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Short answer In Chinese, a number or a word like 这 (this) needs a measure word before the noun: 一本书 (one book), 两个人 (two people), 这件衣服 (this piece of clothing). The official HSK 3.0 word list marks 144 words in levels 1–6 as measure words: 20 at level 1, 13 at level 2, 20 at level 3, 31 at level 4, 29 at level 5 and 31 at level 6. Start with 个, then learn every noun together with its measure word.
What a measure word does
A Chinese noun cannot follow a number directly. A measure word (量词, liàngcí) sits in between and says what kind of unit you count:
- number + measure word + noun: 一本书 (a book), 三杯茶 (three cups of tea)
- 这, 那, 哪 or 几 + measure word + noun: 这本书 (this book), 那个人 (that person), 几个人? (how many people?)
- 每 + measure word + noun: 每个学生 (every student)
Some measure words describe the shape of a thing (张 for flat things), some a container or unit (杯, cup; 公斤, kilogram), and some count actions (次, times). Containers such as 杯 work as measure words even where the HSK list only has the noun (杯子). 个 is the general measure word; it works for people and for many things when there is no special one.
How many measure words are in the HSK?
| Level | Measure words | Also as one | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | 2 | 20 |
| 2 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| 3 | 19 | 1 | 20 |
| 4 | 26 | 5 | 31 |
| 5 | 28 | 1 | 29 |
| 6 | 31 | 0 | 31 |
"Also as one" means the list gives another part of speech first and names the measure word use in brackets, for example 对 (pair) and 回 (times). Nine more entries combine a number and a measure word, such as 一些 (some), 一下 (a moment) and 俩 (two, the two of).
Levels 1 and 2
| Measure word | Pinyin | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 个 | gè | people and most things | 一个朋友 |
| 本 | běn | books, notebooks | 两本书 |
| 件 | jiàn | clothes for the upper body, matters | 一件衣服, 一件事 |
| 只 | zhī | animals, one of a pair | 一只猫, 一只手 |
| 口 | kǒu | members of a family | 我家有三口人 |
| 家 | jiā | shops, companies, restaurants | 一家商店 |
| 块 | kuài | pieces; yuan in speech | 一块蛋糕, 五块钱 |
| 元 | yuán | yuan (written) | 二十元 |
| 岁 | suì | years of age | 他八岁 |
| 年 | nián | years | 两年 |
| 天 | tiān | days | 三天 |
| 日 | rì | day of the month (written) | 十月一日 |
| 号 | hào | day of the month (spoken) | 五月三号 |
| 点 | diǎn | o'clock | 八点 |
| 分 | fēn | minutes past the hour; fen (0.01 yuan) | 八点十分 |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minutes as a length of time | 五分钟 |
| 下 | xià | short actions | 他敲了三下门 |
| 些 | xiē | some, a few | 一些水果 |
| 包 | bāo | packets, bags | 一包饼干 |
| 次 | cì | times, occasions | 我去过两次北京 |
| 间 | jiān | rooms | 一间教室 |
| 名 | míng | people, in formal language | 三名学生 |
| 条 | tiáo | long, narrow things | 一条路, 一条鱼, 一条裤子 |
| 位 | wèi | people, politely | 一位老师 |
Level 3
| Measure word | Pinyin | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 张 | zhāng | flat things: paper, tables, tickets, beds | 一张纸, 一张票 |
| 辆 | liàng | vehicles | 一辆自行车 |
| 双 | shuāng | pairs | 一双鞋 |
| 把 | bǎ | things with a handle, chairs | 一把伞, 一把椅子 |
| 种 | zhǒng | kinds, types | 两种水果 |
| 句 | jù | sentences | 一句话 |
| 封 | fēng | letters | 一封信 |
| 节 | jié | lessons, class periods | 两节课 |
| 遍 | biàn | times, from beginning to end | 请再说一遍 |
| 段 | duàn | sections, periods of time | 一段时间 |
| 层 | céng | floors, layers | 这座楼有十层 |
| 页 | yè | pages | 第十页 |
| 声 | shēng | sounds, calls | 他叫了一声 |
| 刻 | kè | quarters of an hour | 三点一刻 |
| 斤 | jīn | jin (500 grams) | 一斤苹果 |
| 公斤 | gōngjīn | kilograms | 两公斤 |
| 米 | mǐ | metres | 一百米 |
| 角 | jiǎo | jiao (0.1 yuan), written | 三元五角 |
| 毛 | máo | mao (0.1 yuan), spoken | 五毛钱 |
Level 4
| Measure word | Pinyin | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 台 | tái | machines, devices | 一台电脑 |
| 部 | bù | films, phones | 一部电影 |
| 首 | shǒu | songs, poems | 一首歌 |
| 篇 | piān | articles, essays | 一篇文章 |
| 座 | zuò | mountains, bridges, large buildings | 一座山, 一座桥 |
| 棵 | kē | trees and plants | 一棵树 |
| 场 | chǎng | games, shows, a spell of rain | 一场比赛, 一场雨 |
| 道 | dào | questions, dishes | 一道题, 一道菜 |
| 顿 | dùn | meals | 一顿饭 |
| 份 | fèn | portions, copies, jobs | 一份工作, 一份报纸 |
| 幅 | fú | paintings, pictures | 一幅画 |
| 片 | piàn | slices; areas | 一片面包 |
| 项 | xiàng | items, tasks | 一项工作 |
| 期 | qī | issues, terms | 这一期杂志 |
| 列 | liè | trains | 一列火车 |
| 排 | pái | rows | 第一排 |
| 身 | shēn | a set of clothes | 一身新衣服 |
| 趟 | tàng | trips there and back | 去一趟超市 |
| 夜 | yè | nights | 一夜没睡 |
| 倍 | bèi | times (multiplication), -fold | 这个比那个贵一倍 |
| 两 | liǎng | liang (50 grams) | 二两饺子 |
| 秒 | miǎo | seconds | 三十秒 |
| 克 | kè | grams | 五十克 |
| 千克 | qiānkè | kilograms (formal) | 五千克 |
| 公里 | gōnglǐ | kilometres | 十公里 |
| 摄氏度 | shèshìdù | degrees Celsius | 二十摄氏度 |
Levels 5 and 6
At the higher levels, most new measure words belong to one kind of thing. Learn them with their noun rather than from a list.
