Writing
个 (gè) — how to say "general measure word" in Chinese
个
General measure word
noun measure word
How to use it
Goes between a number (or 这/那) and the noun; a number can't attach to a noun without it.
我有一个朋友。
wǒ yǒu yī gè péng yǒu
I have one friend.
Radicals / Keys
丨
Line
#2 · gǔn · 1 stroke
Collocations
几个人
jǐ ge rén
how many people
一个人
yí ge rén
one person
三个朋友
sān ge péngyou
three friends
Examples
我有一个朋友，他很好。
I have a friend, he is very good.
我有一个朋友
I have a friend.
Mnemonic
[ge-] Gary the giraffe is walking in the zoo when he notices a small ant 🐜 carrying a twig. The twig looks like a perfect 个 general measure tool for the ant’s tiny construction project. Gary marvels at how even the smallest beings use 个 to count and build so wisely.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "general measure word" in Chinese?
"general measure word" in Chinese is 个 (gè).
个 meaning in English
个 (gè) means "General measure word".
Ge in Chinese pronunciation
It is pronounced gè (written as ge). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "general measure word" in Chinese characters?
It is written 个 and has 3 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 个?
个 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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