# HSK 2 Numerals Guide: How to Use 万, 好多, and 多 in Chinese | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2-numerals-c2f5e1fe4c Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-2-numerals-c2f5e1fe4c HSK levels: 2 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:49.488Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to express ten thousand with 万, large unspecified quantities with 好多, and approximate numbers with 多 in HSK 2 Chinese. Grammar [HSK 2 · Word classes › Numerals](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2#hsk-2-g010) # HSK 2 Numerals: Counting and Approximating with 万, 好多, and 多 This lesson explains the three numeral forms grouped under HSK 2 in the 2025-11 syllabus outline: the ten-thousand unit 万, the conversational quantifier 好多, and the approximation word 多, focusing on exact placement with measure words. Number 万 Measure Word Noun Example sentence 这个图书馆有两万本书。 Zhège túshūguǎn yǒu liǎng wàn běn shū. This library has twenty thousand books. Uses 两 before the single unit 万, followed by the measure word 本 and the noun 书. A common mistake × 我们班有三十个多学生。 Wǒmen bān yǒu sānshí gè duō xuéshēng. Intended: There are over thirty students in our class. Incorrect: Placing 多 after the measure word 个 implies a fraction of a student. Replace with 三十多个学生. Corrected example: 我们班有三十多个学生。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Large and Approximate Numbers in the HSK 2 Outline In the 2025-11 edition of the HSK syllabus outline (labeled for 2026-07 implementation), the Level 2 numeral category introduces three essential items for handling larger and less exact quantities: 万 (ten thousand), 好多 (many or a lot of), and 多 (more than or over). Note that this level designation reflects the supplied syllabus outline rather than a guarantee about which exam version a given test center currently administers. Together, these three items allow you to move beyond basic counting. You use 万 to express exact high-value figures, 好多 to make casual observations about large amounts without counting, and 多 to give realistic estimates around a known number. ## Using 万 for Ten Thousand While English groups large numbers by thousands, Chinese introduces a dedicated unit at ten thousand: 万. To say twenty thousand, you count two units of ten thousand. To say one hundred twenty thousand, you count twelve units of ten thousand. Number 万 Measure Word Noun For 20,000, both 两万 and 二万 occur; 两万 is very common in conversation. In 12万 and 22万, say 十二万 and 二十二万, not 十两万 or 二十两万. Do not extend that rule to every number containing a 2. 这个图书馆有两万本书。 Zhège túshūguǎn yǒu liǎng wàn běn shū. This library has twenty thousand books. Uses 两 before the single unit 万, followed by the measure word 本 and the noun 书. 那辆车十二万块钱。 Nà liàng chē shí'èr wàn kuài qián. That car costs 120,000 yuan. 120,000 is expressed as twelve units of 万 (十二万); 二 is required instead of 两 in 十二. ## Using 好多 for Large Unspecified Quantities Although 好多 is listed under numerals in the syllabus because it quantifies nouns, it does not represent a fixed number. Instead, it means many, a lot of, or quite a few. It carries a lively, conversational tone similar to 很多, and is very common in spoken Mandarin when the speaker feels a quantity is impressively large. 好多 Optional Measure Word Noun 好多 can be placed directly before a noun, or before a measure word and a noun. With time words that act as their own measure words, such as 年 (year) or 天 (day), 好多 attaches directly to the time unit. 今天店里有好多人。 Jīntiān diàn lǐ yǒu hǎoduō rén. There are a lot of people in the shop today. 好多 modifies 人 directly to express a large unspecified number in casual speech. 他们认识好多年了。 Tāmen rènshi hǎoduō nián le. They have known each other for many years. 好多 attaches directly to the time measure word 年. ## Approximating with 多: Word Order Rules When 多 follows a number, it indicates an excess above that number—translating to over, more than, or -odd (as in thirty-odd). In Chinese, the exact position of 多 relative to the measure word changes depending on the type of number you are estimating. - After a round base such as 三十, put 多 before the classifier: 三十多个学生. It means more than 30 and fewer than 40; for a whole-number headcount, this is 31–39. - After single digits (1 through 9) or numbers ending in a non-zero digit with divisible units: Place 多 after the measure word or time/measurement unit. Here, 多 represents a fractional remainder less than one unit (for example, 三年多 means three years and some extra months). Round Number (10, 20, 100...) 多 Measure Word Noun 我们班有三十多个学生。 Wǒmen bān yǒu sānshí duō gè xuéshēng. There are over thirty students in our class. Correct: With the round number 三十, 多 stands directly after the number and before the measure word 个. Single Digit (1-9) Measure Word 多 Noun 他在北京住了三年多。 Tā zài Běijīng zhù le sān nián duō. He lived in Beijing for over three years. With the single digit 三 and a divisible time unit 年, 多 comes after the unit to mean three years plus some months. ## Common Learner Mistake and Limits For the intended headcount, use 三十多个学生, not 三十个多学生. Here 多 goes with the round number before 个. This is not a ban on every 个 + 多 expression: 一个多小时 is a different, divisible-unit pattern. × 我们班有三十个多学生。 Wǒmen bān yǒu sānshí gè duō xuéshēng. Intended: There are over thirty students in our class. Incorrect: Placing 多 after the measure word 个 implies a fraction of a student. Replace with 三十多个学生. Corrected example: 我们班有三十多个学生。 Quick check: If your base number ends in zero (like 20, 50, or 100) and you are counting whole items, keep the number and 多 together as one block before the measure word. ## Frequently asked questions **How do I convert English thousands into Chinese 万?** Group the digits from the right in blocks of four to read Chinese large-number units. One block is counted in 万: 10,000 = 一万, 50,000 = 五万, and 100,000 = 十万. To calculate a figure in 万, divide it by 10,000. Do not simply move one comma in every English-formatted number. **Is 好多 different from 很多?** Both mean 'many' or 'a lot of', but 好多 sounds slightly more informal and expressive in everyday conversation, whereas 很多 is neutral and works in both spoken and written contexts. **Can I use 多 with a single digit and an indivisible noun, like three people?** No. Because three is a single digit, placing 多 after 个 would mean 'three and a fraction of a person,' which does not make sense, and placing 多 right after 三 (*三多个人) is ungrammatical. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 389](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=389) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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