Language/Mandarin-chinese/Grammar/个-(ge)

The classifier 个 (ge)

The classifier 个 (ge) is the most common classifier in Chinese. It can be used for all names if you do not know specific classifiers for a word (although you will not look particularly scholarly, you will still be able to use it).

Structure

The general structure for 个 (ge) - and classifiers in general - is: Number + 个 + Name You can specify the quantity of all names with this structure. Note that whenever you want to express "how much" is there a unit of the same name in Chinese, you will probably need a classifier. For starters, get used to 个 (ge).

Examples

• 一 个 球. Yī gè qiú

a ball

• 两 个 人. Liǎng gè rén

two people

• 三 个 苹果. Sān gè píngguǒ

three apples

• 四 个 三明治. Sì gè sānmíngzhì

four sandwiches

• 五 个 星期. Wǔ gè xīngqī

five weeks