In Mandarin Chinese, you cannot simply say "three book" or "two cat." Between every number and noun, you must insert a measure word (量词 liàng cí) — also called a classifier.
English uses measure words too, but only selectively: "a glass of water," "a piece of cake," "a herd of cattle." In Chinese, every single countable noun requires one — always, no exceptions.
Fun fact: There are over 200 measure words in Mandarin, but most native speakers use fewer than 50 regularly. Master the top 10 first and you'll be understood in almost every situation.
How to Use Them: The Structure
The formula is simple:
🔢 Number + Measure Word + Noun
Here it is in action:
三只猫 (sān zhī māo): three cats
两杯茶 (liǎng bēi chá): two cups of tea
一张桌子 (yì zhāng zhuōzi): one table
You can also use measure words with demonstratives like 这 (this) and 那 (that):
这本书 (zhè běn shū): this book
The 10 Must-Know Measure Words
Don't get overwhelmed by 232 words. Start with these ten — they cover the vast majority of everyday situations.
gè
Universal classifier
When in doubt, use this! 一个人 one person
zhāng
Flat surface objects
一张纸 paper
两张票 two tickets
bēi
Cups and glasses of liquid
一杯茶 a cup of tea
kuài
Pieces + informal money
一块蛋糕 a piece of cake
三块钱 3 yuan
liàng
Vehicles
一辆车 one car
zhī
Animals (general)
三只猫 three cats
一只狗 one dog
tiáo
Long / narrow things + dogs
一条路 a road
两条狗 two dogs
běn
Books and bound documents
三本书 three books
wèi
People (polite/respectful
两位老师 two teachers
jiàn
Clothing, items, events
一件衬衫 a shirt
三件事 three things
Learn Chinese Characters the right way!
Chinese characters are often seen as one of the most intimidating parts of learning Mandarin. This guide was created to change that.
Complete List of All 232 Chinese Measure Words
Use the search box to filter instantly. ⭐ marks very common words. Download the PDF for a printable version you can use anywhere.
Download the PDF version: Complete List of All 232 Chinese Measure Words.pdf
| # | Character | Pinyin | What It Counts | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 把 | bǎ | Objects with handles / bunches | 叉子 fork · 伞 umbrella · 椅子 chair |
| 2 | 班 | bān | Classes, groups, work shifts | 飞机 flight · 学生 students |
| 3 | 瓣 | bàn | Pieces, segments, sections | 橘子 orange · 蒜 garlic · 西瓜 watermelon |
| 4 | 帮 | bāng | Groups of people | 匪徒 gangster |
| 5 | 磅 | bàng | Pound (weight unit) | 水果 fruit |
| 6 | 包 | bāo | Things in packages / bags | 饼干 cracker · 礼品 gift |
| 7 | 杯 | bēi | Liquids (cups / glasses) | 酒 liquor · 茶 tea · 咖啡 coffee |
| 8 | 辈 | bèi | Generations | 人 people |
| 9 | 倍 | bèi | Multiples | 利润 profits |
| 10 | 本 | běn | Books and bound documents | 词典 dictionary · 护照 passport · 日记 diary |
| 11 | 笔 | bǐ | Sums of money | 贷款 loan · 奖金 bonus |
| 12 | 遍 | biàn | One-time complete actions | 朗诵 recital |
