The Ultimate Series: 241 Chinese Measure Words Explained

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241 Measure Words

HANZI	PINYIN	USE	EXAMPLES	TAGS
辈	bèi	generations; (literary) measure word for people	people	people
对	duì	pairs, couples	earrings, lovers, husband and wife	people, clothing, pairs
个	gè	people or object	a person, a student, a problem, a reason	people, 12 most common
号	hào	number of people	40 people in a class	people
户	hù	households and families	household	people
伙	huǒ	groups of people	gangs, hoodlums	people, groups, collections
家	jiā	families or business establishments	family, bank, supermarket	people, 12 most common, buildings
具	jù	coffins and dead bodies	corpse	people
人次	réncì	specifies the number of people participating	20 people are participating in the demonstration	people
束	shù	bundles, bunches, sheaf	flowers	people
位	wèi	polite replacement for个 (gè) when referring to people	teacher, preacher, guest	people
名	míng	professional people (can be substituted with位(wèi)	doctor, nurse, attorney	people
口	kǒu	people, family members, household; mouthfuls, wells	family of three	people
类	lèi	kind, type, class, and category	species	animals
匹	pǐ	horses, mules, camels; bolts of cloth; horsepower	horse, polyester	animals
条	tiáo	long, narrow or skinny things, animals with long figure	pants, necktie, leg, street, river, snake, fish	animals, 12 most common, clothing, body parts
头	tóu	livestock, large animals or those with big heads; bulbs	cattle, lion, pigs, garlic	animals, food drink
尾	wěi	things with a tail	shrimp	animals
窝	wō	litter, brood of animals	kittens	animals
只	zhī	used for most animals, insects, one of a pair	dog, cat, fly, hand	animals, 12 most common, body parts, clothing
出	chū	dramas, plays, and operas	Peking opera	arts, movies, film
回	huí	acts of a play or sections of a chapter	performance	arts, movies, film
集	jí	sections of a tv series	episode	arts, movies, film
幕	mù	act (of a play)	stage play	arts, movies, film
曲	qǔ	song, drama, opera	song, drama	arts, movies, film
根	gēn	long and thin objects	stick, banana, guitar strings, finger	body parts, food, drinks
颗	kē	small spheres; small, round body parts	pearls, corn, tooth, heart	body parts, food, drinks
双	shuāng	pairs of identical objects	chopsticks, eyes, socks, shoes	body parts, 12 most common, body parts, clothing, pairs
张	zhāng	for objects with flat surfaces, face, mouth, votes	two train tickets, double bed, reserve a table	body parts, 12 most common, daily use items
本	běn	books, periodicals	dictionary, magazine, notebook	books, written word, 12 Most Common
册	cè	booklets	pamphlet	books, written word
封	fēng	objects sealed in an envelope	letter, mail, invoice	books, written word
行	háng	row, column, line of print	row of trees, line of a letter	books, written word
节	jié	sections and lengths	one class, article divided into three sections, biblical verses	books, written word
句	jù	phrases or lines of verse	poem	books, written word
篇	piān	paper, pages, articles, and other papers with words	diary, book report, essay	books, written word
期	qī	issue of a periodical	magazine	books, written word
日	rì	day (used in written form)	one day	books, written word, time
首	shǒu	passage of verse	songs, poems	books, written word
通	tōng	letters, telegrams, phone calls	telegram	books, written word
页	yè	page, leaf	leaflet	books, written word
则	zé	written items	advertisement	books, written word
章	zhāng	chapter, section	chapter of a novel	books, written word
周	zhōu	week (used in written form)	two weeks	books, written word, time
轴	zhóu	calligraphy rolls, etc.	calligraphy roll	books, written word
层	céng	floors, levels, and layers	floor of a building, flight of steps, layer of dust	buildings
栋	dòng	buildings, houses, apartments	apartment	buildings
堵	dǔ	walls	wall	buildings
级	jí	ranks, grades or levels	flights of steps	buildings
间	jiān	rooms and spaces	bedroom, living room, office	buildings
楼	lóu	house with more than 1 story; storied building; floor	ground floor	buildings
扇	shàn	doors and windows	door, window	buildings
所	suǒ	buildings and institutions whose purpose is stated	school, hospital	buildings
