Classifiers

01

The General-Purpose Ones

隻 (zagˋchak) is the broadest classifier, covering animals along with a wide range of objects and even abstract things, and it is the safe fallback when nothing more specific comes to mind. 個 (geke) is the other general one, used for people and for things with no more particular classifier of their own.

• 𠊎有六個兄弟同七個姐妹。

  ngaiˇ iuˊ liugˋ ge hiungˊ ti tungˇ qidˋ ge jiaˋ moingài yû liuk ke hiûng thi thùng chhit ke chiá moi

  I have six brothers and seven sisters.

• 𠊎有三個老弟同三個阿哥。

  ngaiˇ iuˊ samˊ ge loˋ taiˊ tungˇ samˊ ge aˊ goˊngài yû sâm ke ló thâi thùng sâm ke â kô

  I have three younger brothers and three older brothers.

• 𠊎有一隻問題。

  ngaiˇ iuˊ idˋ zagˋ mun tiˇngài yû yit chak mun thì

  I have a question.

02

Classifiers for People

儕 (saˇsà) counts people specifically. 位 (vi) is its polite equivalent, chosen when respect is due to the person being counted, and it is the form to use for customers, teachers and elders.

• 這儕人在該食東西。

  iaˋ saˇ nginˇ di ge siid dungˊ xiˊyá sà ngìn ti ke sṳ̍t tûng sî

  This person is eating.

• 你兩儕都毋著了。

  nˇ liongˋ saˇ du mˇ cog leˋǹ lióng sà tu m̀ chho̍k lé

  You two are both wrong.

• 𠊎同一位同事係盡好个朋友。

  ngaiˇ tungˇ idˋ vi tungˇ sii he qin hoˋ ge penˇ iuˊngài thùng yit vi thùng sṳ he chhin hó ke phèn yû

  A colleague and I are the best of friends.

03

Chosen by Shape and Kind

The remaining classifiers are selected according to what sort of thing the noun is. The choice belongs to the noun and has to be learned with it, much as grammatical gender has to be learned in European languages.

• 條 (tiauˇthiàu) — long, flexible things.
• 台 (toiˇthòi) — machines and vehicles.
• 間 (gienˊkiên) — rooms and shops.
• 本 (bunˋpún) — books.
• 粒 (liablia̍p) — small round things.

• 𠊎愛買一條弓蕉同六粒雞卵。

  ngaiˇ oi maiˊ idˋ tiauˇ giungˊ zeuˊ tungˇ liugˋ liab gieˊ lonˋngài oi mâi yit thiàu kiûng chêu thùng liuk lia̍p kiê lón

  I want to buy a banana and six eggs.

• 𠊎有一台汽車，一輛自行車，還有一台機車。

  ngaiˇ iuˊ idˋ toiˇ hi caˊ idˋ liongˇ cii hangˇ caˊ hanˇ iuˊ idˋ toiˇ giˊ caˊngài yû yit thòi hi chhâ yit liòng chhṳ hàng chhâ hàn yû yit thòi kî chhâ

  I have a car, a bicycle, and a motorcycle.

• 這係一間鞋店。

  iaˋ he idˋ gienˊ haiˇ diamyá he yit kiên hài tiam

  This is a shoe shop.

04

Containers and Units

Words for containers, portions and units of measure fill the same slot, so a bottle of whiskey or a cup of coffee is built exactly like any other counted noun, with nothing corresponding to English of.

• 一罐威士忌。

  idˋ gon viˊ sii kiyit kon vî sṳ khi

  a bottle of whiskey

05

When the Noun Is Left Out

Once it is clear what is being talked about, the noun itself can be dropped and the number and classifier left to stand alone. The classifier is what keeps such a phrase grammatical, which is part of why it can never be skipped.

• 無，只有幾隻。

  moˇ ziiˋ iuˊ giˋ zagˋmò chṳ́ yû kí chak

  No, just a few.

• 𫣆俚買一本新个。

  enˊ liˋ maiˊ idˋ bunˋ xinˊ geên lí mâi yit pún sîn ke

  We'll buy a new one.