| 13 | 拨 | bō | Small groups of people | 人 people |
| 14 | 部 | bù | Films, machines, dictionaries | 电影 movie · 词典 dictionary |
| 15 | 餐 | cān | Meals | 饭 food |
| 16 | 册 | cè | Books with fewer pages | 画集 album |
| 17 | 层 | céng | Floors, levels, layers | 楼 building · 冰 ice |
| 18 | 场 | chǎng | Events, films, shows | 比赛 competition |
| 19 | 车 | chē | Transported goods | 货物 goods |
| 20 | 成 | chéng | Degrees or levels | 熟 cooked |
| 21 | 池 | chí | Bodies of water | 污水 sewage |
| 22 | 尺 | chǐ | Unit of length | 布 cloth |
| 23 | 出 | chū | Dramas, operas | 京剧 opera |
| 24 | 处 | chù | Locations | 风景 landscape |
| 25 | 串 | chuàn | Items in clusters | 葡萄 grape · 钥匙 keys |
| 26 | 床 | chuáng | Bedding | 被子 quilt |
| 27 | 次 | cì | Number of times | 会议 meeting |
| 28 | 簇 | cù | Bunched objects | 鲜花 flowers |
| 29 | 寸 | cùn | Small length unit | 布 cloth |
| 30 | 撮 | cuō | Small groups | 头发 hair |
| 31 | 打 | dá | Dozens | 铅笔 pencil |
| 32 | 袋 | dài | Bags/containers | 米 rice |
| 33 | 代 | dài | Generations | 人 people |
| 34 | 担 | dān | Unit of mass | 水 water |
| 35 | 档 | dàng | Levels | 商品 goods |
| 36 | 道 | dào | Procedures | 菜 dish |
| 37 | 滴 | dī | Drops | 汗 sweat |
| 38 | 点 | diǎn | Time / small amount | 时间 time |
| 39 | 叠 | dié | Stacked items | 钱 money |
| 40 | 顶 | dǐng | Things with a top | 帽子 hat |
| 41 | 锭 | dìng | Ingots | 金 gold |
| 42 | 栋 | dòng | Buildings | 房子 house |
| 43 | 堵 | dǔ | Walls | 墙 wall |
| 44 | 段 | duàn | Sections | 路 road |
| 45 | 堆 | duī | Piles | 垃圾 trash |
| 46 | 对 | duì | Pairs | 夫妻 couple |
| 47 | 队 | duì | Groups/teams | 士兵 soldiers |
| 48 | 吨 | dūn | Metric ton | 煤 coal |
| 49 | 顿 | dùn | Meals/time | 早餐 breakfast |
| 50 | 朵 | duǒ | Flowers/clouds | 花 flower |
| 51 | 发 | fā | Gunshots | 炮弹 shell |
| 52 | 番 | fān | Occurrences | 话 talk |
| 53 | 方 | fāng | Square things | 石碑 stele |
| 54 | 分 | fēn | Cents | 钱 money |
| 55 | 分钟 | fēnzhōng | Minutes | 时间 time |
| 56 | 份 | fèn | Portions | 礼物 gift |
| 57 | 封 | fēng | Letters | 信 letter |
| 58 | 峰 | fēng | Summits | 骆驼 camel |
| 59 | 幅 | fú | Pictures | 地图 map |
| 60 | 服 | fú | Medicine doses | 中药 medicine |
| 61 | 伏 | fú | Voltage | 电压 voltage |
| 62 | 付 | fù | Medicine | 药 medicine |
| 63 | 副 | fù | Sets | 眼镜 glasses |
| 64 | 杆 | gǎn | Long sticks | 枪 gun |
| 65 | 缸 | gāng | Jars | 酒 alcohol |
| 66 | 个 | gè | Universal classifier | 人 person |
| 67 | 根 | gēn | Long objects | 针 needle |
| 68 | 公尺 | gōngchǐ | Metre | 布 cloth |
| 69 | 公分 | gōngfēn | Centimetre | 长 length |
| 70 | 公斤 | gōngjīn | Kilogram | 面粉 flour |
| 71 | 公里 | gōnglǐ | Kilometre | 路 road |
| 72 | 公顷 | gōngqǐng | Hectare | 田 field |
| 73 | 公升 | gōngshēng | Litre | 汽油 gasoline |
| 74 | 股 | gǔ | Strength/smell | 烟 smoke |
| 75 | 挂 | guà | String items | 鞭炮 firecrackers |
| 76 | 管 | guǎn | Tubes | 牙膏 toothpaste |
