<p>in china,</p>

<p>房子's classifier depend on what it is using for,</p>

<p>like I want to describe my family rooms,i will use 一套房子</p>

<p>if I describe my room, use 一间房子</p>

<p>if I describe some buildings, always 一幢房子，一栋房子, these same meaning</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T06:26:17.103Z
2014-11-26T06:26:17.103Z
Fakefish
<p>Only describe the number of property who owns can use 套：
Tom has 3套房子 in Beijing. He want to sell one of them for operation cost.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-29T15:12:41.827Z
2014-11-29T15:12:41.827Z
Derek Liu
<p>All of them are OK to use to classify 房子, it depends on the type of house itself, which one is considered the more adequate. </p>

<ul>
<li>幢 is preferred when speaking of large and tall buildings</li>
<li>栋 tends to be used to refer to buildings that are wide</li>
<li>座 is used for buildings that are “stable and steady", e.g. palace, temple, large mansions (mostly with public purpose)</li>
</ul>

<p>Source: <a href="http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~pth/pth_passage01.php?passage=115" rel="nofollow">Chinese University of Hong Kong</a> </p>

<p>As for 套 I have no reference, I suppose it has its own specific set of buildings it can classify.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T03:48:14.620Z
And 一处房子, usually used together with a place indicator: 我在柏林有六处房子。
Wang Dingwei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T03:52:23.307Z
And 一间房子, usually used with small houses with a single room, but the meaning is broadened and you can see it being used with any kind of room: 我住在这间小房子十年了，现在我要买一间大房子。
Wang Dingwei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T03:52:27.483Z
套 is referring to the logical aspect (a 'set' of rooms that function as one home) and is not necessarily a building, 一套房子 can be an apartment unit.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T03:53:43.357Z
@NS.X. Correct, I would use 一套房间 in this case to refer to a suite of rooms/flat.
imrek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T06:17:52.963Z
套，is use to describe a set of  things,so 一套房，means it has bedroom,livingroom,kitchen....in short it emphasizes this house of  a suite of room.for example:我买了一套家具，It means i bought a  whole  set of furniture.
user6857
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T18:59:52.750Z
@DrunkenMaster 一套房间 sounds unnatural to me. It is common to say 我买了一套房子 (I bought a home), 他有三套房子 (he has three homes), etc.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T19:05:39.763Z
@NS.X. Perhaps, but it is listed in (Chinese) online dictionaries http://www.ichacha.net/%E4%B8%80%E5%A5%97%E6%88%BF%E9%97%B4.html, as well as Pleco.
imrek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T20:03:27.247Z
@DrunkenMaster Maybe a Southern/Northern thing but some of the examples in the link don't sound natural either. On the other hand, now I see where 一套房间 makes perfect sense - in contexts like booking hotel suites.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T03:40:59.193Z
2014-11-26T14:59:57.280Z
2014-11-26T14:59:57.280Z
imrek
<p>In my little bit of Mandarin experience, I have got that the classifier for <code>房子</code> is <code>座</code>, and also felt that <code>座</code> is usually used to refer to a building. However, I have just read that <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/2306/grammar-for-counting-in-chinese-for-non-native-speakers-of-chinese">someone here over Chinese Language Stack Exchange</a> says the classifier is <code>栋</code>, and so I wonder which should be used to refer to <code>房子</code>.</p>

<p>Later I found that the classifier for <code>房子</code> may include more; in <a href="http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?wdrst=0&amp;wdqr=%E6%A3%9F%7C%E6%A0%8B%5Bdong4%5D" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this online dictionary</a>, it shows <code>栋</code>, <code>座</code>, <code>套</code>, and <code>幢</code>. So I wonder how I can decide which to use and also like to know why.</p>

