duōshao: 多少 - How Many, How Much

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• Summary: An essential guide to understanding 多少 (duōshao), the fundamental Chinese question word for “how many” or “how much”. This page covers its core meaning, cultural nuances, and practical uses, from asking for the price at a market to inquiring about phone numbers. Learn the critical difference between 多少 (duōshao) and 几 (jǐ) to avoid common mistakes and sound more like a native speaker.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): duōshao
• Part of Speech: Interrogative Pronoun (Question Word), Adverb
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: A question word used to ask about quantity or amount, meaning “how many” or “how much”.
• In a Nutshell: 多少 (duōshao) is your all-purpose tool for asking about numbers in Chinese. If you want to know the quantity of anything—people, items, money, miles—and you expect the number might be more than ten (or you simply have no idea), 多少 is the word you need. It's direct, neutral, and incredibly versatile.

• 多 (duō): This character means “many,” “much,” or “more.” It's a pictograph of two 夕 (xī), the character for “evening,” stacked on top of each other, suggesting many evenings passing, hence a large amount of time or quantity.
• 少 (shǎo): This character means “few,” “little,” or “less.” It's derived from 小 (xiǎo), meaning “small,” with an added stroke, indicating a small or decreasing amount.
• By combining “many” (多) and “few” (少), the word 多少 (duōshao) creates a question that spans the entire range of possible quantities: “Is it many or is it few?” This effectively asks for the specific number, or “How many/much?”

While 多少 (duōshao) is a straightforward utility word, its cultural significance shines when compared to its counterpart, 几 (jǐ). The choice between them reflects your expectation and social awareness.

• 多少 (duōshao): Use this when you expect the number to be greater than 10, or when you have no expectation at all. It's the default, neutral, and safe choice for impersonal situations like shopping (price), business (number of employees), or general information (population). It implies a certain distance.
• 几 (jǐ): Use this when you strongly expect the number is small, typically under 10. It feels more personal and less formal. Asking a friend, “你家有几口人？” (Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén? - How many people are in your family?) is natural because most families are small. Asking them “你家有多少人？” (Nǐ jiā yǒu duōshao rén?) might sound a bit detached or imply you think they have an unusually large family.

In Western culture, we generally just use “how many” for everything. In Chinese, choosing between 多少 and 几 shows you're attuned to the context and social norms, demonstrating a higher level of fluency and cultural understanding. Using 多少 for an adult's age is also more polite than using 几, which is reserved for children.

This is the most common use of 多少 for any learner. The pattern is simple: Item + 多少钱 (duōshao qián)?

• 这件衣服多少钱？ (Zhè jiàn yīfu duōshao qián?) - How much is this piece of clothing?
• 苹果多少钱一斤？ (Píngguǒ duōshao qián yī jīn?) - How much are the apples per half-kilo?

Use it for any countable or uncountable noun where the quantity is unknown or likely over 10.

• 你们班有多少学生？ (Nǐmen bān yǒu duōshao xuésheng?) - How many students are in your class?
• 你需要多少时间？ (Nǐ xūyào duōshao shíjiān?) - How much time do you need?

It's the standard way to ask for any identifying number.

• 你的电话号码是多少？ (Nǐ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshao?) - What is your phone number?
• 你的房间号是多少？ (Nǐ de fángjiān hào shì duōshao?) - What is your room number?

In more advanced usage, 多少 can function as an adverb meaning “more or less” or “somewhat.” It indicates that something is true to a certain, but not total, degree.

• 看了这部电影，我多少有些感动。 (Kànle zhè bù diànyǐng, wǒ duōshao yǒuxiē gǎndòng.) - After watching this movie, I was somewhat moved.