| 77 | 罐 | guàn | Cans/jars | 蜂蜜 honey |
| 78 | 行 | háng | Rows | 字 character |
| 79 | 毫米 | háomǐ | Millimetre | 宽 width |
| 80 | 毫升 | háoshēng | Millilitre | 水 water |
| 81 | 号 | hào | People | 人 person |
| 82 | 盒 | hé | Boxes | 巧克力 chocolate |
| 83 | 壶 | hú | Pots | 茶 tea |
| 84 | 户 | hù | Households | 人家 household |
| 85 | 回 | huí | Acts/chapters | 表演 performance |
| 86 | 伙 | huǒ | Crowds | 人 people |
| 87 | 级 | jí | Levels | 台阶 steps |
| 88 | 记 | jì | Blows | 耳光 slap |
| 89 | 剂 | jì | Chemicals | 疫苗 vaccine |
| 90 | 家 | jiā | Families/businesses | 银行 bank |
| 91 | 加仑 | jiālún | Gallon | 汽油 gasoline |
| 92 | 架 | jià | Machines | 飞机 airplane |
| 93 | 架次 | jiàcì | Flight counts | flights |
| 94 | 间 | jiān | Rooms | 教室 classroom |
| 95 | 件 | jiàn | Items | 衬衫 shirt |
| 96 | 角 | jiǎo | Money unit | 钱 money |
| 97 | 截 | jié | Sections | 粉笔 chalk |
| 98 | 节 | jié | Sections | 课 class |
| 99 | 届 | jiè | Events | 运动会 sports event |
| 100 | 斤 | jīn | 500g | 苹果 apple |
| 101 | 局 | jú | Matches | 棋 chess |
| 102 | 具 | jù | Devices | 棺材 coffin |
| 103 | 句 | jù | Sentences | 诗 poem |
| 104 | 卷 | juǎn | Rolls | 纸 paper |
| 105 | 棵 | kē | Plants | 树 tree |
| 106 | 颗 | kē | Small spheres | 葡萄 grape |
| 107 | 克 | kè | Gram | 黄金 gold |
| 108 | 课 | kè | Lessons | 一课 class |
| 109 | 刻 | kè | 15 min | 一刻 quarter hour |
| 110 | 孔 | kǒng | Caves | 窑 cave |
| 111 | 口 | kǒu | People/wells | 井 well |
| 112 | 块 | kuài | Pieces | 蛋糕 cake |
| 113 | 筐 | kuāng | Baskets | 菜 vegetables |
| 114 | 捆 | kǔn | Bundles | 葱 scallion |
| 115 | 篮 | lán | Baskets | 蔬菜 vegetables |
| 116 | 类 | lèi | Types | 药 medicine |
| 117 | 里 | lǐ | 500m | 路 route |
| 118 | 粒 | lì | Grains | 沙 sand |
| 119 | 立方米 | lìfāngmǐ | Cubic metre | 石 stone |
| 120 | 两 | liǎng | 50g | 茶 tea |
| 121 | 辆 | liàng | Vehicles | 自行车 bike |
| 122 | 列 | liè | Rows | 火车 train |
| 123 | 轮 | lún | Rounds | 比赛 match |
| 124 | 摞 | luò | Stacks | 书 books |
| 125 | 缕 | lǚ | Strands | 头发 hair |
| 126 | 毛 | máo | 0.1 yuan | 钱 money |
| 127 | 枚 | méi | Coins/stamps | 邮票 stamp |
| 128 | 门 | mén | Subjects/weapons | 课程 course |
| 129 | 米 | mǐ | Metre | 距离 distance |
| 130 | 面 | miàn | Flat objects | 镜子 mirror |
| 131 | 秒 | miǎo | Seconds | 一秒 second |
| 132 | 名 | míng | People (formal) | 工人 worker |
| 133 | 亩 | mǔ | Land unit | 地 land |
| 134 | 幕 | mù | Plays | 话剧 drama |
| 135 | 年 | nián | Year | 一年 year |
| 136 | 排 | pái | Rows | 士兵 soldiers |
| 137 | 派 | pài | Schools/groups | 观点 view |
| 138 | 盘 | pán | Dishes/games | 牛肉 beef |
| 139 | 泡 | pāo | Waste | 尿 urine |
| 140 | 盆 | pén | Liquid containers | 水 water |
| 141 | 匹 | pī | Horses/cloth | 马 horse |
| 142 | 批 | pī | Batches | 员工 staff |
| 143 | 篇 | piān | Articles | 论文 paper |
| 144 | 片 | piàn | Slices | 面包 bread |
| 145 | 瓶 | píng | Bottles | 葡萄酒 wine |
