Chinese grammar - The counter or measure word 个 (gè)

The counter or measure word 个 (gè)

In Chinese 'counters' or 'measure words' (also known as 'classifiers') are words used to specify the type and number of a noun.

As we saw previously, nouns are typically not marked as plural in Chinese. It is these counters that serve to specify the number of nouns (whether singular or plural).

There are numerous counters in Chinese, depending on the type of object being counted, according to its shape, function, or other characteristics.

The most common counter is 个 (gè) which is used for people and many other objects.

— In addition to people, 个 is used as a counter for round fruits, days, countries, cities, houses and questions.

— It is also the default (genera)l counter that is used when the exact type of noun being referred to is unknown.

Note that when we use a counter for two objects, rather than 二 (èr) we use the special numeral 两 (liǎng)

Examples:
	一个人 yí gè rén one person
	两个人 liǎng gè rén two people Rather than 二 (èr), 两 (liǎng) should be used for the number 'two' when coupled with a counter (measure word)
	三个苹果 sān gè píngguǒ three apples
	四个橙子 sì gè chéngzi four oranges
	五个柠檬 wǔ gè níngméng five lemons
	六天 liù tiān six days 天 (tiān) means 'day', 'sky', or 'heaven'
	七个国家 qī gè guójiā seven countries 国家 (guójiā) means 'country'
	八个城市 bā gè chéngshì eight cities 城市 (chéngshì) means 'city'
	九个问题 jiǔ gè wèntí nine questions
	十个学生 shí gè xuéshēng ten students
	十一个中国人 shíyī gè zhōngguó rén eleven Chinese people
	十二个美国人 shíèr gè měiguó rén twelve Americans