幢	zhuàng	buildings	building with green roof	buildings
座	zuò	large buildings, mountains, and large immovable objects	castle, mountain, sculpture	buildings
顶	dǐng	things that have a top	hat, mosquito net	clothing
件	jiàn	clothes, items and events	shirt, gifts, a traffic accident, legal case, luggage	clothing, 12 most common
枚	méi	small objects, coins, stamps, and some weapons	rings, brooches, postage stamp, bomb	clothing
身	shēn	suits of clothing	business suit	clothing
套	tào	set, suit or suite	books, furniture, set of clothing	clothing
班	bān	for classes/groups, work shifts and schedules	class of students, flight schedule	collections, groups
帮	bāng	groups of people	clique, secret society, gang	collections, groups
打	dá	dozen	eggs, donuts	collections, groups, food, drink
叠	dié	stacked items	boxes, money	collections, groups, currency
队	duì	teams, lines or rows	battalion of soldiers	collections, groups
排	pái	things that can be arranged in lines and rows	soldier, chairs, trees	collections, groups
群	qún	group, herd, flock, pack, swarm of people and animals	herd of cows, swarm of bees, pack of wolves, group of people	collections, groups, animals
些	xiē	a few or small number of items	a few office supplies, small change	collections, groups, currency
种	zhǒng	species, kinds, types or sorts of things	kidney-shaped seeds, two types of dogs	collections, groups, animals
众	zhòng	crowd	crowd of people	collections, groups
组	zǔ	sets, series, groups of things or people	batteries, students	collections, groups
笔	bǐ	unspecified sum of money, deals	bonus	currency
分	fēn	cents; minute, parts of a whole; copy	money, 2 minutes, newspaper	currency, time
角	jiǎo	10 cents	money	currency
块	kuài	pieces, lump, chunk, portions; money, colloquial word for元 (yuán)	piece of cake, soap, two yuan	currency, food, drink, 12 most common
毛	máo	10 cents; colloquial word for角 (jiǎo)	three dimes	currency
元	yuán	RMB	money, RMB	currency
注	zhù	sums of money	lottery winnings	currency
把	bǎ	objects with handles, bunches of things, things that can be held in one hand	chair, umbrella, toothbrush, scissors, spoon, knife	daily use items, food drink, weapons
床	chuáng	quilts, sheets	sheet, mat	daily use items
支	zhī	for long, thin, sticklike objects; inflexible objects; army divisions; and musical compositions	pencil, cigarette, rod, song	daily use items
部	bù	small devices, machines, films, dictionaries	cellphone	electric, electronic devices
台	tái	large electrical things	washing machine, computer, tv, treadmill	electric, electronic devices
盏	zhǎn	lamps	lamp	electric, electronic devices
安培	ānpéi	amp	current equal to 10 amperes	energy
伏特	fútè	volt	one volt	energy
欧姆	ōumǔ	ohm	120 ohms	energy
千瓦	qiānwǎ	kilowatt	power	energy
瓦特	wǎtè	watt	40-watt bulb	energy
瓣	bàn	for pieces, segments, section, slice	garlic, apple	food, drink
包	bāo	things in packages, bags, bundles, sacks	candy, crackers, cigarettes, rice	food, drink
杯	bēi	containers of liquids: glass, cup	two glasses of white wine, four cups of tea	food, drink, 12 most common
餐	cān	meals	food	food, drink
串	chuàn	things that come in bunches or clusters; string of things or are joined together	skewer of meat, grapes, beads, keys	food, drink
袋	dài	things that come in bags or sacks	rice	food, drink
滴	dī	drops	food coloring, ink	food, drink
碟	dié	small plate	dish of oyster sauce	food, drink
顿	dùn	meals	lunch	food, drink
份	fèn	part or portion	an order of fried rice	food, drink
副	fù	sets of complementary objects and facial expressions	bowl and chopsticks, fork and knife, smiling face	pairs, food drink
罐	guàn	things in jars, pots or cans	can of soup, jar of honey	food, drink
锅	guō	things in a pot, pan, boiler	pot of soup	food, drink
盒	hé	things in a small box, case, carton	box of chocolates, carton of milk	food, drink
壶	hú	bottled liquids	fish sauce	food, drink
粒	lì	small round, grain-like things	peas, peanuts, pills	food, drink
笼	lóng	bamboo or wooden utensil for steaming food	order of steamed buns	food, drink
盘	pán	plate of food; to coil; coils of wire; games of chess	dish, helping, chess match	food, drink
