朵

朵 (duǒ) is a measure word (classifier) used mainly to count flowers, blossoms, and cloud-like or puffy things — one 朵 花 (yì duǒ huā) is 'one flower,' and 一朵云 (yì duǒ yún) is 'a cloud.' It attaches between a number and the noun the way English uses no word at all ('one flower') or a helper like 'a bunch of.' English speakers often forget that Chinese requires a classifier for every counted noun, and 朵 is the specific one for things that bloom, billow, or bunch — flowers, clouds, mushroom shapes, sometimes a burst of fireworks or a spray of foam.

It is neutral in register and appears in speech and writing alike. As a standalone character 朵 can also mean a flower or the earlobe (耳朵, ěrduo), but its everyday job is counting.