LessonsHSK 1 · Lesson 8
HSK 1 · Lesson 8 of 15
How much is it?
Shopping: measure words, prices, and pointing at this one or that one. 21 words and 3 grammar points; tap the characters to hear them.
🔊 The sound in these lessons comes from your device’s own Mandarin voice, so it differs from device to device. Recorded audio will follow.
📚 Words
- Hán-Việt mãi To buy, to pay money for something.
- Hán-Việt mại To sell: to let someone have goods in return for money.
- Hán-Việt tiền Money, both cash and wealth in general.
- Hán-Việt khối A measure word for pieces and lumps of things, and in everyday speech the word for a yuan of money.
- Hán-Việt nguyên The yuan, the basic unit of Chinese money, in its written and official form.
- Hán-Việt cá The most general measure word, used for people and for any noun that has no measure word of its own.
- Hán-Việt kiện A measure word for items of clothing, especially tops and coats, and for matters and events.
- Hán-Việt bản The measure word for books and other bound things: notebooks, magazines, dictionaries.
- Hán-Việt chích A measure word for birds and many animals, and for one of a pair, such as one hand or one shoe.
- Hán-Việt bôi tử A cup, glass or mug: any small container you drink from.
- Hán-Việt ta An amount left uncounted: some, a few, a little.
- Hán-Việt nhất ta Some, a few, a little: an amount given without an exact number.
- Hán-Việt giá cá This, this one: points to a person or thing near the speaker.
- Hán-Việt na cá That, that one: points to a person or thing away from the speaker.
- Hán-Việt ná cá Which, which one: asks someone to pick out one person or thing from several.
- Hán-Việt giá ta These: points to several people or things near the speaker.
- Hán-Việt na ta Those: points to several people or things away from the speaker.
- Hán-Việt ná ta Which ones: asks someone to pick out several people or things from a group.
- Hán-Việt quý Expensive, costing a lot.
- Hán-Việt tiện nghi Cheap; inexpensive. A basic shopping word, as in 便宜一点儿, 'a bit cheaper, please'; it can also mean a small unearned advantage (占便宜, 'to take advantage').
- Hán-Việt đông tây A thing, stuff: any object you do not name.
🧩 Grammar
Measure words
Between a number and a noun Chinese needs a measure word: 一个人 "one person", 两本书 "two books", 三件衣服 "three pieces of clothing", 一只猫 "a cat". 个 is the all-purpose one when you are unsure.
- I bought three pieces of clothing.
- His family has two dogs.
Money: 块 and 元
The yuan is 元 in writing (on price tags and receipts) and 块 in speech: 十块钱 "ten yuan". Ask 多少钱？ "How much is it?". The 钱 at the end can be dropped: 五块 or 五块钱.
- How much is this cup?
- One apple is three yuan.
This, that, which — and the plural with 些
这 (this), 那 (that) and 哪 (which?) take a measure word before the noun: 这个人, 那本书, 哪件衣服？ For several things, 些 replaces the measure word: 这些书 "these books", 那些人 "those people", 哪些？ "which ones?".
- Which one do you want?
- These things are cheap.
🎯 Practice
The drill below uses only this lesson’s words. Switch the kind of drill:
Context clues Match the meaning Listen & type Fill the blank Put in order Hán-Việt bridge
Open the full practice page → · All 300 HSK 1 words