Noun measure word

Also known as: 名量词 (míngliàngcí) and nominal measure word.

As the name suggests, these are measure words that are only used for nouns.

Notes

• Measure words can also specify a quantity, portion or shape, the same way the English words "piece," "slice," and "wedge" can indicate number and shape.
• Measure words can't be used with nouns of quantity such as 天, 年, 岁, 课. You can think of these words as being their own measure words.
• Measure words for length, capacity and weight can be made into compound measure words such as 千瓦小时.
• All nouns should be learned with the corresponding measure words. Note that some nouns can use many different kinds of measure words (depending on shape, like above). There is not a 1:1 ratio between nouns and measure words. Also note that it is possible to just use "个" but that comes off as not as accurate.
• The indefinite measure words "点" and "些" are more vague, meaning "some" or "a little."

See Also

• Measure words for counting
• Verb measure word

Sources

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 73 - 95) →buy