Traditional: 幾
HSK 1

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

几个人?
Jǐ gè rén?
How many people?
我有几个。
Wǒ yǒu jǐ gè.
I have several.
几本书?
Jǐ běn shū?
How many books?
我桌子上有几本书。
Wǒ zhuōzi shàng yǒu jǐ běn shū.
I have a few books on my desk.
派对会有几个人来?
Pàiduì huì yǒu jǐ gè rén lái?
How many people are coming to the party?

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 几 as looking like a small ladder or rack with a few rungs, symbolizing 'a few' items. Associate it with the sound 'jee' in 'jeans'—imagine counting how many pairs of jeans you have, which are usually a small number.

📝 Usage Notes

Used in both spoken and written Chinese, in formal and informal contexts. Common in everyday questions about quantities, such as counting objects, people, or time. Often appears in questions where the answer is a small number, and it can imply 'a few' when not used interrogatively (e.g., 几个人 means 'a few people').

📖 Grammar Points

Used in questions like 'Subject + 有 + 几 + Measure Word + Noun?' (e.g., 你有几个孩子?). Can be used in statements to mean 'a few' (e.g., 我买了几个苹果). Often paired with measure words; without one, it might mean 'how' in time expressions like 几点 (what time).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, using 几 for small quantities reflects a preference for modesty or vagueness in estimates. It's common in polite inquiries, such as asking about age with 几岁 (for children) versus 多大 (for adults).

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 多少 (duōshǎo), which also means 'how many/much,' 几 is used for smaller quantities (usually under ten) and requires a measure word (e.g., 几个), while 多少 can be used for any quantity and often doesn't need a measure word (e.g., 多少人).

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