Measure Words 量詞 (loeng6 ci4)

This audio accompanies the flashcards on measure words. Measure words (量詞) are also known as classifiers and are used in between the quantity of an object and a noun:

NUMBER + MEASURE WORD + NOUN
e.g. 一隻貓 (jat1 zek3 maau1) meaning one/a cat

In the example above, 隻 (zek3) is the measure word.

Measure words are based on the characteristics of the noun. A wide variety of them are used in Chinese. Measure words are not as widespread in English and other European languages, but they are still used. Examples include ‘one bottle of water’ and ‘one pair of shoes’, wherein ‘bottle’ and ‘pair’ are the measure words. Click here for a table summarising common measure words in Chinese.

一個蘋果 jat1 go3 ping4 gwo2
one apple