It looks complicated at first, as there are millions of them. Fortunately, you do not need to remember millions. Although, you may not always have an equivalent in English, you can use some tips to get the concept in several minutes.
(1) běn is generally used as a counter for book-like objects, such as books, dictionaries, pictorials (bound stuff)
(2) zhī : long round objects use zhī-such as pens and pencils
(3) zhāng: large flat objects are counted with zhāng-such as tables
(4) liàng: for Vehicles etc
(5) jià: for airplanes etc
(6) sōu: related with -ship, such as: boats, spaceships and ships etc
Basically, the most commonly used measure word is 个(gè).If you do not know the proper meausre word for some items, it is time to try 个(gè) instead. Native Mandarin speakers do understand what you are talking about. Just remember to ask your Chinese friends what the correct measure word should be after that.
(1) běn is generally used as a counter for book-like objects, such as books, dictionaries, pictorials (bound stuff)
(2) zhī : long round objects use zhī-such as pens and pencils
(3) zhāng: large flat objects are counted with zhāng-such as tables
(4) liàng: for Vehicles etc
(5) jià: for airplanes etc
(6) sōu: related with -ship, such as: boats, spaceships and ships etc
Basically, the most commonly used measure word is 个(gè).If you do not know the proper meausre word for some items, it is time to try 个(gè) instead. Native Mandarin speakers do understand what you are talking about. Just remember to ask your Chinese friends what the correct measure word should be after that.