| 146 | 平方公里 | píngfānggōnglǐ | km² | 土地 land |
| 147 | 平方米 | píngfāngmǐ | m² | 面积 area |
| 148 | 期 | qī | Issues | 杂志 magazine |
| 149 | 起 | qǐ | Events | 车祸 crash |
| 150 | 千克 | qiānkè | Kilogram | 大米 rice |
| 151 | 千瓦 | qiānwǎ | Kilowatt | 功率 power |
| 152 | 腔 | qiāng | Accent/cavity | 愤怒 anger |
| 153 | 顷 | qǐng | Land unit | 土地 land |
| 154 | 曲 | qǔ | Songs | 歌 song |
| 155 | 群 | qún | Groups | 羊 sheep |
| 156 | 人次 | réncì | Person-times | 参与人数 participants |
| 157 | 人年 | rénnián | Person-year | 工作量 workload |
| 158 | 日 | rì | Day | 一日 day |
| 159 | 扇 | shàn | Doors/windows | 门 door |
| 160 | 勺 | sháo | Spoon | 汤 soup |
| 161 | 身 | shēn | Suit/body | 西服 suit |
| 162 | 升 | shēng | Litre | 汽油 gasoline |
| 163 | 声 | shēng | Sounds | 枪响 gunshot |
| 164 | 手 | shǒu | Skills | 绝活 skill |
| 165 | 首 | shǒu | Songs | 诗 poem |
| 166 | 束 | shù | Bundles | 花 flowers |
| 167 | 双 | shuāng | Pairs | 筷子 chopsticks |
| 168 | 丝 | sī | Small amount | 希望 hope |
| 169 | 艘 | sōu | Ships | 帆船 sailboat |
| 170 | 所 | suǒ | Institutions | 医院 hospital |
| 171 | 台 | tái | Machines | 电脑 computer |
| 172 | 滩 | tān | Soft substances | 泥 mud |
| 173 | 摊 | tān | Stalls | 业务 business |
| 174 | 坛 | tán | Jar liquids | 酒 wine |
| 175 | 堂 | táng | Classes | 课 class |
| 176 | 趟 | tàng | Trips | 火车 train |
| 177 | 套 | tào | Sets | 设备 equipment |
| 178 | 天 | tiān | Day | 三天 3 days |
| 179 | 条 | tiáo | Long objects | 路 road |
| 180 | 贴 | tiē | Sticky items | 膏药 plaster |
| 181 | 听 | tīng | Cans | 苏打 soda |
| 182 | 挺 | tǐng | Guns | 机枪 machine gun |
| 183 | 通 | tōng | Calls | 电话 phone |
| 184 | 筒 | tǒng | Canisters | 茶叶 tea |
| 185 | 桶 | tǒng | Barrels | 石油 oil |
| 186 | 头 | tóu | Animals | 牛 cow |
| 187 | 团 | tuán | Balls | 毛线 yarn |
| 188 | 坨 | tuó | Lumps | 泥 mud |
| 189 | 丸 | wán | Pills | 药 medicine |
| 190 | 碗 | wǎn | Bowls | 米饭 rice |
| 191 | 微米 | wēimǐ | Micrometre | 宽 width |
| 192 | 尾 | wěi | Tails | 鱼 fish |
| 193 | 位 | wèi | People (polite) | 科学家 scientist |
| 194 | 窝 | wō | Nests | 猪 pig |
| 195 | 席 | xí | Banquets | 盛宴 banquet |
| 196 | 系列 | xìliè | Series | 文章 article |
| 197 | 下 | xià | Repetitions | 几下 a few times |
| 198 | 线 | xiàn | Lines | 希望 hope |
| 199 | 箱 | xiāng | Boxes | 衣服 clothes |
| 200 | 项 | xiàng | Items | 合同 contract |
| 201 | 些 | xiē | Some | 钱 money |
| 202 | 宿 | xiǔ | Night | 一宿 night |
| 203 | 眼 | yǎn | Hollow objects | 井 well |
| 204 | 样 | yàng | Types | 工具 tool |
| 205 | 页 | yè | Pages | 传单 leaflet |
| 206 | 夜 | yè | Night | 一夜 night |
| 207 | 英亩 | yīngmǔ | Acre | 土地 land |
| 208 | 员 | yuán | People types | 将军 general |
| 209 | 元 | yuán | Yuan | RMB money |
| 210 | 匝 | zā | Revolutions | 一匝 turn |
| 211 | 载 | zǎi | Year | 三载 3 years |
| 212 | 则 | zé | Written section | 新闻 news |
| 213 | 盏 | zhǎn | Lamps | 灯 lamp |
| 214 | 站 | zhàn | Stations | 路 road |
