几 (jǐ) and 多少 (duōshao) both ask how many / how much.
| 几 (jǐ) | 多少 (duōshao) | |
|---|---|---|
| Expected size | small number | any amount, often larger |
| Measure word | required (几杯, 几个) | usually not needed |
| Example | 几杯茶 (jǐ bēi chá) — how many cups of tea | 多少钱 (duōshao qián) — how much money |
几 and 多少 let you ask about quantities — how many cups, how many people, how much of something — which you will need the moment numbers come up.
Structure
Subject + Verb + 几 + Measure Word + Noun？
你有几杯茶？ (Nǐ yǒu jǐ bēi chá?) How many cups of tea do you have?
Subject + Verb + 多少 + Noun？
他喝多少水？ (Tā hē duōshao shuǐ?) How much water does he drink?
When NOT to Use 几
Do not use 几 for amounts that could be large or open-ended, like money — use 多少 instead, and note that 多少 does not need a measure word.
✓ 这个多少钱？ Zhège duōshao qián? (How much is this?) ✗ 这个几钱？ Zhège jǐ qián?
✓ 学校有多少学生？ Xuéxiào yǒu duōshao xuéshēng? (How many students does the school have?) ✗ 学校有几个学生？ Xuéxiào yǒu jǐ ge xuéshēng?
Examples
你几岁？ Nǐ jǐ suì?
Breakdown: 你 (you) · 几 (how many) · 岁 (years old)
→ How old are you?
这个多少钱？ Zhège duōshao qián?
Breakdown: 这个 (this) · 多少 (how much) · 钱 (money)
→ How much is this?
你家有几个人？ Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ ge rén?
Breakdown: 你家 (your family) · 有 (has) · 几个 (how many) · 人 (people)
→ How many people are in your family?
你有几本书？ Nǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū?
Breakdown: 你 (you) · 有 (have) · 几本 (how many books) · 书 (books)
→ How many books do you have?
你有几张纸？ Nǐ yǒu jǐ zhāng zhǐ?
Breakdown: 你 (you) · 有 (have) · 几张 (how many pieces) · 纸 (paper)
→ How many pieces of paper do you have?
Common Mistakes
Moving 几 to the front
- Incorrect: 几你有茶？ (Jǐ nǐ yǒu chá?) - Correct: 你有几杯茶？ (Nǐ yǒu jǐ bēi chá?) — How many cups of tea do you have?
Skipping the measure word after 几
- Incorrect: 你有几茶？ (Nǐ yǒu jǐ chá?) - Correct: 你有几杯茶？ (Nǐ yǒu jǐ bēi chá?) — How many cups of tea do you have?
What Can You Say Now?
You can now ask about quantities — how many cups of tea someone has, how many students are in a class, how much something costs — using 几 with a measure word for small numbers and 多少 for larger or open-ended amounts. Try asking 你有几个...？ about anything you can count around you.
Quick Summary
几 + measure word for a small "how many". 多少 for "how many / how much".
| Word |
|---|
|
几 - ji3 (How many; several; a few.) |
|
多少 - duo1 shao (How much; how many.) |
|
岁 - sui4 (Years old; classifier for age.) |
|
钱 - qian2 (Money; a coin; a surname.) |
|
个 - ge4 (A; a piece of (general measure word used before nouns).) |
|
人 - ren2 (Person; people) |
|
本 - ben3 (Root; origin; this; the current one; classifier for books.) |
|
杯 - bei1 (Cup; classifier for a glass or cup of something.) |
|
张 - zhang1 (To open up; to spread; a sheet of paper; classifier for flat objects; a surname.) |