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.

Counting Nouns

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 how they are used 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liǎng gè lǎopo two wives
• 十 个 男人， 七 个 傻， 八 个 坏。A line from a songShí 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 similar to "a" or "an" in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot." (The tone on 个 (gè) is normally somewhat de-emphasized in this usage, but still written as fourth tone. You don't need to stress about it, though.)

Examples

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