| 215 | 章 | zhāng | Chapters | 小说 novel |
| 216 | 张 | zhāng | Flat objects | 脸 face |
| 217 | 丈 | zhàng | Length unit | 布 cloth |
| 218 | 阵 | zhèn | Short events | 雨 rain |
| 219 | 帧 | zhèng | Frames | 画 picture |
| 220 | 支 | zhī | Long objects | 蜡烛 candle |
| 221 | 只 | zhī | Animals | 猫 cat |
| 222 | 种 | zhǒng | Types | 动物 animal |
| 223 | 轴 | zhóu | Rolls | 线 thread |
| 224 | 株 | zhū | Plants | 树 tree |
| 225 | 注 | zhù | Money deals | 彩票 lottery |
| 226 | 桩 | zhuāng | Deals | 买卖 business |
| 227 | 幢 | zhuàng | Buildings | 大厦 skyscraper |
| 228 | 桌 | zhuō | Tables | 宴席 banquet |
| 229 | 宗 | zōng | Matters | 生意 business |
| 230 | 组 | zǔ | Groups | 电池 battery |
| 231 | 尊 | zūn | Statues/cannons | 雕塑 statue |
| 232 | 座 | zuò | Large objects | 山 mountain |
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Tips for Learning Measure Words Fast
Start with 个 as your safety net. When you are unsure, use 个 (gè). Native speakers will understand you. Precision comes with time.
Learn in category clusters. Group measure words by theme — all the animal ones together, all the food ones together. Patterns emerge quickly and the logic sticks better than random memorisation.
Use the sticky note method. Label everyday objects around your home with their measure word and noun. Every time you sit on your 一把椅子 or reach for your 一本书, the pairing reinforces itself naturally.
Use spaced repetition. Apps like Anki let you schedule reviews based on how well you know each word. Difficult words come up frequently; easy ones less so. It is the most efficient memorisation method available.
Immerse yourself. Watch Chinese dramas or variety shows and listen for measure words in natural speech. After hearing 那只猫 twenty times in context, the pairing becomes automatic — no effort required.
Understand the shape logic. Many measure words reflect the physical form of what they count. 条 (tiáo) is for long, strip-like things. 片 (piàn) is for thin flat things. 颗 (kē) is for small round things. Cracking this logic dramatically reduces the memorisation burden.
FAQ
Native speakers will almost always understand you — context is powerful. Using 个 (gè) when another measure word is more correct is a very common learner habit and rarely causes confusion. Think of it like saying "a water" instead of "a glass of water" in English — a bit off, but totally understandable.
For everyday conversation, 20–30 measure words will cover 90%+ of situations. The top 10 in this guide alone will carry you through most interactions. The full list of 232 is for reference as your vocabulary grows.
Yes — measure words are required in both spoken and written Mandarin. However, formal/literary written Chinese (文言文 wényánwén) sometimes omits them. Modern written Chinese (白话文) always uses them.