# HSK 5 Nominal Classifiers (名量词): Complete Guide & Usage | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5-measure-words-c081e34d29 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-5-measure-words-c081e34d29 HSK levels: 5 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:58.887Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn the 15 HSK 5 nominal classifiers (册, 朵, 届, 颗, 匹, 行, 架, 群, 支, 根, 批, 束, 副, 集, 周) with clear categories, contrasts, and examples. Grammar [HSK 5 · Word classes › Measure words › Nominal measure words](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5#hsk-5-g003) # HSK 5 Nominal Classifiers: 册, 朵, 届, 颗, 匹, 行, 架, 群, 支, 根, 批, 束, 副, 集, and 周 At HSK Level 5 in the supplied outline, learners move beyond general classifiers to master 15 specific nominal classifiers (名量词) that categorize nouns by physical shape, mechanical structure, grouping, publication format, and scheduled cycles. Numeral Nominal Classifier Noun Example sentence 窗台上放着一朵白花和几颗小石子。 Chuāngtái shang fàng zhe yī duǒ báihuā hé jǐ kē xiǎo shízǐ. On the windowsill sit a white flower and several small pebbles. Uses 朵 for a single flower blossom and 颗 for small, roundish pebbles. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Overview and Core Sentence Structures For ordinary counted nouns, Mandarin commonly places a classifier between a number and a noun, as in 一支笔. Demonstratives also often use a classifier, as in 那架飞机. This lesson covers the fifteen nominal measure words listed together in the supplied HSK 5 outline; self-contained units such as 周 have their own pattern. Numeral Nominal Classifier Noun 这 / 那 （ Numeral ） Nominal Classifier Noun When using demonstratives like 这 (this), 那 (that), or 哪 (which), the numeral 一 (one) is frequently omitted in spoken and written Chinese, leaving the demonstrative directly before the classifier. In addition, the classifier 周 (week) functions as a self-contained time measure word that normally follows a numeral directly without needing a following noun. Numeral 周 ## Classifiers for Shapes, Animals, and Machines Six of the target classifiers categorize individual physical items based on their visual shape, biological category, or mechanical support structure. - 朵 (duǒ): Used for flowers, clouds, and objects that bloom or cluster like petals (for example, 花 flowers, 云 clouds). - 颗 (kē): Used for small, round, bead-like, or pearl-like objects, including grains, teeth, stars, and hearts (for example, 石子 pebbles, 星星 stars, 牙齿 teeth). - 支 (zhī): Used for rigid, rod-like instruments, especially writing tools, candles, rifles, and songs or teams in certain contexts (for example, 钢笔 fountain pens, 铅笔 pencils, 蜡烛 candles). - 根 (gēn): Used for long, thin, often flexible or fibrous objects, or objects growing from a base (for example, 绳子 ropes, 头发 hairs, 香蕉 bananas, 木头 logs). - 架 (jià): Used for aircraft, large machinery, or instruments supported by a frame or tripod (for example, 飞机 airplanes, 直升机 helicopters, 钢琴 pianos, 照相机 cameras). - 匹 (pǐ): Used primarily for horses, mules, and bolts of cloth (for example, 马 horses, 布 cloth). 窗台上放着一朵白花和几颗小石子。 Chuāngtái shang fàng zhe yī duǒ báihuā hé jǐ kē xiǎo shízǐ. On the windowsill sit a white flower and several small pebbles. Uses 朵 for a single flower blossom and 颗 for small, roundish pebbles. 他从包里拿出一支钢笔和两根细绳。 Tā cóng bāo lǐ náchū yī zhī gāngbǐ hé liǎng gēn xìshéng. He took a fountain pen and two thin ropes out of his bag. Contrasts 支 for a rigid writing instrument with 根 for flexible cords. 那架直升机飞过草地时，惊动了三匹马。 Nà jià zhíshēngjī fēi guò cǎodì shí, jīngdòng le sān pǐ mǎ. When that helicopter flew over the grassland, it startled three horses. Uses 架 for aircraft and 匹 for horses. ## Classifiers for Groups, Pairs, and Linear Arrangements Rather than counting single items, five classifiers in this group organize nouns into collections, batches, tied bundles, matched sets, or lines. - 群 (qún): Denotes a crowd of people or a flock, herd, or pack of living creatures moving or gathering together (for example, 人 people, 羊 sheep, 孩子 children). - 批 (pī): Denotes a batch of goods or a group of people processed, arriving, or dispatched together in an organized wave (for example, 货物 goods, 志愿者 volunteers, 游客 tourists). - 束 (shù): Denotes a tied bundle or bouquet, as well as a focused beam of light (for example, 鲜花 fresh flowers, 阳光 sunlight). - 副 (fù): Denotes matched pairs or complete sets that function as a unit, as well as facial expressions (for example, 手套 gloves, 眼镜 glasses, 耳环 earrings, 笑脸 smiling face). - 行 (háng): Read with the second tone (háng) as a classifier, it denotes a horizontal row or vertical column of words, trees, or footprints, including lines of tears (for example, 字 characters, 树 trees, 眼泪 tears). 