Chinese Measure Words for School Supplies: A Guide for Kids and Beginners

A good place for beginners to start is with these common combinations:

一支铅笔、一个书包、一把尺子、一块橡皮

Chinese Measure Words for School Supplies at a Glance

What Are Measure Words for School Supplies?

When counting a noun with a number, Chinese usually uses a measure word between the number and the noun.

For example:

• 一支铅笔 — one pencil
• 一个本子 — one notebook
• 一把尺子 — one ruler
• 一块橡皮 — one eraser

Measure words help you say what you are counting.

Different school supply items commonly use different measure words. The easiest way to learn them is to remember useful combinations rather than trying to memorize a rule for every object.

The Big Idea: What Are You Counting?

Pencils, pens, and chalk → 支

• 一支铅笔 — one pencil
• 一支钢笔 — one fountain pen
• 一支粉笔 — one piece of chalk

Notebooks, backpacks, and pencil sharpeners → 个

• 一个本子 — one notebook
• 一个书包 — one backpack
• 一个卷笔刀 — one pencil sharpener

Rulers and scissors → 把

• 一把尺子 — one ruler
• 一把剪刀 — a pair of scissors

Erasers → 块

• 一块橡皮 — one eraser
• 两块橡皮 — two erasers

The easiest way to learn Chinese measure words is to remember the measure word together with the noun.

4 Essential School Supply Measure Words: Explained

支 (zhī) — Pencils, Pens, and Chalk

支 is commonly used with pencils, pens, chalk, and many similar writing tools.

• ✏️ 一支铅笔 (yī zhī qiānbǐ) — one pencil
• 🖊️ 一支钢笔 (yī zhī gāngbǐ) — one fountain pen
• 🖍️ 一支粉笔 (yī zhī fěnbǐ) — one piece of chalk

In sentences:

• 我有一支铅笔。 I have a pencil.
• 老师用一支粉笔写字。 The teacher writes with a piece of chalk.

个 (gè) — Notebooks, Backpacks, and Pencil Sharpeners

个 is a very common general measure word. It is commonly used with everyday items such as notebooks, backpacks, pencil cases, and pencil sharpeners.

• 📓 一个本子 (yī gè běnzi) — one notebook
• 🎒 一个书包 (yī gè shūbāo) — one backpack
• 🔧 一个卷笔刀 (yī gè juǎnbǐdāo) — one pencil sharpener

In sentences:

• 我有一个新书包。 I have a new backpack.
• 教室里有一个卷笔刀。 There is a pencil sharpener in the classroom.

把 (bǎ) — Rulers and Scissors

把 is commonly used with certain tools and handheld objects, including rulers and scissors.

• 📏 一把尺子 (yī bǎ chǐzi) — one ruler
• ✂️ 一把剪刀 (yī bǎ jiǎndāo) — a pair of scissors

In sentences:

• 我需要一把尺子。 I need a ruler.
• 妈妈给我一把剪刀。 Mom gave me a pair of scissors.

Tip: You can also see 把 with words such as 一把伞 (one umbrella) and 一把刀 (one knife).

块 (kuài) — Erasers

块 is commonly used for erasers and some other solid objects that are counted as pieces.

• 🧹 一块橡皮 (yī kuài xiàngpí) — one eraser
• 🍫 一块巧克力 (yī kuài qiǎokèlì) — one piece of chocolate

In sentences:

• 我丢了一块橡皮。 I lost an eraser.
• 铅笔盒里有两块橡皮。 There are two erasers in the pencil case.

Connection: You may already know 块 from food such as chocolate. Learning 一块橡皮 alongside 一块巧克力 can make the combination easier to remember.

An Important Comparison: School Supply Items

The measure word depends on the noun you are counting.

• 一支铅笔 vs 一个铅笔盒
• 一支铅笔 — one pencil
• 一个铅笔盒 — one pencil case

These are different objects, so they use different measure words.

• 一把剪刀 vs 一把刀
• 一把剪刀 — a pair of scissors
• 一把刀 — one knife

Both commonly use 把. This is a useful example of how the same measure word can be used with different types of tools.