片	piàn	slices, paper, tile, tablets, stretches of land/scenery, area of water; cds, dvds; scenario, scene, feeling, atmosphere, sound	slice of bread, ocean, recordable dvd	food, drink
瓶	píng	liquids contained in bottles	a bottle of water, bottle of soy sauce	food, drink, 12 most common
听	tīng	things that are tinned, canned	soda	food, drink
碗	wǎn	things contained in bowls	congee, soup	food, drink
桌	zhuō	tables of food especially at a banquet, ceremony, or celebration	wedding banquet	food, drink
尺	chǐ	Chinese foot / 1/3 of a meter	textiles	measurement, area
寸	cùn	Chinese inch / 3.3333 cm	round the waist, taller	measurement, area
丈	zhàng	Chinese yard / 3.3 meters	cloth	measurement, area
毫米	háomǐ	millimeter	height	measurement, area
厘米	límǐ	centimeter	long	measurement, area
公里	gōnglǐ	kilometer	highway	measurement, area
公顷	gōngqǐng	hectare	field	measurement, area
里	lǐ	500 meters or a half kilometer	route	measurement, area
码	mǎ	yard	length, distance	measurement, area
米	mǐ	meter	width	measurement, area
亩	mǔ	1/15 of a hectare; fields	farmland	measurement, area
平方公里	píngfānggōnglǐ	square kilometer	land	measurement, area
平方米	píngfāngmǐ	square meter	flooring	measurement, area
顷	qǐng	100亩 (mǔ)	field	measurement, area
丝	sī	0.01 millimeters	length	measurement, area
英尺	yīngchǐ	foot, equal to 0.3048 m (English unit of measure)	height	measurement, area
英寸	yīngcùn	inch, equal to 2.54 cm (English unit of measure)	width	measurement, area
英里	yīnglǐ	mile, equal to 1.609 km (English unit of measure)	highway	measurement, area
英亩	yīngmǔ	acre (English unit of area)	farmland	measurement, area
微米	wēimǐ	micron, one-thousandth of a millimeter	length, width	measurement, area
朵	duǒ	for flowers, clouds and similar clusters of things	mushrooms, bulbs	plants
棵	kē	trees, cabbages and plants	oak trees, purple cabbage	plants
株	zhū	small trees and plants, seedlings	sapling, a flower	plants
次	cì	time, enumerated events (how many times a general action has been done)	once, world wars, opportunities	time
代	dài	era, generation	previous generation	time
点	diǎn	to measure time or to indicate a little bit of something	o’clock, some paper	time
刻	kè	short time intervals, a quarter of an hour	moment	time
秒	miǎo	second, 1/60 of a minute	one second	time
年	nián	year	annual	time
岁	suì	year, years of age	year of crop harvest, 11 years of age	time
天	tiān	day	three days	time
宿	xiǔ	night	one night	time
架	jià	airplanes, large vehicles and radios	airplane	transportation, vehicles
辆	liàng	used for most vehicles	car, taxi, a motorcycle	transportation, vehicles, 12 most common
列	liè	series or row of things	train	transportation, vehicles
路	lù	bus routes; line, row	students lined up in 4 rows	transportation, vehicles
艘	sōu	boats and ships	sailboat, yacht	transportation, vehicles
趟	tàng	times, round trips or rows	flight	transportation, vehicles
站	zhàn	stop, station	get off the bus in two stops	transportation, vehicles
斗	dòu	10 liters (dry measure)	grain	volume, degree
度	dù	degree, level	degree of an angle	volume, degree
毫升	háoshēng	milliliter	water	volume, degree
立方米	lìfāngmǐ	cubic meter	volume of a container	volume, degree
加仑	jiālún	gallon	water, gas	volume, degree
勺	sháo	centiliter	100th of a liter	volume, degree
升	shēng	liter, pint (dry measure)	soda, grain	volume, degree
发	fā	bullets, shells	hollow point bullet	weapons
杆	gǎn	long objects	gun	weapons
门	mén	large guns; lessons, subjects; branches of technology	cannon, foreign language class	weapons
挺	tǐng	machine guns	machine gun	weapons
尊	zūn	cannons and statues	canon, statue	weapons
盎司	àngsī	ounce	spices	weight, mass
磅	bàng	pound	pound of vegetables	weight, mass
吨	dūn	ton	coal	weight, mass
公斤	gōngjīn	kilogram	vegetables	weight, mass
毫克	háokè	milligram	dose of medicine	weight, mass
斤	jīn	half kilogram	vegetables, meat	weight, mass
克	kè	gram	sugar	weight, mass
两	liǎng	50 grams	flour	weight, mass
千克	qiānkè	kilogram	rice	weight, mass
微克	wēikè	microgram, one-millionth of a gram	dose of medicine	weight, mass
倍	bèi	multiplication, multiply	profits
遍	biàn	one-time actions	performance, concert
拨	bō	group, batch	of items
场	cháng	events and happenings	bout of rain, period of illness, spell
