些 meaning in English
classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several
Meaning of 些
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several
How to use 些
些 almost never stands alone. It attaches to words like 这, 那, 一, 有 and 哪 to make plural or "some" expressions. After an adjective, 一些 or just 些 means "a bit more," as in 便宜些 (piányi xiē, a bit cheaper). Example: 我买了一些水果。(Wǒ mǎi le yìxiē shuǐguǒ.) I bought some fruit.
The top of 些 is 此 (cǐ, this), and underneath sits 二 (èr, two). Think of it as "this, and more than one," which matches the idea of "some" or "a few."
Common mistake: Learners often add another classifier after 这些 or 那些, saying 这些个书 or 这些本书. Just say 这些书 (zhèxiē shū), because 些 already works as the classifier.
些 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
些 xiē · classifier indicating a small amount or… · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 些.
| 这些 | zhèxiē | these |
| 那些 | nàxiē | those |
| 一些 | yīxiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 有些 | yǒuxiē | some; somewhat; rather; a bit |
| 哪些 | nǎxiē | which ones?; who? |
| 有一些 | yǒuyīxiē | somewhat; rather |
| 某些 | mǒuxiē | some; certain (things) |
| 好些 | hǎoxiē | a good deal of; quite a lot |
| 早些 | zǎoxiē | a bit earlier |
| 些许 | xiēxǔ | a few; a little; a bit |
| 险些 | xiǎnxiē | narrowly; almost |
Questions about 些
What does 些 mean?
些 (xiē) means "classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 些?
些 is made of 1 character: 些 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 些 an HSK word?
Yes. 些 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 一些 and 有些?
一些 (yìxiē) simply means "some" or "a few" and can go almost anywhere a noun phrase goes. 有些 (yǒuxiē) often starts a sentence to mean "some (of them)" in contrast to others, or comes before an adjective to mean "somewhat," as in 有些累 (yǒuxiē lèi, a bit tired).
Can 些 be used with numbers other than 一?
No. 些 only combines with 一, so you cannot say 两些 or 三些. If you need an exact number, use a regular classifier, such as 三本书 (sān běn shū, three books).