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HSK 3

张

MW for flat objects (paper, tables, beds, tickets); to open/stretch; (surname)

measure wordneutral
张
zhāng1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
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Pinyin
zhāng
Part of speech
measure word
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
7
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 张

张 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 张 mean?

张 (zhāng) is one of the most-used Chinese measure words.

It counts flat or spread-out objects: 一张纸 ('a sheet of paper'), 一张桌子 ('a table'), 一张床 ('a bed'), 一张票 ('a ticket'), 一张地图 ('a map'), 一张照片 ('a photo'), 一张脸 ('a face'). The unifying image is something with a flat surface, whether thin (paper) or wide (table, bed). 张 also has a verb sense, 'to open / stretch open' — 张嘴 ('open one's mouth'), 张开眼睛 ('open one's eyes') — though this is more written than spoken. Finally, 张 is one of the most common Chinese surnames (English-friendly transliteration 'Chang' or 'Zhang').

When learning, master 张 by memorizing the prototype list above: paper, table, bed, ticket, map, photo, face. Any new flat object you encounter — try 张 first. Wrong measure words sound jarring to native ears: 一个纸 is broken; 一张纸 is correct.

Memory hook: 张 originally pictured stretching a bow open — flat, spread-out things get 张.

Example sentences

请给我一张纸。

Qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhāng zhǐ.

Please give me a sheet of paper.

spoken

我买了两张电影票。

Wǒ mǎi le liǎng zhāng diànyǐng piào.

I bought two movie tickets.

spoken

这张照片很漂亮。

Zhè zhāng zhàopiàn hěn piàoliang.

This photo is beautiful.

neutral

房间里有一张床和一张桌子。

Fángjiān lǐ yǒu yì zhāng chuáng hé yì zhāng zhuōzi.

There's a bed and a table in the room.

neutral

我姓张。

Wǒ xìng Zhāng.

My surname is Zhang.

spoken

Common phrases with 张

一张纸yì zhāng zhǐa sheet of paper
一张票yì zhāng piàoa ticket
一张照片yì zhāng zhàopiàna photograph
一张床yì zhāng chuánga bed
一张桌子yì zhāng zhuōzia table

Synonyms

块kuài

块 measures chunks / pieces (一块蛋糕 'a piece of cake,' 一块钱 'one kuai'). 张 measures flat, sheet-like things. Don't say 一块纸 — say 一张纸.

片piàn

片 measures thin slices or small flat pieces (一片面包 'a slice of bread,' 一片树叶 'a leaf'). 张 is for larger flat sheets. A bread slice is 片; a sheet of paper is 张.

Don't confuse 张 with

章zhāng

章 means 'chapter' (第一章 'chapter one') or 'seal/stamp.' Same pinyin and tone as 张, but a different character. 张 is the measure word; 章 is the chapter.

长cháng / zhǎng

长 means 'long' (cháng) or 'to grow' (zhǎng). Different pinyin, different character. Beginners sometimes mix them up because both appear in proper names.

本běn

本 is the measure word for books (一本书 'a book'). 张 is for flat sheet-like objects. Books are bound, so they take 本, not 张.

Frequently asked questions

Acquire it by listening

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