When Do You Need a Measure Word?

Chinese usually needs a measure wordWhen you count a specific item or use a demonstrative such as 这 or 那.

• 一支铅笔 — one pencil
• 这支铅笔 — this pencil
• 那个书包 — that backpack

When talking about something in general, you can use the noun without a measure word:

我喜欢铅笔。— I like pencils.

Practice

Level 1: Choose the Best Measure Word

1. 我有一____铅笔。 (I have one ____ pencil.)
   A) 个 B) 支 C) 把 D) 块
2. 我有一____书包。 (I have one ____ backpack.)
   A) 支 B) 个 C) 把 D) 块
3. 老师用一____粉笔写字。 (The teacher writes with one ____ piece of chalk.)
   A) 块 B) 个 C) 支 D) 把
4. 我丢了一____橡皮。 (I lost one ____ eraser.)
   A) 支 B) 把 C) 块 D) 个
5. 妈妈给我一____剪刀。 (Mom gave me one ____ pair of scissors.)
   A) 个 B) 块 C) 支 D) 把

Answers: 1-B, 2-B, 3-C, 4-C, 5-D

Level 2: Fill in the Best Measure Word

1. 我的文具盒里有五____铅笔和一____橡皮。 (My pencil case has five ____ pencils and one ____ eraser.)
2. 学校给我们____新书包和____新卷笔刀。 (The school gave us ____ new backpack and ____ new pencil sharpener.)
3. 这____尺子很长。 (This ____ ruler is very long.)
4. 我们需要一____剪刀来做手工。 (We need one ____ pair of scissors for a craft project.)

Answers: 1-支, 块 2-个, 个 3-把 4-把

Activities for Kids and Classrooms

Activity 1: School Supply Inventory

Count the school supplies in your pencil case, backpack, or desk. Say each item with its measure word.

• Parent: 你的文具盒里有几支铅笔？ (How many pencils are in your pencil case?)
• Child: 我有三支铅笔。 (I have three pencils.)
• Parent: 有几个本子？ (How many notebooks?)
• Child: 我有两个本子。 (I have two notebooks.)

Activity 2: School Supply Shopping

Pretend to shop for school supplies and practice using measure words.

• Parent: 我们需要一把新尺子。 (We need a new ruler.)
• Child: 我们也需要一个新书包。 (We also need a new backpack.)
• Parent: 还需要一块橡皮。 (We also need an eraser.)

Activity 3: Describe Your Desk

Look at your desk or classroom and describe what you see.

• Parent: 你的课桌上有什么？ (What’s on your desk?)
• Child: 有一支铅笔、一个本子和一把尺子。 (There is a pencil, a notebook, and a ruler.)

More Useful School Supply Combinations

Once you know the four basic measure words above, you can learn more useful combinations.

More examples with 支

• 一支圆珠笔 — one ballpoint pen
• 三支水彩笔 — three markers

More examples with 个

• 一个铅笔盒 — one pencil case

Other useful combinations

• 一本书 — one book
• 一本练习册 — one exercise book
• 一盒彩笔 — one box of colored drawing pens/pencils
• 一盒蜡笔 — one box of crayons
• 一盒粉笔 — one box of chalk
• 一瓶胶水 — one bottle of glue
• 一管胶水 — one tube of glue

The container can determine the measure word, so the same item (like glue) may use different measure words depending on how it’s packaged.

Quick Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaway

Start with these four common combinations:

一支铅笔、一个书包、一把尺子、一块橡皮

Then add more measure words as you build your school supply vocabulary. Remember: learn the measure word together with the noun.

What to Learn Next

Practice these measure words in real situations. Count the supplies in your pencil case, describe your desk, or pretend to shop for school supplies.

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• Chinese Measure Words for Buildings

For extra practice, explore our Complete Measure Words Bundle with interactive flashcards, printable worksheets, and reference guides.

You can also explore our School Objects Flashcards and Sentence Cards, and Back-to-School Chinese Learning Supplies for more school and school supply vocabulary.

Happy learning! 加油 (jiāyóu)!

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