Mandarin Classifiers (Measure Words): 个, 本, 张, 只, 条, and the Rule That Every Counted Noun Needs One
The rule
Every counted or demonstrated noun needs a classifier between the number (or demonstrative) and the noun.
- 一本书 (yì běn shū) - one book
- 三个人 (sān ge rén) - three people
- 这只猫 (zhè zhī māo) - this cat
- 那张纸 (nà zhāng zhǐ) - that piece of paper
The shape is Number/Demonstrative + Classifier + Noun. No exceptions for beginners.
The core dozen
The twelve to memorise first. Each one slots a noun into a category. Get these and you'll classify roughly 80% of everyday nouns correctly.
| Classifier | Pinyin | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 个 | ge | the default, almost any countable noun | 一个人 (one person), 两个问题 (two questions) |
| 位 | wèi | people, polite register | 一位老师 (one teacher), 三位客人 (three guests) |
| 岁 | suì | years of age | 五岁 (five years old), 我二十岁 (I am twenty) |
| 天 | tiān | days (no 个 needed; 天 is its own MW) | 三天 (three days), 这天 (this day) |
| 年 | nián | years (no 个 needed; 年 is its own MW) | 两年 (two years), 去年 (last year) |
| 只 | zhī | most animals, one of a pair | 一只猫 (one cat), 两只手 (two hands) |
| 本 | běn | books, magazines, bound volumes | 一本书 (one book), 三本杂志 (three magazines) |
| 口 | kǒu | mouths; family members in a household | 五口人 (a family of five) |
| 张 | zhāng | flat things (paper, tickets, beds) | 一张纸 (one piece of paper), 两张床 (two beds) |
| 条 | tiáo | long thin things (rivers, fish, trousers) | 一条河 (one river), 一条裤子 (one pair of trousers) |
| 家 | jiā | businesses, shops, restaurants | 一家公司 (one company), 三家饭馆 (three restaurants) |
| 杯 | bēi | cups, glasses of liquid | 一杯茶 (one cup of tea), 两杯水 (two glasses of water) |
If you forget which classifier a noun takes, default to 个. Native speakers will hear it as casual or slightly underspecified, but they'll understand you. A wrong measure word is always better than no measure word.
这个 and 那个: demonstratives need a classifier too
This is the bit English speakers skip most often. 这 (zhè, this) and 那 (nà, that) cannot sit directly against a noun any more than a number can. They take the same classifier the noun would normally use.
- 这本书 (zhè běn shū) - this book
- 那只猫 (nà zhī māo) - that cat
- 这张纸 (zhè zhāng zhǐ) - this piece of paper
- 那家公司 (nà jiā gōng sī) - that company
When the noun's classifier is 个 (or you've forgotten), 这个 / 那个 is the standard form: 这个人 (this person), 那个问题 (that question).
每 + classifier = 'every'
To say 'every X', use 每 + the noun's classifier + the noun.
- 每个人 (měi ge rén) - every person
- 每本书 (měi běn shū) - every book
- 每天 (měi tiān) - every day (no separate classifier; 天 is already one)
- 每年 (měi nián) - every year
This pattern is reliable. If you can count it with a classifier, you can put 每 in front of the same classifier to mean 'every'.
Time-unit classifiers are different
Some time words ARE their own classifier. They don't need 个.
- 一天 (yì tiān, one day), not 一个天
- 一年 (yì nián, one year), not 一个年
- 一岁 (yí suì, one year old), not 一个岁
But 'month' and 'week' DO take 个: 一个月 (yí ge yuè, one month), 一个星期 (yí ge xīng qī, one week). Memorise the four common time-unit shapes: 天 and 年 take no 个; 月 and 星期 take 个.
Higher-tier follow-ups (briefly)
A few patterns sit beyond the Foundation tier but are worth knowing exist:
- Reduplication of classifiers: 个个 (every single one), 天天 (every day), 本本 (every book). Adds an 'each and every' emphasis. Higher tier - the basic 每 + classifier covers Foundation.
- Less common classifiers: 件 (jiàn, items of clothing or news), 辆 (liàng, vehicles), 双 (shuāng, pairs), 套 (tào, sets). Pick these up incrementally as the nouns show up.
For wider coverage of how classifiers interact with the whole grammar system, the Mandarin grammar cheatsheet sits one tab over.