Measure word "ge"

个 (gè) is the most commonly used measure word. It can be used in a pinch for any noun if you can't think of a more precise measure word. (Although you might not sound quite as smart, you'll still get your point across). Also, for many nouns, 个 (gè) is the only correct measure word.

General Structure

Structure

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

Number + 个 + Noun

Any time you want to state how many of a noun in Chinese, you probably need a measure word. First get used to expressing it with 个 (gè).

Examples

• 一 个 人 yī gè rénone person
• 四 个 朋友 sì gè péngyoufour friends
• 三 个 苹果 手机 sān gè Píngguǒ shǒujīthree iPhones
• 五 个 星期 wǔ gè xīngqīfive weeks
• 六 个 月 liù gè yuè six months
• 两 个 老婆 (If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二，see our article on "er" and "liang")liǎng gè lǎopó two wives
• 十 个 男人， 七 个 傻， 八 个 坏。shí gè nánrén, qī gè shǎ, bā gè huài.ten men: seven are fools, and eight are bad

Omitting the number

Structure

Verb + 个 + Noun

If the number is one (1), you can omit it and use 个 (gè) by itself. This is equivalent to a or an in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot." (The tone on 个 (gè) is normally neutral for this usage, but you don't need to stress about it.)

Examples

• 他 是 个 老外。Tā shì ge lǎowài.He is a foreigner.
• 我 有 个 儿子。Wǒ yǒu ge érzi.I have a son.
• 她 是 个 好 老师。Tā shì ge hǎo lǎoshī.She is a good teacher.
• 你 想 吃 个 包子 吗？Nǐ xiǎng chī ge bāozi ma?Would you like to eat a stuffed steamed bun?
• 老师 ， 我 有 个 问题。Lǎoshī, wǒ yǒu ge wèntí.Teacher, I have a question.

See also

• Counting money
• Measure words in quantity questions
• Measure words for counting
• Measure words to differentiate

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 21-2) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 45-6) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 21) →buy

Websites

• Chinese classifier (Wikipedia)