本 (běn) — For Books and Bound Volumes
The measure word for anything with pages
Category: Measure Words
The Rule
本 (běn) is used for books, magazines, dictionaries, notebooks — anything that is bound with pages.
Why This Matters
The character 本 originally meant 'root' or 'origin', and by extension came to mean 'volume' or 'edition'. For English speakers, it helps to think of 本 as equivalent to the English 'copy' in 'a copy of a book', except it's required every time you count or specify books.
Examples
• 一本书 (yì běn shū) — "one book" [The most basic usage of 本] • 三本杂志 (sān běn zázhì) — "three magazines" [本 for periodicals too] • 这本词典 (zhè běn cídiǎn) — "this dictionary" [本 with demonstrative 这] • 那本小说很有意思 (nà běn xiǎoshuō hěn yǒu yìsi) — "That novel is very interesting" [本 in a full sentence]
Common Mistakes
❌ 一个书 (yí gè shū) ✅ 一本书 (yì běn shū) → While 个 is a universal fallback, using it for books sounds very non-native. 本 is one of the first measure words you should master. ❌ Using 本 for newspapers: 一本报纸 ✅ 一份报纸 (yí fèn bàozhǐ) — newspapers use 份 → Newspapers are unbound sheets, not bound volumes. Use 份 (fèn, portion/copy) for newspapers.
Quick Tip
If it has a spine and pages, use 本. If it's loose sheets or a single page, use 张 or 份.
If it has a spine and pages, use 本. If it's loose sheets or a single page, use 张 or 份.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: 一个书 (yí gè shū) → Correct: 一本书 (yì běn shū). While 个 is a universal fallback, using it for books sounds very non-native. 本 is one of the first measure words you should master.
Incorrect: Using 本 for newspapers: 一本报纸 → Correct: 一份报纸 (yí fèn bàozhǐ) — newspapers use 份. Newspapers are unbound sheets, not bound volumes. Use 份 (fèn, portion/copy) for newspapers.
Quiz
Which measure word is correct for 'two dictionaries'?