Measure words with "this" and "that"

In English, when you refer to "that girl" or "this table" you only need two words: "this" or "that" plus the noun you're referring to. In Chinese, though, you also need a measure word in the middle between the two. In the very beginning you can get away with using 个 (ge) for everything, but pretty soon you're going to have to start using other measure words in these simple phrases.

Structure

If you use 这 (zhè) or 那 (nà) before a noun, you need to include a measure word (MW).

这 / 那 + MW + Noun

Examples

• 那 个 人 nà gè rénthat person
• 这 瓶 啤酒 zhè píng píjiǔthis bottle of beer
• 那 块 巧克力 nà kuài qiǎokèlìthat piece of chocolate
• 这 张 桌子 zhè zhāng zhuōzithis table
• 这 本 书 zhè běn shūthis book
• 这 个 手机 zhège shǒujīthis cell phone
• 这 只 小 狗 zhè zhǐ xiǎo gǒuthis small dog
• 那 只 小 猫 nà zhǐ xiǎo māothat small cat
• 那 杯 咖啡 nà bēi kāfēithat cup of coffee
• 那 条 鱼 nà tiáo yúthat fish

See also

• "Some" Using "yixie"
• Measure words in quantity questions
• Measure Words for Verbs

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 33) →buy