In Chinese, you do not say 'three apples' directly. You say 三个苹果 (sān ge píngguǒ) — three + measure word + apples. The measure word 个 (ge) is the general one: when you are not sure which word to use, 个 is safe for most everyday objects.
The five measure words you will use daily
- 个 (ge) — people and general objects: 一个人, 一个苹果.
- 本 (běn) — books and notebooks: 一本书.
- 张 (zhāng) — flat things: 一张纸, 一张桌子.
- 杯 (bēi) — cups of drinks: 一杯茶.
- 块 (kuài) — pieces and yuan in speech: 一块蛋糕, 三块钱.
Why measure words are easier than they look
Measure words are organized by shape and function. Flat things get 张, long things get 条, vehicles get 辆, animals get 只, paired objects get 双. Learn the shape idea and you will guess correctly more often than not.
Start with 个 and add one measure word per week in real phrases. A month later you will have the core set without ever sitting down to memorize a table.