Classifying measure words are very important in Chinese grammar as they are needed before every noun. There are more than 100 Mandarin Chinese classifiers, and the only way to learn them is by memorizing them. Whenever you learn a new noun, you should also learn its classifier.

Here is a list of the most used classifiers in Chinese to kick start your growing vocabulary.

What is a measure word (量词, liàng cí)?

Measure words are familiar to English-speakers as a way to either quantify or classify the type of object being discussed. An example of a classifier is when you would say a "loaf" of bread or a "stick" of gum. Mandarin Chinese also uses classifying measure words for types of objects, but there are more measure words in Chinese than in English. Measure words in Chinese can refer to the shape of the object, the type of container it comes in, or are simply arbitrary.

The main difference between English (and other Western languages) and Mandarin Chinese is that Mandarin Chinese requires a classifying measure word for every noun. In English we can say, "three cars", but in Mandarin Chinese, we need to say "three + classifier + cars." For example, the classifier for car is 辆 (liàng) and the character for "car" is 车 (chē). Thus, you would say 我有三辆车 (wǒ yǒu sān liàng chē), which translates to "I have three cars."

Generic classifier

There is one "generic" classifier which can be used when the actual measure word is not known. 个 (gè) is a classifier used for people, but it is frequently used for many other things. 个 (gè) can be used when referring to items like apples, bread, and light bulbs even when there are other, more appropriate classifiers for these objects. For example, 这里有三个苹果 (zhè lǐ yǒu sān gè píng guǒ) translates to “There are three apples here”.