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Using 数词 + 来 + 量词 to Give an Approximate Number
The pattern 数词 + 来 + 量词 gives an approximate quantity: around the stated number of people, objects, units of time, or other countable measures. Learn where 来 goes, how the measure word fits, and how context affects the estimate.
我们班有三十来个学生。
Correct: 来 marks an approximate count; the sentence does not specify whether the actual count is higher or lower.
Read the full explanation and examples
Meaning: approximately this many
In the outline, this point is the third way of expressing an approximate number. In the pattern number + 来 + measure word, 来 signals that the quantity is near the number named. The speaker does not commit to an exact count. The intended estimate depends on the situation: a class may have somewhat more or less than thirty students, for example, while a travel time may vary with traffic.
我们班有三十来个学生。
Correct: 来 marks an approximate count; the sentence does not specify whether the actual count is higher or lower.
Use this form when a rounded estimate is informative enough. If someone needs a confirmed head count, an invoice total, or a schedule time, state the exact number when you know it. This pattern does not tell the listener whether the actual amount is above or below the named number; context may make one direction more likely, but the form itself leaves the estimate open.
Formation and measure words
For this pattern, use familiar rounded numbers such as 十、二十、三十、一百 or 两千, followed by 来 and an appropriate measure word or unit. Do not assume any precise integer can freely take 来. In 十来个小时, 个 is the measure word and 小时 follows it; in 二十来本小说, 本 counts the novels. Age units can stand directly after 来, as in 七十来岁. The formula is not 个 + 来 + 小时.
她买了二十来本中文小说。
Correct: 本 is the measure word for books, and 来 follows the number.
我们坐了十来个小时的火车。
The number is 十, 来 follows it, 个 is the measure word, and 小时 is the unit being counted.
Choosing a natural situation
The pattern works for ordinary quantities in conversation and description when an approximate figure is useful. It can describe a group, an age, a duration, a price, or a quantity of goods. Pick a measure word that matches the noun or unit, and make clear from the surrounding sentence what is being counted or measured.
我爷爷今年七十来岁。
Correct: 岁 expresses age; the age is given approximately.
这次旅行花了两千来块钱。
Correct: 块钱 supplies the currency unit, and the total is approximate.
A useful contrast with other estimates
Compare 三十来个学生 with 大约三十个学生: both are approximate counts around thirty. Do not confuse 十来年 (about ten years) with 十年来 (over the past ten years), where 来 follows the time unit and refers to a period up to now. To say approximately one hour, 大约一个小时 is a clear alternative; the target pattern is illustrated here by 十来个小时, not 个来小时.
Frequently asked questions
Where does 来 go in this pattern?
It follows the number and comes before the measure word: number + 来 + measure word.
Does 来 mean the actual number is more than the number stated?
Not by itself. It marks an approximate amount near the stated number; the sentence does not inherently say whether the actual figure is above or below it.
Can I use this pattern for an exact count?
Use it when an approximate figure is suitable. If the situation requires an exact count and you know it, give the exact number.
