What Is A Measure Word Used For In Chinese?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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In Linguistics, Words are classifiers; they help categorize nouns. They are not only found in Chinese, but can be found in other East Asian Languages . A measure word is paired with a number to

indicate how much of a noun there

is.

What's the measure word for animals in Chinese?

Measure Word Use
一只 yī zhī

For relatively small animals, eg dogs, cats and rabbits
一头 yī tóu For larger animals, eg cows, pigs and elephants 一匹 yī pǐ For horses and wolves specifically 一条 yī tiáo For long, thin, wriggly or slithery animals, eg snakes and fish

What is the measure word for animals in Chinese?

只 – zhī If 个 is the go-to measure word for people, then



is used for animals. Strangely enough, it's also used for arms, hands, legs, and feet – body parts that come in pairs.

What is the measure word for tiger in Chinese?

Characters Pinyin Meaning
一头老虎


yìtóu lǎohǔ

A tiger
一头狮子 yìtóu shīzǐ A lion 一只青蛙 yì zhǐ qīngwā A frog 一匹马 yì pī mǎ A horse

What is the measure word Kuai used for?

When used in spoken Chinese, “块” can

also the measure word for money

, e.g. 三块 means “3 yuan” (Please check out this word too: 元 [yuan2] Chinese Yuan). The measure word “块” can also refer to pieces or lumps. You may use these nouns after 块 (in the parenthesis, I marked the English translation followed by the Pinyin):

What is the measure word for apple in Chinese?


個/个 (gè; ge)

– an apple; one apple = 一個蘋果/一个苹果 (yī gè píngguǒ; an/one + MW + apple). This measure word is also commonly referred to as a ‘generic' measure word because you can use it in place of the measure word that you do not know when counting a specific noun.

What is the measure word for teacher in Chinese?

Chinese Pinyin Example



wèi

三位老师 (sān wèi lǎoshī) “three teachers”
名 míng 一名医生 (yī míng yīshēng) “a doctor” 口 kǒu 六口家眷(liù kǒu jiājuàn) “six dependents” 具 jù 一具尸体(yījù shītǐ) “a corpse”

What is the measure word for pants in Chinese?

这 : this


: measure word
裤子 : trousers 很 : very 宽松 : loose

What is the measure word for flower in Chinese?


一株花

(yī zhū huā) “a flower” 朵

What is the measure word for fish in Mandarin?


条 (tiáo)

is the measure word for things with a long, narrow shape – fish, snakes, ropes, ties, rivers, roads, pants, etc. Well, you may argue that some fish doesn't look long at all, but you still have to use the measure word 条 (tiáo) for it, since it's the catch-all measure word for all types of fish.

How do you write RMB in words?

You can write either CNY 1,000 or

RMB 1,000

. The official symbol for the Chinese yuan is ¥.

Is Zhang a measure word?

Some commonly used measure words indicate certain shapes. For example, zhi (枝) usually is used for long, stiff objects while zhang (張)

is used for flat objects

. There is also a generic measure word, ge (個).

What is the measure word for photo in Chinese?


túpiàn

.

image

; picture; photograph. 卡片

What is GE in Mandarin?


The classifier 个 (個)

, pronounced gè or ge in Mandarin, apart from being the standard classifier for many nouns, also serves as a general classifier, which may often (but not always) be used in place of other classifiers; in informal and spoken language, native speakers tend to use this classifier far more than any …

Does English have measure words?


English does actually have measure words

, it's just that most nouns usually don't need them. In English, most nouns are count nouns – they specify one instance of something. “An apple,” for example. Some nouns are mass nouns and refer to something without specifying how much of it there is. Examples are “furniture,” ” …

What languages have measure words?

It is also sometimes called a measure word or counter word. Classifiers play an important role in certain languages, especially East Asian languages, including

Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese

.

Ahmed Ali
Author
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali is a financial analyst with over 15 years of experience in the finance industry. He has worked for major banks and investment firms, and has a wealth of knowledge on investing, real estate, and tax planning. Ahmed is also an advocate for financial literacy and education.