a head of cattle. Chinese uses one with every noun it counts. Between a number and a noun there is always a measure word: 三本书, three (volumes of) books.

The same slot follows 这 (this), 那 (that) and 哪 (which), and the measure word you'll use most is the all-purpose 个.

Number + measure word + noun

个 (ge) works for people and for most things without a measure word of their own. Others group nouns by shape or type: 本 for books, 杯 for cups of a drink, 口 for members of a family, 只 for many animals.

个 is said with a neutral tone, but underneath it is fourth tone, so 一 before it becomes yí: 一个 yí ge.

Measure wordUsed forExample
个 gepeople, most things三个人 three people
本 běnbooks, notebooks两本书 two books
杯 bēicups, glasses of一杯茶 a cup of tea
口 kǒufamily members四口人 four people (in a family)
只 zhīmany animals一只猫 a cat

  • 我有三个朋友。

    Wǒ yǒu sān ge péngyou.

    I have three friends.

  • 我要一杯茶。

    Wǒ yào yì bēi chá.

    I'd like a cup of tea.

  • 我家有四口人。

    Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén.

    There are four people in my family.

这, 那, 哪 + measure word

This, that and which also take a measure word: 这本书 (this book), 那个人 (that person), 哪个？ (which one?). A number goes between them: 这三本书, these three books.

  • 这本书很好。

    Zhè běn shū hěn hǎo.

    This book is good.

  • 那个人是谁？

    Nàge rén shì shéi?

    Who's that person?

  • 你要哪个？

    Nǐ yào nǎge?

    Which one do you want?

二 or 两?

Both mean two. 两 (liǎng) is used to count things, so it goes before a measure word, and before 百, 千 and 万. 二 (èr) is used for the number itself: counting aloud, phone numbers, ordinals (第二) and inside bigger numbers (十二, 二十).

  • 两个人

    liǎng ge rén

    two people

  • 十二个人

    shí'èr ge rén

    twelve people

  • 两千块

    liǎngqiān kuài

    two thousand yuan

些, 第 and 次

些 (xiē) makes a vague plural: 这些 (these), 那些 (those), 哪些 (which ones), 一些 (some). It never takes a number. 第 (dì) makes ordinals: 第一 (first), 第二课 (lesson two). 次 (cì) counts occasions: 第一次 (the first time), 上次 (last time), 下次 (next time).

  • 这些书是我的。

    Zhèxiē shū shì wǒ de.

    These books are mine.

  • 我想买一些水果。

    Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yìxiē shuǐguǒ.

    I'd like to buy some fruit.

  • 这是我第一次来中国。

    Zhè shì wǒ dì-yī cì lái Zhōngguó.

    This is my first time in China.

Common mistakes

  • ✗三书

    ✓三本书

    sān běn shū

    A number can't touch a noun directly. Put a measure word in between.

  • ✗二个人

    ✓两个人

    liǎng ge rén

    Before a measure word, two is 两.

  • ✗这三些书

    ✓这三本书 / 这些书

    zhè sān běn shū / zhèxiē shū

    些 is already a vague plural and can't be counted. Use a real measure word with a number.

  • ✗第两课

    ✓第二课

    dì-èr kè

    Ordinals use the number itself, so it's always 第二.

Questions learners ask

Can I just use 个 for everything?

You'll be understood, and native speakers fall back on 个 too. But the common specific ones (本, 杯, 口, and at B1 张, 条, 辆) sound natural, so learn each noun with its measure word.

Do I need a measure word after 这 and 那 every time?

Before a noun, yes in careful speech: 这个人, 那本书. In 这是… and 那是… (this is ..., that is ...) there's no noun right after, so no measure word.

Practice this in lessons

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