这一批志愿者每人戴着一副手套，给那群老人送去了一束鲜花。 Zhè yī pī zhìyuànzhě měi rén dài zhe yī fù shǒutào, gěi nà qún lǎorén sòngqù le yī shù xiānhuā. Each volunteer in this group wore a pair of gloves, and together they delivered a bouquet of fresh flowers to the group of older people. Illustrates four collective or paired classifiers in context: 批 (batch), 副 (pair/set), 群 (crowd/group), and 束 (bouquet). 黑板的最上面写着两行整齐的汉字。 Hēibǎn de zuì shàngmiàn xiě zhe liǎng háng zhěngqí de Hànzì. Two neat lines of Chinese characters are written at the very top of the blackboard. Here 行 (háng) counts horizontal or vertical lines of written characters. ## Classifiers for Publications, Scheduled Events, and Time The remaining four classifiers measure bound volumes, serialized media episodes, periodic institutional events, and weeks. - 册 (cè): Used for bound volumes or individual books within a multi-volume collection (for example, 书 books, 画册 picture albums). It is more formal than 本 and emphasizes volume divisions. - 集 (jí): Used for episodes of a television series or documentary, or parts of an anthology (for example, 电视剧 TV drama, 纪录片 documentary). - 届 (jiè): Used for regularly scheduled meetings, conferences, graduating classes, or sporting events that occur in numbered editions (for example, 运动会 sports games, 会议 conferences, 毕业生 graduates). - 周 counts weeks directly: 两周. It can be followed by 的 and a noun when forming a modifier, as in 两周的假期. No extra 个 is needed in the basic measure phrase. 这套历史丛书一共有四册，刚拍成了十集纪录片。 Zhè tào lìshǐ cóngshū yīgòng yǒu sì cè, gāng pāichéng le shí jí jìlùpiàn. This history book series has four volumes in total and was just made into a ten-episode documentary. Uses 册 for individual volumes in a book set and 集 for episodes of a series. 上一届运动会持续了两周。 Shàng yī jiè yùndònghuì chíxù le liǎng zhōu. The previous sports games lasted for two weeks. Uses 届 for a periodic event and 周 directly after a numeral to count weeks. ## Key Contrasts and Common Learner Mistakes Learn 一支钢笔 as the standard general model, but do not reduce 支 and 根 to a rigid-versus-flexible rule: 一根钢管 is rigid, and 一根铅笔 is also used. 根 emphasizes a long thin shape; 支 is a conventional choice for many writing tools. 一根钢笔 occurs in actual usage too, so it is not universally ungrammatical merely because a pen is rigid. 我买了一根新钢笔。 Wǒ mǎi le yī gēn xīn gāngbǐ. I bought a new fountain pen. 根 presents the pen as a long thin object; this usage occurs in Chinese. For a general learner model, 一支钢笔 is a conventional choice. Rigidity alone does not make 根 wrong. 我买了一支新钢笔。 Wǒ mǎi le yī zhī xīn gāngbǐ. I bought a new fountain pen. 支 is a conventional classifier for pens and pencils. Compare the shape-focused use of 根 rather than treating every alternative as an error. - 朵 vs. 束 for flowers: 一朵花 refers to a single blossom, whereas 一束花 refers to a gathered bouquet of multiple stems. - 群 vs. 批 for people: 一群人 focuses on a physical crowd gathered in one place, while 一批人 focuses on a cohort or batch (such as a batch of new interns or customers arriving in stages). - 副 and 双 can overlap: 一副手套 and 一双手套 are both possible. Learn conventional pairs such as 一副眼镜 and 一双筷子. Whether parts are connected is a helpful association in some examples, not a complete rule for choosing every pair classifier. Tip on pronunciation and usage: Remember that 行 is a polyphonic character. When used as a nominal classifier for rows or lines of text, it is always pronounced háng, never xíng. ## Frequently asked questions **How does 周 differ from 星期 when counting weeks?** Both name a week. 两周 uses 周 directly as a unit. With 星期, both 两星期 and 两个星期 are natural; 个 is not compulsory. Choose the expression that suits the context. **When should I use 册 instead of 本 for books?** 本 is the everyday classifier for any book, magazine, or notebook. 册 is more formal and is specifically preferred when counting numbered volumes within a multi-volume work (such as 上册 and 下册) or in library and publishing statistics. **Can I use 届 for any meeting or event?** Not for every event. 届 is conventional for numbered editions, institutional terms or graduating cohorts: 第一届大会、这一届毕业生. An ordinary meeting or casual gathering usually uses 次 or 场. A first-ever edition can still be 第一届 even before a regular future cycle has been established. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 398](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=398) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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