<p>Also, even if the proper classifier for <code>房子</code> is <code>栋</code>, could I still use <code>座</code> in that context? Or do they give two totally different meanings?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-26T04:17:02.127Z
It's not really a matter of "correct classifier" as it is "when is which classifier appropriate?" Maybe see http://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/1795/3561 for some help. I like thinking about it like water: a drop of water, a cup of water, a bottle of water: when do you use which?
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-22T19:52:09.203Z
isnt 所 also used? 一所房子
Master Sparkles
<mandarin><measure-word>
What's the correct classifier for `房子`?
# What's the correct classifier for `房子`?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-26)

In my little bit of Mandarin experience, I have got that the classifier for `房子` is `座`, and also felt that `座` is usually used to refer to a building. However, I have just read that [someone here over Chinese Language Stack Exchange](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/2306/grammar-for-counting-in-chinese-for-non-native-speakers-of-chinese) says the classifier is `栋`, and so I wonder which should be used to refer to `房子`.

Later I found that the classifier for `房子` may include more; in [this online dictionary](http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?wdrst=0&wdqr=%E6%A3%9F%7C%E6%A0%8B%5Bdong4%5D), it shows `栋`, `座`, `套`, and `幢`. So I wonder how I can decide which to use and also like to know why.

Also, even if the proper classifier for `房子` is `栋`, could I still use `座` in that context? Or do they give two totally different meanings?

**Tags:** mandarin, measure-word
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It's not really a matter of "correct classifier" as it is "when is which classifier appropriate?" Maybe see http://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/1795/3561 for some help. I like thinking about it like water: a drop of water, a cup of water, a bottle of water: when do you use which?  
> **username_2**: isnt 所 also used? 一所房子  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-11-26. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

All of them are OK to use to classify 房子, it depends on the type of house itself, which one is considered the more adequate.

* 幢 is preferred when speaking of large and tall buildings
* 栋 tends to be used to refer to buildings that are wide
* 座 is used for buildings that are “stable and steady", e.g. palace, temple, large mansions (mostly with public purpose)

Source: [Chinese University of Hong Kong](http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~pth/pth_passage01.php?passage=115)

As for 套 I have no reference, I suppose it has its own specific set of buildings it can classify.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: And 一处房子, usually used together with a place indicator: 我在柏林有六处房子。  
> **username_6**: And 一间房子, usually used with small houses with a single room, but the meaning is broadened and you can see it being used with any kind of room: 我住在这间小房子十年了，现在我要买一间大房子。  
> **username_7**: 套 is referring to the logical aspect (a 'set' of rooms that function as one home) and is not necessarily a building, 一套房子 can be an apartment unit.  
> **username_5**: @NS.X. Correct, I would use 一套房间 in this case to refer to a suite of rooms/flat.  
> **username_8**: 套，is use to describe a set of  things,so 一套房，means it has bedroom,livingroom,kitchen....in short it emphasizes this house of  a suite of room.for example:我买了一套家具，It means i bought a  whole  set of furniture.  
> **username_7**: @DrunkenMaster 一套房间 sounds unnatural to me. It is common to say 我买了一套房子 (I bought a home), 他有三套房子 (he has three homes), etc.  
> **username_5**: @NS.X. Perhaps, but it is listed in (Chinese) online dictionaries http://www.ichacha.net/%E4%B8%80%E5%A5%97%E6%88%BF%E9%97%B4.html, as well as Pleco.  
> **username_7**: @DrunkenMaster Maybe a Southern/Northern thing but some of the examples in the link don't sound natural either. On the other hand, now I see where 一套房间 makes perfect sense - in contexts like booking hotel suites.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2014-11-26. Score: 1

in china,

房子's classifier depend on what it is using for,

like I want to describe my family rooms,i will use 一套房子

if I describe my room, use 一间房子

if I describe some buildings, always 一幢房子，一栋房子, these same meaning


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### Answer by username_4 on 2014-11-29. Score: -1

Only describe the number of property who owns can use 套：
Tom has 3套房子 in Beijing. He want to sell one of them for operation cost.


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