Basic Noun Classifiers in Chinese
杯/本/个/家
A number or demonstrative normally reaches a Mandarin noun through a classifier. 本 counts bound volumes, 杯 counts cupfuls, 家 counts businesses or households, and 个 is a broad classifier for many people and objects. The classifier follows the number and immediately precedes the noun it classifies.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Number/Demonstrative + Classifier + Noun
Read the structure
A number or demonstrative normally reaches a Mandarin noun through a classifier. 本 counts bound volumes, 杯 counts cupfuls, 家 counts businesses or households, and 个 is a broad classifier for many people and objects. The classifier follows the number and immediately precedes the noun it classifies. Keep the model Number/Demonstrative + Classifier + Noun visible while you compare each sentence.
我买了三本书。
I bought three books.
Choose the right context
Use 本 between a number and a book or other bound volume. Use 杯 for the quantity held in a cup or glass. Use 家 for shops, restaurants, companies, or households.
请给我两杯水。
Please give me two glasses of water.
Respect the boundary
Do not place a bare number directly before a count noun that requires a classifier. Do not put the classifier after the noun it counts. Do not default to 个 when a basic specific classifier such as 本 is required.
我买了三书。
(I bought three books.)
Repair the pattern
Classifier omitted after a number: The count noun 书 requires a classifier after the number; 本 is the standard classifier for books. Classifier placed after its noun: For two servings of water, the quantity phrase is 两+杯+水; moving 杯 after 水 changes the phrase into cups as objects.
我买了三本书。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
我买了三本书。
I bought three books.
我
Number/Demonstrative
This part occupies the Number/Demonstrative position in the model pattern.
买
Classifier
This part occupies the Classifier position in the model pattern.
了
Noun
This part occupies the Noun position in the model pattern.
三本
Number/Demonstrative
This part occupies the Number/Demonstrative position in the model pattern.
书
Classifier
This part occupies the Classifier position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
我买了三本书。
I bought three books.
请给我两杯水。
Please give me two glasses of water.
这家商店很大。
This shop is large.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Use 本 between a number and a book or other bound volume.
- Use 杯 for the quantity held in a cup or glass.
- Use 家 for shops, restaurants, companies, or households.
Do not use it when
- Do not place a bare number directly before a count noun that requires a classifier.
- Do not put the classifier after the noun it counts.
- Do not default to 个 when a basic specific classifier such as 本 is required.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
我买了三书。
我买了三本书。
Classifier omitted after a number
The count noun 书 requires a classifier after the number; 本 is the standard classifier for books.
请给我两水杯。
请给我两杯水。
Classifier placed after its noun
For two servings of water, the quantity phrase is 两+杯+水; moving 杯 after 水 changes the phrase into cups as objects.
我买了三书。
The count noun 书 requires a classifier after the number; 本 is the standard classifier for books.
请给我两水杯。
For two servings of water, the quantity phrase is 两+杯+水; moving 杯 after 水 changes the phrase into cups as objects.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 杯/本/个/家.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 杯/本/个/家. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Basic Noun Classifiers Questions
Is 个 acceptable for every noun?
No. It is broad and common, but many nouns conventionally require a more specific classifier.
Why is it 两本 rather than 二本?
两 normally occurs before a classifier in ordinary quantities; 二 is used in counting and compound numbers.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, Level 1 item 【一08】 (PDF p. 177)
Provides official Level 1 directory placement and examples only; it does not establish the learner-facing usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 8, §8.1-§8.3, classifier phrases and common classifiers
Establishes the number or demonstrative plus classifier plus noun order and describes common classifier selection.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Easy to confuse
借用量词Borrowed Noun and Event Classifiers
Compare special noun quantifiers such as 杯本个家 with temporary borrowed nouns as quantifiers to determine whether the measurement unit has been lexicalized.
Compare
栋/粒/枚/则/盏Advanced Nominal Classifiers
Compare the fine matching of high-frequency basic quantifiers 栋粒枚则盏 to avoid using 个 for counting.
Continue learning
个Chinese Measure Words
Incorporate the noun collocations of 杯本个家 into the complete numeral quantifier noun structure and continue to master the general quantifier rules.
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Incorporate the noun collocations of 杯本个家 into the complete numeral quantifier noun structure and continue to master the general quantifier rules.