Chinese Measure Words
The 60 measure words you actually need — what each one counts, with examples, pinyin and audio.
gè
general-purpose classifier
Used for: people, general objects, abstract things
one person
three apples
zhī
classifier for animals and one of a pair
Used for: small animals, birds, one of paired body parts or objects
one cat
two hands
běn
classifier for bound volumes
Used for: books, magazines, notebooks, dictionaries
one book
two magazines
zhāng
classifier for flat objects
Used for: paper, tables, photos, tickets, beds
one sheet of paper
two tickets
tiáo
classifier for long, narrow, flexible things
Used for: fish, roads, rivers, trousers, dogs
one fish
two pairs of trousers
jiàn
classifier for clothing items and matters
Used for: upper-body clothing, matters, gifts, luggage
one piece of clothing
two matters
wèi
polite classifier for people
Used for: teachers, guests, doctors (respectful)
one teacher
three guests
zhǒng
classifier for kinds and types
Used for: methods, colors, languages, feelings
one kind of method
three colors
cì
classifier for occurrences
Used for: times something happens: chances, meetings, trips
one chance
I have been there three times.
kuài
classifier for chunks and pieces; colloquial unit of money
Used for: cake, chocolate, soap; yuan in speech
one piece of cake
ten yuan
jiā
classifier for businesses and establishments
Used for: restaurants, companies, shops, banks
one restaurant
two companies
kǒu
classifier for family members and mouthfuls
Used for: people in a family, mouthfuls of food or drink
four family members
a mouthful of water
bēi
classifier for cups and glasses
Used for: water, coffee, tea and other drinks
one glass of water
two cups of coffee
píng
classifier for bottles
Used for: bottled water, beer, milk
one bottle of water
two bottles of beer
shuāng
classifier for matched pairs
Used for: shoes, chopsticks, socks, gloves
one pair of shoes
one pair of chopsticks
In Chinese you can’t say "three books" — you need a measure word between the number and the noun: 三本书 (sān běn shū), where 本 is the classifier for bound things. Every noun has its conventional classifier, and using 个 for everything marks you instantly as a beginner.
This searchable list covers the ≈60 measure words that handle everyday Chinese, ordered by usefulness: what each one counts, ready-to-use example phrases with pinyin (including the spoken tone changes of 一), and audio for every example.
What is a measure word (classifier)?
A word required between a number (or 这/那) and a noun: 一本书 "one book", 两只猫 "two cats". English has traces of the same idea — "two sheets of paper".
Can I just use 个 for everything?
You’ll be understood — 个 is the universal fallback — but natives notice. Learning the top 20 classifiers covers most daily conversation and immediately sounds more fluent.
Why does 一 change tone in the examples?
Standard sandhi: 一 becomes yí before a 4th tone (一个 yí gè) and yì before tones 1–3 (一张 yì zhāng). The examples show the spoken form because this is how you should say them.
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