Measure word "ge"

The measure word 个 is the most common measure word. It can be used for any noun if you can't think of a more precise measure word. Also, for a lot of nouns, 个 is the correct measure word.

General structure

The general structure for 个 (and measure words in general) is:

Number + 个 + Noun

You can specify the quantity of any noun with this structure. Note that any noun with quantity must have a measure word in Chinese.

Some examples:

• 一个人
• 两个人
• 三个苹果
• 一个三明治
• 八十个诗人

Omitting the number

If the number is one, you can omit it. This is equivalent to a or an in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot". This is only necessary if you want to emphasise the quantity of one. Otherwise you don't need to use a measure word at all.

Some examples:

• 他是个喜欢喝醉的人。
• 这是个好吃的苹果。
• 我是个英国绅士。