HSK · Level 37
120 words
Chinese word
颗
Pronunciation
Pinyinkē
Meaning
- measure wordclassifier for small round objects
Example
晚上我吃了一颗药。wǎn shàng wǒ chī le yì kē yào
In the evening, I took one pill.
More examples
孩子掉了一颗牙，兴奋地告诉了妈妈。hái zi diào le yì kē yá xīng fèn dì gào sù le mā mā
The child lost a tooth and excitedly told their mother.
Core concept
One small, self-contained lump or bead that stands out from its surroundings.
Common phrases
一颗牙齿yì kē yá chǐ
one tooth
一颗种子yì kē zhǒng zi
one seed
一颗心yì kē xīn
one heart
Similar words
个gè: A widely used measure word for counting people and objects of any shape or size.
粒lì: A measure word for small, particle-like items, including grains of sugar and small pills.
片piàn: A measure word for thin, flat pieces, including food slices and parts of a sheet of paper.
Definition in Chinese
用来计数单独的、小而呈颗粒或块状的物体，常见用法有一颗糖、一颗药、一颗珍珠等。yòng lái jì shù dān dú de xiǎo ér chéng kē lì huò kuài zhuàng de wù tǐ cháng jiàn yòng fǎ yǒu yì kē táng yì kē yào yì kē zhēn zhū děng
Word origin
颗 (kē, "classifier for small round objects") preserves the old idea of a small grain or bead, extending that concrete image to pills, pearls, and other separate pieces.
Usage tips
- With this word, Chinese places a classifier in its own slot between the numeral and the noun, unlike ordinary English counting phrases, which usually put the numeral directly before the noun.
Related words
- 颗粒kē lìgranulenoun
- 颗粒状kē lì zhuànggranularadjective