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Counting objects in Cantonese can be challenging due to the use of classifiers. However, the good news is that the numbers themselves are straightforward, just as in counting in English. Additionally, nouns do not change according to singular or plural forms. You may refer to Most Comprehensive【Cantonese Numbers】0 - 999,999,999 for more about Cantonese numbers.
Let's start discussing about classifiers. Classifiers are typically, though not only, used when a numeral is used before a noun (in counting) or a demonstrative is used before a noun. You may refer to Cantonese Classifiers Explained: The Ultimate Guide for more about classifiers and This, That, These, Those in Cantonese - Demonstratives 呢(nei1) & 嗰(go2) for more about demonstratives in Cantonese.
Unlike in English, where classifiers are optional before nouns, in Cantonese, classifiers are most of the time required when a determiner (such as numerals or demonstratives) is used.
There are two main types of classifiers: sortal classifiers and mensural classifiers. Formations for both types of classifiers are the same:
【numeral - classifier - noun】
Mensural Classifiers
Mensural classifiers are similar to most of the measure words in English, providing information about the quantity or state of the nouns they accompany. These are typically used for uncountable nouns (as in example 1-4) or plural countable nouns (as in example 5) and are usually used as a unit of measure.
Most of the time, mensural classifiers can be directly translated into English and can be flexibly applied to different nouns as long as it makes logical sense.
一滴水
one drop of water兩杯咖啡
two cups of coffee
(兩 is used instead of 二 when followed by a classifier)三羮糖
three spoons of sugar四碗飯
four bowls of rice五箱蘋果
five boxes of apples
Sortal Classifiers
Sortal classifiers, on the other hand, are unique to Cantonese (and many other Asian languages). These classifiers are typically inherently tied to the nouns they accompany, often based on the nature, characteristics, and attributes of the object, unless the objects can have various forms.
They are generally used for singular and plural countable nouns, where English typically doesn't use a quantifiers (as in examples 1-4), or sometimes for uncountable nouns when a measure word is used in English (as in example 5).
Most of the time, sortal classifiers cannot be directly translated into English and require some memorisation because nouns are tied with specific sortal classifiers.
六本書
six books(本 - for book-like reading materials, such as a books, magazines, comics, dictionaries, etc.)
七枝筆
seven pens(枝 - for long, straight, hard objects, such as pens, sticks, toothpicks, etc.)
八隻狗
eight dogs(隻 - for animated objects or eating utensils, such as animals, bowls, plates, etc.)
九部電話
nine phones(部 - for devices or machines, such as phones, computers, cars, etc.)
十張紙
ten sheets/pieces of paper(張 - for flat objects or furnitures with flat surfaces, such as papers, tables, chairs, etc.)
張 is a sortal rather than a mensural classifier. This means 張 is inherently tied to the noun 'paper' because of its characteristics—being broad, flat and thin.
In English, 'sheet' or 'piece' function like classifiers# for the uncountable noun - 'paper'.
For objects that can have various forms, there may be more than one sortal classifier for a single noun. For example, a bread can be 一個/一嚿麵包 (個 is a generic classifier | 嚿 is used for object without a definite or regular shape), while a loaf of bread is 一條麵包 (條 is used for long, soft, curved objects).
You should also note that you can't always directly translate classifiers from English to Cantonese. For example, you can't directly translate the classifier "piece" as 張 in all cases as a piece of cake is 一件蛋糕 and a piece of pizza is 一塊薄餅.
Generic Sortal Classifier 個
If you're unsure which classifier to use, since it’s better to have a classifier than to not have a classifier as it sounds more natural in Cantonese, just try to use the generic classifier 個 which is a classifier for many nouns. Most of the time you might be right!
Using 幾 (a few)
When you don’t want to specify an exact number or if there are several objects, you can replace the numeral with 幾. There's a saying, "無三不成幾", literally means "There can't be 'a few' without at least three", suggesting that 幾 generally refers to three or more units.
幾滴水
a few drops of water幾杯咖啡
a few cups of coffee幾羮糖
a few spoons of sugar幾碗飯
a few bowls of rice幾箱蘋果
a few boxes of apples幾本書
a few books幾枝筆
a few pens幾隻狗
a few dogs幾部電話
a few phones幾張紙
a few sheets/pieces of paper
Remember that classifiers in Cantonese and Mandarin are not exactly the same, so if you understand Mandarin, you might find that the appropriate classifier for a noun in Cantonese differs from those in Mandarin.