这 / 那 / 哪 + Measure Word | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

English lets you point at a thing with a single word glued straight onto the noun: this book, that person, which car. Chinese cannot. The three pointing words — 这 (zhè, "this"), 那 (nà, "that") and the question form 哪 (nǎ, "which") — behave exactly like numbers: before a countable noun they demand a measure word in the middle. You say 这本书 (zhè běn shū, "this book"), not 这书; 那个人 (nà ge rén, "that person"), not 那人; 哪辆车 (nǎ liàng chē, "which car?"), not 哪车. Once you accept that a demonstrative is grammatically a kind of counting word, the whole system falls into place.

Why the measure word is obligatory

A Chinese noun carries no number of its own — 书 is equally "a book" and "books" (see nouns don't inflect). So whenever you want to single one out — "this one, that one" — you need a word that does the "one-unit" packaging. That is the measure word: it classifies and counts the noun. Demonstratives ride on the same machinery as numbers because they are doing the same job — picking out specific units. The template is fixed:

这 / 那 / 哪 + measure word + noun

这本书很有意思。

zhè běn shū hěn yǒuyìsi

This book is really interesting. (informal) — 本 is the measure word for bound volumes; you cannot drop it.

那个人是谁？

nà ge rén shì shéi?

Who is that person? (informal) — 个 is the general-purpose measure word for people and things.

你的车是哪辆？

nǐ de chē shì nǎ liàng?

Which one is your car? (informal) — 辆 is the measure word for vehicles; 哪辆 asks 'which vehicle'.

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Say it to yourself as "this one-of book," "that one-of person," "which one-of car." The measure word is the "one-of" slot, and Chinese never lets it stay empty in front of a counted noun — not after a number, and not after 这/那/哪.

Match the measure word to the noun

The measure word is not decorative — it has to be the right one for the noun, the same choice you would make after a number. If you would count "three books" as 三本书, then "this book" is 这本书 with the identical 本. When you genuinely do not know the specific measure word, the general one 个 (ge) will get you understood, but the specific ones sound native:

这张桌子太大了。

zhè zhāng zhuōzi tài dà le

This table is too big. (informal) — 张 is used for flat-surfaced things: tables, paper, tickets, beds.

那条鱼还活着呢。

nà tiáo yú hái huózhe ne

That fish is still alive. (informal) — 条 is for long, thin things: fish, roads, rivers, trousers.

哪位是王医生？

nǎ wèi shì Wáng yīshēng?

Which one of you is Doctor Wang? (polite) — 位 is the respectful measure word for people; 哪位 is a courteous 'which person'.

Adding a number: more than one at a time

Because 这/那/哪 sit in the same slot as counting, you can insert a number between the demonstrative and the measure word to point at several units at once: 这 + number + MW + noun. This is where the parallel with numbers becomes visible — 这三本书 is literally "this three-CL book."

这三本书都是我的。

zhè sān běn shū dōu shì wǒ de

These three books are all mine. (informal) — the number 三 slots between 这 and 本.

那两个孩子是双胞胎。

nà liǎng ge háizi shì shuāngbāotāi

Those two children are twins. (informal) — note 两 (liǎng), not 二, is used before a measure word for the quantity 'two'.

这几天我都很忙。

zhè jǐ tiān wǒ dōu hěn máng

I've been busy these past few days. (informal) — 几 ('a few') fills the number slot; 天 is a noun that needs no measure word.

Notice that first example uses 两 rather than 二 for "two." Before a measure word, the quantity two is always 两 (liǎng); 二 (èr) is reserved for counting out loud, phone numbers and ordinals. So it is 这两本书, never 这二本书.

Standing alone: 这是, 那是 without a noun

Here is the exception that trips people up: when 这 or 那 is the subject standing on its own — meaning simply "this (thing)" / "that (thing)" — it takes no measure word. The measure word is only required when the demonstrative modifies a following noun. Compare:

这是一本好书。

zhè shì yì běn hǎo shū

This is a good book. (informal) — 这 stands alone as the subject ('this'), so no measure word attaches to it.