场	chǎng	how many times the act of watching something has been done	soccer game, school dance, recreational activity.
成	chéng	degrees or levels	degrees of success
池	chí	some bodies of water	pond, reservoir
处	chù	locations or items of damage	spot, point
簇	cù	bunched objects	cluster of stars, tuft of feathers
撮	cuō	pinch. note: in Taiwan, this character is also pronounced zuǒ or cuò and is the measure word for tuft (such as with hair or grass)	a little bit
担	dān	loads carried on a shoulder pole	water
道	dào	long thin things, barriers, questions, courses in a meal, steps in a process	river, crack, door, exam questions
锭	dìng	ingot shaped tablets	metal, ink
段	duàn	segments or sections of something	lengths of thread, a past event, road
堆	duī	things that come in stacks or piles	trash, books
番	fān	occurrences, iterations: times, -fold, situations	event, utterance, twofold, kind, sort
方	fāng	square things	jaw
幅	fú	picture-like objects, textiles	map, width of fabric
服	fú	Chinese medicine	dose
缸	gāng	loads of laundry	laundry
股	gǔ	long winding things; smoke, smells; bands of people; sudden forceful actions	river, whiff of fragrance, gang
挂	guà	a set or string of things	beads, firecrackers
管	guǎn	tube shaped items	pipe, toothpaste
记	jì	blows, kicks, shots	slap across the face
剂	jì	dose	vaccine, antibiotic
截	jié	sections, chunk, length	section of pipe, amputation at the knee
届	jiè	events, meetings, elections, sporting events, years	session of parliament
局	jú	games and matches	chess
卷	juǎn	rolled things, coils, reels, spools	toilet paper, movie reel
课	kè	subject, course, class, lesson	yoga lesson
孔	kǒng	cave dwellings	mine
款	kuǎn	versions or models of a product	a new style of shoe
捆	kǔn	bundles	firewood
篮	lán	basketful, basket of things	vegetables
缕	lǚ	for wisps, strands, locks	smoke, mist vapor, hair
轮	lún	big round objects, recurring events	sun, moon, round of talks
摞	luò	things that can be put in piles or stacks	bricks
码	mǎ	cloth, happenings	three yards of cloth
面	miàn	objects with flat surfaces	drums, mirror, flag
派	pài	cliques, scenery, school of thought, political group, speech	point of view, scene
泡	pāo	urine and feces	urine, stool
盆	pén	things held in a basin, pot, tub	water
批	pī	batch, lot	merchandise
起	qǐ	unpredictable events; accidents	house fire
任	rèn	the number of terms one serves in office	Regan served two terms as present
声	shēng	sounds	gunshots, shouting
手	shǒu	skill or proficiency	carpentry
摊	tān	for liquid, puddle, pool, smudge	water, mud
堂	táng	classes, lectures	class
贴	tiē	adhesive things	medical plaster
通	tòng	activity taken in its entirety	bout of drinking, stint in a band
筒	tǒng	encase in something cylindrical	arms in coat sleeves
桶	tǒng	things contained in tubs, pails, barrels	water, oil
团	tuán	things in the shape of a ball or lump	wad of paper, ball of yarn
丸	wán	ball, pellet, pill	Chinese medicine
席	xí	banquets, ceremonies or talks	talks of a legislative assembly
下	xià	to indicate the repetition of an action	a few times
线	xiàn	abstractions such as hope	a wish
项	xiàng	items, tasks and projects	research project
箱	xiāng	things in a box, trunk, chest	case of paper
眼	yǎn	for big hollow things	well (of water)
样	yàng	kind, type	donuts
一些	yìxiē	used before nouns to indicate an indefinite amount; and used after adjectives or verbs to indicate a very small amount, to a small degree, etc.	things have improved
匝	zā	number of revolutions	one revolution
阵	zhèn	events or states of short duration, spell	gust of wind, applause
帧	zhēn	paintings, pictures, calligraphy, etc.	the picture is unlike him
桩	zhuāng	items and matters	business deal
宗	zōng	batches, items, cases	legal cases

The Ultimate Series: 241 Chinese Measure Words Explained

Watch Me First

12 Most Common Mis

MWs Related to People

MWs Related to Animals

MWs Related to Clothing

MWs Related to Body Parts

MWs Related to Daily Use Items

MW Related to Food & Drink

MWs Related to Arts & Written Word

MWs Related to Buildings

MWs for Groups & Collections

MWs for Energy & Electronics

MWs for Measurements & Area

MWs for Time

MWs for Plants & Weapons

MWs for Vehicles, Weight, Volume & Degree

Remaing MWs

241 Measure Words