Measure word "ge"

The measure word 个 (ge) is the most common 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 is the only 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 time you want to state how many of a noun in Chinese, you probably need a measure word. First get used to doing it with 个.

Examples

• 一 个 人one person
• 两 个 人two people
• 三 个 苹果three apples
• 一 个 三明治one sandwich
• 八十 个 诗人eighty poets

Omitting the number

If the number is one (1), you can omit it and use 个 by itself. This is equivalent to a or an in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot."

Some examples of that:

• 他 是 个 好人 。He is a good person.
• 那 不 是 个 苹果 。That is not an apple.
• 我 是 个 白痴 。I am an idiot.

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

Websites

• Chinese classifier (Wikipedia)