这本书很好。

zhè běn shū hěn hǎo

This book is very good. (informal) — here 这 modifies 书, so the measure word 本 is obligatory.

The logic is consistent: in 这是… the demonstrative is a full pronoun ("this thing here"), a complete noun phrase by itself. In 这本书 it is a modifier attached to 书, and Chinese requires the measure word to make that attachment. So 这是书 ("this is a book") is fine, but 这书 meaning "this book" is not.

The zhèi / nèi / něi fusion in speech

In casual, especially northern, speech, 这 / 那 / 哪 followed directly by 个 very often fuse into a single syllable: 这个 comes out as zhèige (or plain zhège), 那个 as nèige, 哪个 as něige. This is a spoken contraction of 这一 (zhè yī) → zhèi, "this-one," and you will hear it constantly. The important point for a learner: the written characters do not change. You always write 这个 / 那个 / 哪个; the zhèi/nèi/něi pronunciation is oral only and never appears in the hanzi.

这个多少钱？

zhège duōshao qián?

How much is this one? (informal) — often heard as 'zhèige'; still written 这个.

我要这个，不要那个。

wǒ yào zhège, bú yào nàge

I want this one, not that one. (informal) — 这个 / 那个 as standalone 'this one / that one', pointing at goods.

哪个是你点的？

nǎge shì nǐ diǎn de?

Which one did you order? (informal) — 哪个 = 'which one', spoken 'něige'.

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You do not have to produce zhèi/nèi/něi to sound good — the clear zhè/nà/nǎ is perfectly standard. But you must recognise them, because native speakers use the fused forms all the time and beginners often fail to connect "nèige" back to the 那个 they know.

Common Mistakes

1. Dropping the measure word — the number-one error. English "this book" has two words, so learners reach for two Chinese words. But a demonstrative modifying a noun needs the measure word, just like a number does.

❌ 这书是新的。

Incorrect — a demonstrative modifying a noun cannot skip the measure word.

✅ 这本书是新的。

zhè běn shū shì xīn de

This book is new. — 本 fills the obligatory measure-word slot.

2. Using the wrong measure word. The measure word must fit the noun, the same one you'd use after a number. A car is 辆, not 个.

❌ 哪个车是你的？

Marginal — 个 is understood but sounds off for a vehicle; use the proper measure word.

✅ 哪辆车是你的？

nǎ liàng chē shì nǐ de?

Which car is yours? — 辆 is the correct measure word for vehicles.

3. Using 二 instead of 两 before the measure word. For the quantity "two" in front of a measure word, Chinese uses 两 (liǎng), never 二 (èr).

❌ 这二个人我都认识。

Incorrect — before a measure word, 'two' is 两, not 二.

✅ 这两个人我都认识。

zhè liǎng ge rén wǒ dōu rènshi

I know both of these two people. — 两个, not 二个.

4. Forcing a measure word onto a stand-alone 这/那. When 这 or 那 is a subject pronoun by itself ("this is…"), do not add a measure word.

❌ 这个是我的书。（when simply pointing: 'this is my book'）

Overcomplicated — if 这 stands alone as 'this', you can just say 这是我的书.

✅ 这是我的书。

zhè shì wǒ de shū

This is my book. — 这 alone as the subject needs no measure word.

5. Writing zhèi/nèi/něi in characters. These are spoken fusions only; the writing stays 这个/那个/哪个.

✅ 那个人我见过。

nàge rén wǒ jiàn guo

I've met that person before. — spoken 'nèige', but always written 那个.

Key Takeaways

这 (this) / 那 (that) / 哪 (which) all behave like numbers: modifying a noun, they require a measure word — 这本书, 那个人, 哪辆车.
Pick the measure word that matches the noun, the same one you'd use to count it; 个 is the safe general default.
Insert a number between the demonstrative and the measure word for more than one: 这三本书 ("these three books"); use 两, not 二, for "two."
When 这/那 stands alone as a subject ("this is…", "that is…"), it takes no measure word — 这是书 is fine, 这书 for "this book" is not.
In speech, 这/那/哪 + 个 often fuse to zhèi/nèi/něi, but the characters remain 这个/那个/哪个 — learn to recognise the sound.

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