First and foremost, please let your child do the following quiz:
Choose the right measure word to fill in each blank:
A. zhī 只 B. tóu 头 C. gè 个
一（）苹果
一（）大象
一（）老虎
You may know that there are many differences in the expressions between Chinese and English. As you can see in the quiz above, in English, “a” or “an” can be put before almost every noun like “apple”, “elephant” and “tiger”; but in Chinese, the case is totally different.
In Chinese language, a measure word: “liàngcí 量词”, also known as a classifier or a count word, classifies the unit of a noun when counting. In English, not all nouns require a measure word, and that’s why learning it can be viewed as one of the most challenging parts for Chinese learners. Whenever your child learns a new noun in Chinese, he or she needs to memorize the corresponding measure word that agrees with it.
Watch the following video with your child. In the video, the teacher will not only explain the answers to the quiz above but also introduce the common usage of “gè 个”, “zhī 只”, and “tóu 头”.
What other knowledge in Chinese does your child finds difficult to learn? You are welcome to comment in the section below to tell us what your child thinks!
“Children’s Guide to Tone Changes of “Yī 一” in Mandarin Chinese!”
“Clearing up Confusion Between “liǎng 两” and “èr 二” for Children to Learn Chinese”
”Quiz to Improve Children’s Chinese Learning: How to Use “Bǎ 把””
