Level 1 · Beginner
How many: 几 vs 多少
几 + MW + Noun？ / 多少 (+ Noun)？ · Traditional: 幾 + MW + Noun？ / 多少 (+ Noun)？
Both ask "how many". 几 (jǐ) expects a small answer (under ten-ish) and must be followed by a measure word: 你有几本书？"How many books do you have?"
多少 (duōshao) works for any amount, big or small, and the measure word is optional: 你们学校有多少学生？ It's also the word for asking prices: 多少钱？"How much (money)?"
Examples
你家有几个人？
你家有幾個人？
nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén
How many people are in your family?
你有几本书？
你有幾本書？
nǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū
How many books do you have?
这个多少钱？
這個多少錢？
zhè ge duō shǎo qián
How much is this?
你们学校有多少学生？
你們學校有多少學生？
nǐ men xué xiào yǒu duō shǎo xué sheng
How many students does your school have?
Common mistakes
✗ 你有几书？
✓ 你有几本书？
几 always needs a measure word after it.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like What Time Is It?, How Much Is It?, The Stars inside the Literate Chinese app.
