三个

sān ge
three

我有三个苹果。

I have three apples.


general

Used to indicate the quantity of three items or people.

他买了三个汉堡。

He bought three hamburgers.

我们有三个孩子。

We have three children.

In Chinese, '三个' is used to quantify countable nouns, similar to 'three' in English. It is a common phrase in everyday conversation.

Collocations

三个苹果three apples三个朋友three friends三个问题three questions

Related Phrases

三个臭皮匠,赛过诸葛亮proverb
Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang

Pro Tip

Measure Word Usage

'三个' is a common measure word phrase, but the measure word can vary depending on the noun. For example, '三本' (three books) or '三杯' (three cups).

Gold Rule

Countable Nouns

'三个' is used with countable nouns. For uncountable nouns, use '三' alone, such as '三杯水' (three cups of water).

Word Origin

Composed of '三' (sān, meaning 'three') and '个' (ge, a measure word for countable objects).

Usage Notes

'三个' is a basic quantifier in Chinese, used to specify the number three for countable nouns. It is interchangeable with '三' in many contexts, but '三个' is more commonly used in everyday speech to emphasize the countable nature of the object.

Word Breakdown

three
root
+
measure word for countable objects
suffix
汉英词典