Dining-Related Chinese Measurement Words
Measurement words are unique in Chinese grammar.
The structure looks like this,
Number + measure word + object
Chinese measurement words are much more than in English language. The most common one is “个 ge.” In this infographic, we introduce 17 measurement words that are related to food and dining. Let’s see the list below.
List of Dining-Related Chinese Measurement Words
把 (bǎ): objects with handles
杯 (bēi): cups of…
串 (chuàn): items that come in bunches or clusters
份 (fèn): portions of…
个 (ge): general, catch-all measure word (usage of this classifier in conjunction with any noun is generally accepted if the person does not know the proper classifier)
根 (gēn): things that are thin and possibly flexible
壶 (hú): liquids in a pot or kettle
颗 (kē): small objects, usually with a round or semi-round shape
块 (kuài): things that come in hunks, chunks, or lumps
粒 (lì): really small objects, which are smaller than 颗 (kē) such as a grain of rice
盘 (pán): literally means “dish” and can be used for a plate of food
片 (piàn): things that are thin and may have an irregular shape
瓶 (píng): bottles of…
球 (qiú): scoops of…
双 (shuāng): items that normally come in pairs
碗 (wǎn): bowls of…
张 (zhāng): flat, rectangular objects
Now let’s see how we use those measurement words with objects.
一张桌子 yì zhāng zhuōzi one table
一把椅子 yì bǎ yǐzi one chair
一份套餐 yí fèn tàocān one combo meal
一球冰淇淋 yì qiú bīngqílín one scoop of ice cream
一粒饭 yí lì fàn one grain of rice
一碗饭 yì wǎn fàn one bowl of rice
一双筷子 yì shuāng kuàizi one pair of chopsticks
一盘肉 yì pán ròu one plate of meat
一块肉 yí kuài ròu one piece of meat
一碗色拉 yì wǎn sèlā one bowl of salad
一根鸡腿 yì gēn jītuǐ one chicken leg
一个三明治 yí ge sānmíngzhì one sandwich
一根汤匙 yì gēn tāngchí one spoon
一把叉子 yì bǎ chāzi one fork
一张餐巾纸 yì zhāng cānjīnzhǐ one napkin
一颗葡萄 yì kē pútáo one grape
一串葡萄 yí chuàn pútáo a bunch of grapes
两根香蕉 liǎng gēn xiāngjiāo two bananas
一颗西瓜 yì kē xīguā one watermelon
一片西瓜 yí piàn xīguā one slice of watermelon
一瓶红酒 yì píng hóngjiǔ one bottle of red wine
一杯红酒 yì bēi hóngjiǔ one glass of red wine
一壶茶 yì hú chá one pot of tea
一杯热茶 yì bēi rè chá one cup of hot tea
Dining-Related Chinese Measurement Words Simplified Chinese Version
Dining-Related Chinese Measurement Words Traditional Chinese Version
Other Common Chinese Measure Words:
Examples,
一 本 书 yī běn shū, one book
两 本 杂志 liǎng běn zázhì, two magazines
三 本 相册 sān běn xiàngcè, three picture albums
- 那里 有 一本 书。Nà li yǒuyī běn shū.
There is one book over there.
- 这里有三本相册，都是我小时候的照片。 Zhè li yǒusān běn xiàngcè, dōu shì wǒ xiǎoshíhòu de zhàopiàn.
There are three picture albums. All of the pictures were taken when I was little.
Examples,
- 她有五辆自行车。Tā yǒu wǔ liàng zìxíngchē.
- 车站外面有六辆出租汽车。 Chēzhàn wàimiàn yǒu liù liàng chūzū qìchē.
Examples,
一 位 教授 yī wèi jiàoshòu, one professor
两 位 音乐家 liǎng wèi yīnyuè jiā, two musicians
三 位 校长 sān wèi xiàozhǎng, three headmasters
- 他的爸爸是一位教授。Tā de bàba shì yī wèi jiàoshòu.
His father is a professor.
- 这两位是很有名的音乐家。Zhè liǎng wèi shì hěn yǒumíng de yīnyuè jiā.
These two are very famous musicians.
家 jiā: measure word for families or businesses
Examples,
一 家 饭馆 yījiā fànguǎn, one restaurant
两 家 人 liǎng jiārén, two families
三 家 酒店 sānjiā jiǔdiàn, three hotels
- 他们两家人一起出游。Tāmen liǎng jiārén yīqǐ chūyóu.
These two families are going on a trip together.
- 这条街上有三家酒店。Zhè tiáo jiē shàng yǒu sānjiā jiǔdiàn.
There are three hotels on this street.
件 jiàn: measure word for events, things, clothes, etc
一 件 刑事案件 yī jiàn xíngshì ànjiàn, one criminal case
两件衣服 liǎng jiàn yīfú, two pieces of clothes
- 这两件衣服都很好看，买吧！Zhè liǎng jiàn yīfú dōu hěn hǎokàn, mǎi ba!
Both of the clothes are pretty. You should get both.
次 cì: measure word for enumerated events: time
Examples,
- 我 去过 上海 一次。Wǒ qùguò shànghǎi yīcì.
I have been to Shanghai once.
- 我 每天 需要 吃 三次 药。Wǒ měitiān xūyào chī sāncì yào.
I need to tale medicine three times a day.
些 xiē: indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1
一些 花 yìxiē huā, some flowers
一些 钱 yìxiē qián, some money
一些 人 yìxiē rén, some people
- 今年 花园 里 开了 一些 花。Jīnnián huāyuán lǐ kāile yīxiē huā.
We got some flowers in our garden this year.
- 如果你不够付，我这里还有一些钱。 Rúguǒ nǐ bùgòu fù, wǒ zhèlǐ hái yǒu yīxiē qián.
If you don’t have enough money to pay, I have some money.
For the word “些 xiē”, we always say “一些 yìxiē.” You can NOT say “两些 liǎng xiē or 三些 sān xiē” since 一些 yìxiē means “some.”
Can-do checklist:
⃞ I can use measurement words correctly.
⃞ I can pronounce the measurement words.
⃞ I can understand the meanings of the measurement words.
⃞ I can write the measurement words in Chinese character/pinyin.
⃞ I can use the correct dining-related measurement word when I see a picture