Measure Words for Animals 条，头， 匹，只
You may have known that in most cases, a noun in Chinese usually has a measure word preceding it. And for different objects or animals, the measure words are different. Now, you will learn the measure words used for animals – 条，头， 匹，只。
Measure Words for Animals
Measure Word 条 tiáo
Measure word “条” is often used to modify animals whose body shapes are long, such as fish, snake or dragon (which is an auspicious animal in Chinese people’s belief).
| 一条龙 |
yì tiáo lónɡ |
a dragon |
|
Measure Word 头tóu
Measure word “头” is used to modify big-shaped animals like pigs, cows, elephants, etc.
| 一头大象 |
yì tóu dà xiànɡ |
an elephant |
|
Measure Word 匹pǐ
“匹” is kind of an easy measure word in Chinese, because it is specially linked to “horse”.
Measure Word 只zhī
“只” is a very common and widely used Chinese measure word for animals. It can be used to modify most animals, flying in the air, running on the ground and swimming in the water. Generally, it can replace the above 3 measure words, without changing the meaning. For example, “一条鱼” can also be said “一只鱼” in Chinese.
Be sure to check Chinese measure words in summary.