• Example 1:
  • 这个杯子多少钱？
  • Pinyin: Zhège bēizi duōshao qián?
  • English: How much is this cup?
  • Analysis: The most fundamental and useful sentence for any beginner. This is the standard pattern for asking the price of an item.
• Example 2:
  • 你们公司有多少员工？
  • Pinyin: Nǐmen gōngsī yǒu duōshao yuángōng?
  • English: How many employees does your company have?
  • Analysis: A perfect example of asking about a quantity likely to be over 10. Using 几 here would sound very strange.
• Example 3:
  • 你的手机号码是多少？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ de shǒujī hàomǎ shì duōshao?
  • English: What is your cell phone number?
  • Analysis: 多少 is used for asking for a series of digits like a phone number, address, or ID number.
• Example 4:
  • 请问，从这里到火车站有多少公里？
  • Pinyin: Qǐngwèn, cóng zhèlǐ dào huǒchēzhàn yǒu duōshao gōnglǐ?
  • English: Excuse me, how many kilometers is it from here to the train station?
  • Analysis: Used here to inquire about distance, an uncountable amount.
• Example 5:
  • 您今年多少岁了？
  • Pinyin: Nín jīnnián duōshao suì le?
  • English: How old are you this year?
  • Analysis: This is a polite way to ask the age of an adult or elderly person. Using “您 (nín)” adds respect. Using “几岁 (jǐ suì)” would be inappropriate and is only used for children.
• Example 6:
  • 你每天花多少时间学习中文？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ měitiān huā duōshao shíjiān xuéxí zhōngwén?
  • English: How much time do you spend studying Chinese every day?
  • Analysis: Shows 多少 used with an uncountable noun, “时间 (shíjiān)”.
• Example 7:
  • 这本书有多少页？
  • Pinyin: Zhè běn shū yǒu duōshao yè?
  • English: How many pages does this book have?
  • Analysis: A straightforward question about quantity. Note that the measure word 页 (yè) is included in the answer (e.g., “三百页” - 300 pages), but not required after 多少 in the question.
• Example 8:
  • 他说的话，你多少相信一点吗？
  • Pinyin: Tā shuō de huà, nǐ duōshao xiāngxìn yīdiǎn ma?
  • English: Do you believe what he said, at least a little bit?
  • Analysis: An example of the adverbial usage of 多少, meaning “somewhat” or “to some degree”. This is a more nuanced, intermediate-level usage.
• Example 9:
  • 不管前面有多少困难，我们都不能放弃。
  • Pinyin: Bùguǎn qiánmiàn yǒu duōshao kùnnan, wǒmen dōu bùnéng fàngqì.
  • English: No matter how many difficulties lie ahead, we cannot give up.
  • Analysis: Here, 多少 is not in a question. It means “however many” or “no matter how much,” expressing an indefinite but large quantity.
• Example 10:
  • 你钱包里还有多少现金？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ qiánbāo lǐ hái yǒu duōshao xiànjīn?
  • English: How much cash do you still have in your wallet?
  • Analysis: A practical, everyday question about the amount of money.

The most significant pitfall for learners is confusing 多少 (duōshao) with 几 (jǐ).

• The “Rule of 10”:
  • Use 几 (jǐ) when you ask a question where you expect the answer to be a number under 10.
  • Use 多少 (duōshao) when you expect the answer to be over 10, or if you have absolutely no idea what the answer will be.
• Measure Words:
  • 几 (jǐ) must be followed by a measure word.
    • Correct: 你有几个苹果？ (Nǐ yǒu jǐ ge píngguǒ?) - How many apples do you have?
    • Incorrect: 你有几苹果？
  • 多少 (duōshao) can be used with or without a measure word. The measure word is often optional and its omission is common in spoken Chinese.
    • Correct: 你有多少个苹果？ (Nǐ yǒu duōshao ge píngguǒ?)
    • Also Correct: 你有多少苹果？ (Nǐ yǒu duōshao píngguǒ?)
• Common Mistake Example:
  • Situation: You walk into a large university lecture hall with over 100 students.
  • Incorrect: 教室里有几个人？ (Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu jǐ ge rén?)
  • Why it's wrong: Using “几” implies you think there might only be a handful of people, which contradicts what you can clearly see. It sounds naive or strange.
  • Correct: 教室里有多少人？ (Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu duōshao rén?)

• 几 (jǐ) - The direct counterpart to 多少, used for asking about small quantities (under 10).
• 什么 (shénme) - The question word for “what.”
• 谁 (shéi/shuí) - The question word for “who.”
• 哪里 (nǎlǐ) - The question word for “where.”
• 为什么 (wèishénme) - The question word for “why.”
• 怎么 (zěnme) - The question word for “how” (in what manner).
• 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) - A phrase asking “how about it?” or “what's it like?”.
• 价格 (jiàgé) - The formal word for “price,” often seen on price tags.
• 数量 (shùliàng) - The formal word for “quantity” or “amount.”
• 多 (duō) - Many, much. The first character in 多少.
• 少 (shǎo) - Few, little. The second character in 多少.