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 "some"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "some", including 些 (xiē), 两 (liǎng), 某 (mǒu). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "some" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 些 (xiē), 两 (liǎng), 某 (mǒu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiē, liǎng, mǒu — 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
- 两 liǎngboth; two; ounce; some; a few; taelUseful words: 两边, 两岸
- 某 mǒu(used before measure word and noun) some; (a) certain; so and soUseful words: 某人, 某地
Common words for these 3 "some" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 些 (xiē) — so "some" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
这些zhè xiēthese一些yī xiēsome; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er那些nà xiēthose两边liǎng biāneither side; both sides两岸liǎng ànbilateral; both shores; both sides; both coasts两侧liǎng cètwo sides; both sides某人mǒu rénsomeone; a certain person; some people; I (self-address after one's surname)某地mǒu dìsomewhere; some place某时mǒu shísometime
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 3 ways to say "some".
两 liǎng — both; two; ounce; some; a few; tael
我有两个妹妹。Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge mèi mei.I have two younger sisters.
Common words: 两边 (liǎng biān)、两岸 (liǎng àn)、两侧 (liǎng cè)
某 mǒu — (used before measure word and noun) some; (a) certain; so and so
这件事发生在某个下午。Zhè jiàn shì fā shēng zài mǒu ge xià wǔ.This happened on a certain afternoon.
Common words: 某人 (mǒu rén)、某地 (mǒu dì)、某时 (mǒu shí)
All 3 characters
Open 些、两、某 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.