Measure word facts for kids

A measure word is a special word that helps us count things or show how much of something there is. It's like a helper word that tells you the amount.

How We Use Measure Words in English

In English, we mostly use measure words for things that are hard to count on their own. These are called uncountable nouns or mass nouns.

Counting Uncountable Things

Imagine you have some gasoline. You wouldn't usually say, "I have three gasolines." That sounds a bit strange! Gasoline is hard to count one by one. Instead, we use measure words to show how much. You would say:

• "I have three gallons of gasoline."
• "I have three liters of gasoline."
• "I have three tanks of gasoline."

Here, "gallons," "liters," and "tanks" are the measure words. They help us count the amount of gasoline.

Counting Groups of Things

Sometimes, measure words describe a group of things that we can count. These are called collective nouns. For example:

• A group of cattle is called a herd of cattle.
• A group of fish is called a school of fish.
• A group of birds flying together is a flock of birds.

When English Doesn't Need Measure Words

For many things we can easily count, like "cars" or "wheels," we don't need extra measure words. We can just say, "I have three cars" or "cars have four wheels." The words "cars" and "wheels" are easy to count by themselves.

Measure Words in Other Languages

In many languages, especially in East Asia like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, measure words are used much more often. They are needed for almost everything you count, whether it's easy to count or not!

Counting in Chinese

Unlike in English, you can't just say "three cars" in Chinese. You need a measure word. For example:

• To say "three cars," you would say something like "three (vehicle) car." The word for "vehicle" acts as the measure word.
• To say "four wheels," you would say "four (thing) wheel." The word for "thing" is the measure word here.

This shows how important measure words are in different languages for counting all sorts of items!