Numbers and Measure words

Using numbers in everyday conversations are very common.

We use it to express the number of items, the quantity of actions, or express dates.

In English, we just simply put the number in a sentence with or without a measure word,
but it's not that simple in Chinese.

How do we use numbers and measure words in Chinese?

First, let's learn how to say one to ten,

then it's easy to go from there to 99 million.

一 二 兩 三 四 五
Yī Èr Liǎng Sān Sì Wǔ
1 2 2 3 4 5
(with measure words)

六 七 八 九 十 零
Liù Qī Bā Jiǔ Shí Líng
6 7 8 9 10 0
 Now that we know how to say 1 to 10, it's easy to go from there to 99 million.
We just need to learn three more words.

百 千 萬
Bǎi Qiān Wàn
hundred thousand ten thousand
Now in order to say a large number in Chinese, you just have to say each number and its digit.
Examples: Practice:
321 7895 24680
三百二十一 七千八百九十五 兩萬四千六百八十
Sānbǎi èrshí yī Qīqiān bābǎi jiǔshíwǔ Liǎng wàn sìqiān liùbǎi bāshí
number
number digit number digit
 How do I use measure words in Chinese?
In English sometimes we add measure words after a number, sometimes we don't.
But in Chinese, we must add a measure word after a number in a sentence.

Number + Measure word

Examples:
I have 5 cups of coffee. They bought a hundred boxes of chocolate.
我有五杯咖啡。 他們買了一百盒巧克力。
Wǒ yǒu wǔ bēi kāfēi. Tāmen mǎile yībǎi hé qiǎokèlì.

As you can see, the number always comes before the measure word, and they come before the noun.

But they are situations were you don't know what the measure is, or there is simply no measure word.

To solve this, let's learn the most versatile measure word in Chinese…
 個 Listening :
我穿四個衣服。
Wǒ chuān sì gè yīfú.

Gè I wear four clothes.

那個男人有一百個手機。
• (Measure word for items )
Nàgè nánrén yǒu yībǎi gè shǒujī.
That man has a hundred cell phones.

Sentence Building:
• The teacher eats two pizzas.
Examples:
老師吃兩個披薩。
• 我有一個名字。 Lǎoshī chī liǎng gè pīsà.
Wǒ yǒu yīgè míngzì.
• They buy thirteen T-shirts.
• 她拿三個咖啡。 他們買十三個 T 恤。
Tā ná sān gè kāfēi. Tāmen mǎi shísān gè T xù.
元 塊 Listening :
那個是一千元。
Nàgè shì yīqiān yuán.

Yuán Kuài That is one thousand dollars.

爸媽帶三萬塊。
Dollars (m) Bucks (m) Bà mā dài sān wàn kuài.
(official) (unofficial) Parents brought 30,000 dollars.

* For any currency Sentence Building:

• That man eats one dollar.
Examples:
那個男人吃一元。
• 我有一百元。 Nàgè nánrén chī yīyuán.
Wǒ yǒu yībǎi yuán.
• This clothes is 1234 dollars.
• 他們拿二十塊。 這個衣服是一千兩百三十四塊。
Tāmen ná èrshí kuài. Zhège yīfú shì yīqiān liǎng bǎi sānshísì kuài.
 How do I use ordinal numbers in Chinese?
In English when we talk about ordinal numbers, it changes depending on the number, like
1st 2nd, 3rd, 4th.
But in Chinese, we do it by simply adding 第 (Dì) in front of the number.

第 (Dì) + Number + (Measure

word)
Just like English, using a measure word is an option, when you are using an ordinal number.

Examples:
I am first, he is second. This is the third coffee.
我第一，他第二。 這個是第三個咖啡。
Wǒ dì yī, tā dì èr. Zhège shì dì sān gè kāfēi.

Let's practice using 第 (Dì).

 第 Listening :
她吃第十個披薩。
Tā chī dì shí gè pīsà.

Dì She ate the tenth pizza.

我拿第二個 T 恤。
• (Makes an ordinal number)
Wǒ ná dì èr gè T xù.
I take the second T-shirt.

Sentence Building:
• They drink the third drink.
Examples:
他們喝第三個飲料。
• 這個是第一個人。 Tāmen hē dì sān gè yǐnliào.
Zhège shì dì yīgèrén.
• She is the first friend.
• 你是第三個學生。 她是第一個朋友。
Nǐ shì dì sān gè xuéshēng. Tā shì dì yī gè péngyǒu.
 Summary
• Numbers: Say the number then the digit for any big number.

• Measure words: Must be placed after a number.

• 個 Gè : Measure word for items. Ex: 我有五個咖啡。 I have five coffees.

Wǒ yǒu wǔ gè kāfēi.

• 元 Yuán : Dollars. Can be used for any currency Ex: 那個咖啡三十五元。 That coffee is thirty-five dollars.
Nàgè kāfēi sānshíwǔ yuán.

• 塊 Kuài : Bucks. Ex: 他們沒有七塊。 They don't have seven bucks.

Tāmen méiyǒu qī kuài.

• 第 Dì : (Makes an ordinal number). Ex: 這個是第三個咖啡。 This is the third coffee.

Zhège shì dì sān gè kāfēi.
How many animals 動物 (Dòngwù) are there?
How many eyes 眼睛 (Yǎnjīng) do they have?
 How much dollars does he have?
Which president 總統 (Zǒngtǒng) is he?
Related important measure words

杯 Bēi Cup

盤 Pán Plate

盒 Hé Box

罐 Guàn Can

袋 Dài Bag

位 Wèi (for persons)

次 Cì Times (for actions)

雙 Shuāng Pair of

些 Xiē Some