- Level 5: 册 cè (volumes), 堵 dǔ (walls), 度 dù (degrees), 堆 duī (piles), 吨 dūn (tons), 朵 duǒ (flowers, clouds), 副 fù (glasses, gloves), 根 gēn (long, thin things), 行 háng (lines of text), 伙 huǒ (groups of people), 级 jí (grades, levels), 集 jí (episodes), 架 jià (aircraft), 届 jiè (sessions, graduating classes), 颗 kē (small, round things), 类 lèi (categories), 厘米 límǐ (centimetres), 批 pī (batches), 匹 pǐ (horses), 群 qún (groups, crowds), 束 shù (bunches of flowers), 所 suǒ (schools, houses), 套 tào (sets, flats), 团 tuán (lumps, balls), 眼 yǎn (glances, wells), 阵 zhèn (short spells), 支 zhī (pens, teams, songs) and 单 dān (orders, deals).
- Level 6: 版 bǎn (editions), 成 chéng (tenths), 尺 chǐ (chi), 串 chuàn (strings, bunches), 寸 cùn (cun), 滴 dī (drops), 顶 dǐng (hats), 栋 dòng (buildings), 番 fān (rounds, efforts), 毫米 háomǐ (millimetres), 毫升 háoshēng (millilitres), 户 hù (households), 环 huán (rings, links), 局 jú (rounds of a game), 卷 juǎn (rolls), 卷 juàn (volumes), 款 kuǎn (models, styles), 粒 lì (grains), 轮 lún (rounds), 盘 pán (plates, games), 捧 pěng (handfuls), 平方 píngfāng and 平方米 píngfāngmǐ (square metres), 扇 shàn (doors, windows), 升 shēng (litres), 艘 sōu (ships), 线 xiàn (a ray of hope), 样 yàng (kinds), 章 zhāng (chapters), 枝 zhī (flowers on a stem) and 株 zhū (plants).
Measure words for actions
Some measure words count how often you do something. They follow the verb:
- 次 cì: the general word for times. 我去过两次北京 (I have been to Beijing twice).
- 遍 biàn: once through, from beginning to end. 请再说一遍 (please say it again).
- 趟 tàng: a trip there and back. 我去一趟超市 (I am popping over to the supermarket).
- 下 xià: a short action. 他敲了三下门 (he knocked three times).
- 回 huí: times, in speech. 我去过一回 (I have been there once).
- 顿 dùn: a bout of scolding, besides meals. 他被批评了一顿 (he was criticised).
Rules that save you mistakes
- 两, not 二, before a measure word: 两本书, not 二本书. Larger numbers keep 二: 十二本书, 二十个人. One exception you will hear in a restaurant: 二两饺子, because the unit 两 (50 grams) would otherwise follow 两.
- No measure word after 很多 or 很少: 很多人, 很多书.
- Some words are measure words themselves: 天, 年 and 岁 take a number directly: 三天, 两年, 八岁.
- The noun can stay away when it is clear: 你要几个? 我要两个. (How many do you want? I want two.)
- 一些 and 一点儿 do not take numbers: 一些书, but 三本书.
- 个 works almost everywhere, but not always well: you will be understood with 一个书, but correct is 一本书, and the exam expects the correct one.
How to learn measure words
- Learn the noun with its measure word: not 书 alone, but 一本书. The pair is one unit in your memory.
- Group by shape: 张 for flat things (纸, 桌子, 票, 床), 条 for long, narrow things (路, 河, 鱼, 裤子), 把 for things with a handle (伞, 椅子, 刀).
- Use example sentences: measure words stick when you have heard them in a real sentence.
- Say the number out loud: 两本, 三辆, 四张. Saying the pair trains the combination you need when you speak.
How Hanzi By Heart helps with measure words
Measure words are entries of their own in the HSK lists, so Hanzi By Heart trains them like every other word: in reading, listening and writing, each on its own review schedule. Their example sentences show the measure word with a typical noun, so you learn the pair, not just the word.
Questions and answers
How many measure words are in HSK 3.0? The official list marks 144 words in levels 1–6 as measure words, 128 of them as their main use. Nine more entries are number-and-measure-word combinations such as 一些.
Can I just use 个? For people and many everyday things, yes. For books, clothes, vehicles and flat things, use 本, 件, 辆 and 张, as native speakers and the exam do.
Do I need a measure word after 很多? No: 很多人, 很多书.
Why 两 and not 二? Before a measure word, two is 两: 两个人. 二 stays in larger numbers and in ordinals: 十二个人, 第二个.
Sources
- Center for Language Education and Cooperation: HSK Syllabus (新版HSK考试大纲, vocabulary, characters, grammar; published November 2025, effective July 2026)
- Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning): Measure word, including measure words for actions
- Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning): Comparing 二 (èr) and 两 (liǎng)
- ChinGram, Palacký University Olomouc: Measure words for nouns
- Counts: our own count of the entries marked 量 (measure word) and 数量 (number and measure word) in the official HSK 3.0 word list, levels 1–6.