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Cantonese Measure Words: Go, Zek, Tiu and When to Use Them

Cantonese measure words in Jyutping: go3, zek3, tiu4, zoeng1, bun2, gaa3 and di1, what each counts, and the Cantonese-only uses as 'the', 'my' and 'this'.

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Key takeaways

  • 個 go3 is the general classifier for people and for things without a specific one.
  • 隻 zek3 counts birds and certain animals, one of a pair, and some utensils; 條 tiu4 counts long, thin things.
  • 張 zoeng1 counts flat things such as paper and, in Cantonese, chairs; 本 bun2 counts books; 架 gaa3 counts vehicles.
  • Between 呢 'this' or 嗰 'that' and a noun, Cantonese needs a classifier, or 啲 di1 for plurals and mass nouns.
  • Wikipedia notes that a Cantonese classifier can mark possession (佢本書, 'his book') and definiteness (架車, 'the car'), which Mandarin does not allow in the same way.

In Cantonese you cannot say "two pig" or "this book" by putting the words side by side. A measure word, or classifier, has to sit between the number or demonstrative and the noun: 兩隻豬, "two pigs"; 呢本書, "this book". Cantonese then gives those same words jobs that Mandarin does not. This guide covers the common measure words with their Jyutping readings from Wiktionary, then the grammar that makes Cantonese classifiers distinctive. If the tone numbers are new, Jyutping explained shows how to read them.

What a measure word does

Wikipedia's article on Chinese classifiers explains that most nouns have one or more particular classifiers associated with them, often depending on the nature of what they denote: flat objects such as tables, paper and beds take 張, and long, thin objects take 條. It adds that everyday speech often calls all of these "measure words", 量詞, although they are not all the same kind of word. The same article stresses variability: across dialects and speakers, people often do not agree which classifier is best for a given noun.

The core set with Jyutping

Classifier Jyutping Used for, per Wiktionary Cantonese example
個 go3 people; things without a specific classifier; money —
隻 zek3 birds and certain animals; one of a pair; some utensils; body parts 兩隻豬, two pigs
條 tiu4 long, thin objects or animals; listed items; lives 一條毛, a hair
張 zoeng1 flat objects, sheets; in Cantonese also knives 兩張紙, two sheets of paper
本 bun2 books, periodicals, files 呢本書, this book
架 gaa3 planes, large vehicles; dialectally vehicles 呢架車, this car
對 deoi3 pairs 兩對鞋, two pairs of shoes
啲 di1 plurals and mass nouns ("some") 呢啲車, these cars

Note the contrast between 隻 and 對 for shoes: Wiktionary's entry for 隻 gives "a shoe" against "a pair of shoes" with a separate pair word, and its entry for 對 gives 兩對鞋, "two pairs of shoes".

Where Cantonese differs: chairs, people and ages

A few uses are specifically Cantonese.

  • Chairs take 張. Wikipedia notes that in Standard Chinese a bench can take 條, but that in Cantonese 條 cannot be used for 櫈, a stool or bench; 張 is used instead. Wiktionary's Cantonese example is 幾張凳, "several chairs".
  • People. 個 go3 is the general classifier for people, but Wikipedia notes that some Yue dialects use 隻 for people. Wiktionary also lists a Cantonese use of 條 for people that is often derogatory, as in 嗰條女, "that girl", so it is one to recognise rather than use.
  • Ages and digits. Wiktionary lists Cantonese 張 for ages in multiples of ten from thirty upwards, as in 三張嘢, "thirty-odd years old", and 條 for runs of the same digit: 三條九 is 999.

A worked example: the same noun, four constructions

Take 書 syu1, "book", with its classifier 本 bun2, using examples from Wikipedia's Cantonese grammar article:

  1. This: 呢本書 ni1 bun2 syu1, "this book". Wikipedia notes that 呢 is often said 依 ji1 in fast speech.
  2. That: 嗰本書 go2 bun2 syu1, "that book".
  3. Possession: 佢本書 keoi5 bun2 syu1, "his book", where the classifier replaces the possessive 嘅 ge3. The Chinese classifier article gives the parallel 我本書 ngo5 bun2 syu1, "my book".
  4. Plural: 呢啲書 follows the pattern of 呢啲車, "these cars", with 啲 di1 taking the classifier's place.

In the first three, 本 stays put and only the word in front of it changes; in the plural, 啲 takes the place of 本.

Bare classifiers: when the measure word means "the"

Wikipedia explains that in both Cantonese and Mandarin a classifier can individualise a noun, but that in Mandarin such a phrase is indefinite unless a demonstrative or "every" is present, and is heavily restricted in subject position. Cantonese has neither restriction. Its example is 架車撻唔著 gaa3 ce1 taat3 m4 zoek6, "the car won't start", which cannot be read as "the cars". The same article notes that classifiers cannot mark possession in Mandarin, which makes this one of the clearer grammar points in Cantonese vs Mandarin.

Counting with numbers

With a number, the order is number, classifier, noun, and two becomes 兩 loeng5: Wiktionary's examples include 兩隻豬, 兩張紙 and 兩對鞋. Wiktionary also gives 聽講貓有九條命, "I've heard cats have nine lives", with 條 counting lives. For the numbers themselves, see Cantonese numbers. Vietnamese uses a similar slot with its own set of words; compare Vietnamese classifiers.

Practising measure words in the app

Learn Cantonese for Beginners teaches classifiers in its grammar lessons alongside word order, possession and sentence-final particles, using traditional characters with Jyutping, and its review modes include Sentence Builder and Mistake Rescue. It is one of our language-learning apps.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Cantonese measure words?
A useful starting set is 個 go3 (general), 隻 zek3 (animals, one of a pair), 條 tiu4 (long, thin things), 張 zoeng1 (flat things), 本 bun2 (books), 架 gaa3 (vehicles), 對 deoi3 (pairs) and 啲 di1 (plural and mass nouns). Wiktionary gives these Cantonese readings.
Which Cantonese measure word is used for animals?
Usually 隻 zek3. Wiktionary describes it as the classifier for birds and certain animals, especially limbed or small ones, with the Cantonese example 兩隻豬, 'two pigs'. Long, thin animals take 條 tiu4 instead.
How do you say 'this book' in Cantonese?
呢本書 ni1 bun2 syu1, with 本 as the classifier. Wikipedia's Cantonese grammar article notes that a classifier must link the demonstrative to a singular count noun, and that 啲 di1 is used for plurals and mass nouns, as in 呢啲車 'these cars'.
Can a Cantonese classifier mean 'my' or 'the'?
Yes. Wikipedia explains that a classifier can stand in for the possessive 嘅 ge3 with a single object, as in 佢本書 'his book', and that a bare classifier plus noun can be definite, as in 架車撻唔著 'the car won't start'. It notes that Mandarin does not use classifiers for possession.

Sources

  1. Cantonese grammar (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  2. Chinese classifier (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  3. 隻 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
  4. 個 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
  5. 張 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
  6. 本 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
  7. 架 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
  8. 對 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
  9. 啲 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed
  10. 條 (opens in a new tab)Wiktionary — accessed

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