To ask how many or how much, Chinese gives you two words — 几 (jǐ) and 多少 (duōshao) — and the choice is not free: it quietly signals how big you expect the answer to be. Just as importantly for question-building, both words are in-situ: they sit in the exact spot where the number would appear in the answer, and nothing else in the sentence moves. English yanks "how many" to the front of the clause ("How many children do you have?"); Chinese leaves the question word planted right where the count belongs (你有几个孩子？). Get that placement plus the measure-word rule right and these two questions become mechanical.
几 — a small count, always with a measure word
Use 几 when you expect a small, countable answer, roughly under ten — children, siblings, a few items, the hour, the date. Grammatically 几 behaves exactly like a number: it must carry a measure word just as 三 (three) or 五 (five) would. The frame is 几 + measure word + noun.
你有几个孩子？
nǐ yǒu jǐ ge háizi?
How many children do you have? (neutral) — 几 + the measure word 个 + noun.
这附近有几家超市？
zhè fùjìn yǒu jǐ jiā chāoshì?
How many supermarkets are around here? (informal) — 几 + 家 (the MW for shops).
你要几个？
nǐ yào jǐ ge?
How many do you want? (informal) — the noun can drop, but the measure word 个 stays.
Look at where 几个 sits: precisely the slot the answer fills. Reply "三个" (three) and it slides into the same position — 你有三个孩子 → 你有几个孩子？. That is the whole trick of a Chinese content question: swap the known value for the question word and leave everything else alone.
多少 — any amount, and the measure word is optional
Reach for 多少 when the answer could be large, open-ended, or completely unknown — prices, class sizes, populations, phone numbers. Its default frame is 多少 + noun, with no measure word: 多少钱 (how much money), 多少人 (how many people). A measure word is allowed (多少个人 is grammatical) but usually dropped, because the whole point of 多少 is that you are not presuming a small, countable handful.
你们班有多少学生？
nǐmen bān yǒu duōshao xuésheng?
How many students are in your class? (neutral) — could be dozens, so 多少 with no measure word.
这个多少钱？
zhège duōshao qián?
How much is this? (informal) — the classic price question; 多少 sits straight before 钱, no measure word.
你的微信号是多少？
nǐ de wēixìn hào shì duōshao?
What's your WeChat ID? (informal) — a long number string is a 'big unknown figure', so 多少, never 几.
停车场里有多少辆车？
tíngchēchǎng li yǒu duōshao liàng chē?
How many cars are in the parking lot? (neutral) — a large count; here 多少 does take the MW 辆, which is permitted but optional.
Choosing between them at a glance
The one-line test: could the answer plausibly be "two" or "three"? Then 几. Could it just as easily be "eight hundred" or "no idea"? Then 多少. For the full size-based decision — including why phone numbers and ages behave the way they do — see the dedicated 几 vs 多少 comparison; this page's focus is simply how each one slots into a question.
| 几 (jǐ) | 多少 (duōshao) | |
|---|---|---|
| Expected size | small (≈ under 10) | any / large / unknown |
| Measure word | required (几个人) | usually dropped (多少人) |
| Typical uses | people, items, the time, the date | prices, crowds, numbers, scores |
| Example | 几点了？ (what time?) | 多少钱？ (how much?) |
现在几点？我们几个人一起去？
xiànzài jǐ diǎn? wǒmen jǐ ge rén yìqǐ qù?
What time is it? How many of us are going together? (informal) — two small counts, so 几 twice, each with its measure word (点, 个).
一斤苹果多少钱？
yì jīn píngguǒ duōshao qián?
How much is a jin of apples? (informal) — an open-ended price, so 多少 with no measure word before 钱.
Common Mistakes
1. Dropping the measure word after 几. English "how many books" has no classifier, so learners strip it — but 几 is a number and demands one.
❌ 你有几孩子？
Incorrect — 几 must carry a measure word: 几个孩子.
✅ 你有几个孩子？
nǐ yǒu jǐ ge háizi?
How many children do you have? — 几 + 个 + noun.
2. Using 几 for a large or unknown amount. A price, a crowd, or a phone number is never 几.
❌ 一共几钱？
Incorrect — money is open-ended, so 多少钱, not 几钱.
✅ 一共多少钱？
yígòng duōshao qián?
How much is it altogether? — 多少 for any price.
3. Forcing a measure word after 多少钱. With money, 多少 stands directly before 钱; 个 never appears here.
❌ 这个多少个钱？
Incorrect — 钱 takes no measure word after 多少.
✅ 这个多少钱？
zhège duōshao qián?
How much is this? — 多少 directly before 钱.
4. Fronting the question word like English. 几 and 多少 stay in the number's slot; don't move them to the front.
❌ 多少你们班有学生？
Incorrect — 多少 stays in situ, in the noun's slot, not fronted like English 'how many'.
✅ 你们班有多少学生？
nǐmen bān yǒu duōshao xuésheng?
How many students are in your class? — 多少 sits right where the count belongs.
Key Takeaways
- 几 (jǐ) asks a small count (≈ under ten) and requires a measure word: 几个人, 几点, 几号.
- 多少 (duōshao) asks any, large, or unknown amounts and usually drops the measure word: 多少钱, 多少人.
- Both are in-situ — they sit exactly where the number goes in the answer; nothing else moves.
- 几 doubles as "a few" in statements (几个苹果 = "a few apples").
- Quick test: if the answer could be "two or three," use 几; if it could be "eight hundred" or unknown, use 多少. Deeper decision on the 几 vs 多少 page.
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- 多 + Adjective: 多大, 多高, 多远HSK 2 — To ask 'how + adjective', put 多 (duō) straight before a gradable adjective — 多大 (how old/big), 多高 (how tall), 多远 (how far), 多长 (how long) — with no 是 and no degree adverb. 有多 + adjective is the emphatic variant.
- 几 vs 多少HSK 1 — 几 (jǐ) and 多少 (duōshao) both ask 'how many/much', but 几 expects a small count and needs a measure word (几个人), while 多少 covers any or unknown quantity and usually drops it (多少钱).
- Why Classifiers Are ObligatoryHSK 1 — Whenever you count a noun or point at it, Chinese demands a measure word between the number/demonstrative and the noun — 三本书, not 三书 — because a bare Chinese noun names a kind of thing, not a countable unit, so a classifier is what packages it into countable units.
- Question Words Stay In Place (In Situ)HSK 1 — The single most important rule for Chinese wh-questions: the question word sits exactly where the answer will sit. No fronting, no do-support, no reordering — 你去哪儿？ not ❌哪儿你去？ And because the question word already asks, you never add 吗.