些 xiē — some; few; several; (a measure word)
我买了一些水果。Wǒ mǎi le yì xiē shuǐ guǒ.I bought some fruit.
Common words: 这些 (zhè xiē)、一些 (yī xiē)、那些 (nà xiē)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "several"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "several", including 些 (xiē), 数 (shù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "several" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 些 (xiē), 数 (shù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiē, shù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 些 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 些 xiēsome; few; several; (a measure word)Useful words: 这些, 一些
- 数 shùto count; number; figure; to count; to calculate; severalUseful words: 数字, 大多数
Common words for these 2 "several" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 些 (xiē) — so "several" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "several".
数 shù — to count; number; figure; to count; to calculate; several
请数一数一共有多少个苹果。Qǐng shǔ yi shǔ yí gòng yǒu duō shao ge píng guǒ.Please count how many apples there are in total.
Common words: 数字 (shù zì)、大多数 (dà duō shù)、人数 (rén shù)
All 2 characters
Open 些、数 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.