Introduction
几 (jǐ) is the word you already know for "how many". In a statement it stops asking and starts telling: 我买了几本书。(Wǒ mǎi le jǐ běn shū.) — I bought a few books. Same character, same measure word rule — only the sentence type changes.
Overview
Structure: 几 (jǐ) + Measure Word + Noun
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 几 + MW + N（statement） | 我买了几本书。(Wǒ mǎi le jǐ běn shū.) | I bought a few books. |
| 几 + MW + N（question） | 你买了几本书？(Nǐ mǎi le jǐ běn shū?) | How many books did you buy? |
| 十几 | 十几个人 (shí jǐ ge rén) | ten-odd people |
| 几十 | 几十个人 (jǐ shí ge rén) | dozens of people |
| 好几 | 好几天 (hǎo jǐ tiān) | quite a few days |
The same 几 (jǐ) asks or tells — the sentence decides:
- 你有几个孩子？(Nǐ yǒu jǐ ge háizi?) — How many children do you have? A question.
- 我有几个朋友在北京。(Wǒ yǒu jǐ ge péngyou zài Běijīng.) — I have a few friends in Beijing. A statement.
- As "several" it means roughly two to nine — small, and deliberately vague.
- Either way the measure word is compulsory: ✓ 几本书 (jǐ běn shū) ❌ 几书 (jǐ shū).
Examples
我买了几本书。
Wǒ mǎi le jǐ běn shū.
I bought a few books.
我有几个朋友在北京。
Wǒ yǒu jǐ ge péngyou zài Běijīng.
I have a few friends in Beijing.
我等了几分钟。
Wǒ děng le jǐ fēnzhōng.
I waited a few minutes.
他学了十几年中文。
Tā xué le shí jǐ nián Zhōngwén.
He's studied Chinese for over ten years.
教室里有几十个学生。
Jiàoshì li yǒu jǐ shí ge xuéshēng.
There are dozens of students in the classroom.
我好几天没见到他了。
Wǒ hǎo jǐ tiān méi jiàndào tā le.
I haven't seen him for quite a few days.
Usage Notes
- 十几 (shí jǐ) is "ten-something" — anywhere from eleven to nineteen. 几十 (jǐ shí) is "several tens" — twenty, thirty, dozens.
- 好几 (hǎo jǐ) is more than 几 (jǐ) alone, and carries a note of "more than I expected": 好几个星期 (hǎo jǐ ge xīngqī) — several weeks now.
- 天 (tiān)、年 (nián) and 分钟 (fēnzhōng) are measure words already, so 几天 (jǐ tiān) and 几年 (jǐ nián) take nothing extra.
- Because a statement with 几 (jǐ) is not a question, it can carry 了 (le) and other ordinary markers: 我买了几本书。(Wǒ mǎi le jǐ běn shū.)
- For a vague larger number use 多 (duō) instead: 二十多个 (èrshí duō ge) — twenty-odd.