Chinese Grammar Reference logo

    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing "three" with 三 (sān)

    Numbers & Quantity

    Structure

    三 + Measure Word + Noun

    Explanation

    三 (sān) is the number "three" in Chinese. Like all Chinese numerals, it appears before a measure word when counting objects, as in 三个 (three items). It can also appear in time expressions like 三年 (three years) and 三月 (March or three months).

    Examples

    • 我买了三个苹果和三瓶水。

      Wǒ mǎi le sān ge píngguǒ hé sān píng shuǐ.

      I bought three apples and three bottles of water.

    • 他们三个人一起去旅行了。

      Tāmen sān ge rén yīqǐ qù lǚxíng le.

      The three of them went traveling together.

    • 这道菜只需要三分钟就能做好。

      Zhè dào cài zhǐ xūyào sān fēnzhōng jiù néng zuò hǎo.

      This dish only takes three minutes to prepare.

    Similar Grammar

    Often Confused With

    Expressing "three" with 三 (sān) | Chinese Grammar