书店

shū diàn n.

bookstore; bookshop

Common Usage & Traps

  • 去书店 (qù shūdiàn) — go to a bookstore
  • 书店里 (shūdiàn lǐ) — inside the bookstore
  • 一家书店 (yì jiā shūdiàn) — a bookstore (using the shop counting word)
  • 在书店买书 (zài shūdiàn mǎi shū) — buy books in a bookstore
  • 一个书店 一家书店

    Stores and businesses usually take 家, not 个. 个 is not broken, but it sounds like you are counting generic objects.

  • 书店是很多书 书店有很多书

    有 says what a place has. 是 says one thing is another, so 书店是很多书 sounds like 'the bookstore is many books'.

  • 去一个书店 去书店

    For a general plan, Chinese drops the counting word. Add 一个 only when the number or a specific one matters.

Why do Chinese people say 一家书店, not 一个书店?

Use 家 for bookstores and shops; 个 sounds like you're counting generic blobs.

Chinese uses 家 as the counting word for stores, restaurants, and hotels. It treats them like businesses or homes. 个 is fine for many objects, but shops usually take 家. Say 一家书店 when you mean one bookstore. Use 这家书店 or 那家书店 when pointing to a specific one.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Counting a bookstore一家书店一个书店

Why does 书店有好书 use 有, not 是?

有 means 'has/exists'; 是 means 'equals', so a bookstore has books.

有 means a place contains or has something. 是 links two things and says one equals the other. A bookstore is not a book, so 书店是书 is odd. You say 书店有很多书 for what it has. Use 是 for identity: 这是书店 means this is a bookstore. “书店有好书, 饭店吃和住, 酒店没有酒。” (A bookstore has good books; a restaurant offers food and lodging; a hotel doesn't have wine.) ── [《三星在哪里?》](/read/where-is-samsung#s5)

DimensionNaturalAvoid
A place has things书店有很多书书店是很多书

Why do people just say 去书店 instead of 去一个书店?

Drop the counting word for generic places; use 一个 only when counting or pointing.

Chinese often drops 一个 when you talk about a general destination. 去书店 means you are going to a bookstore, any bookstore. Add 一个 when the number matters or you are telling a story. If you mean a particular one, 我想去一个书店买书 can work. For daily plans, 去书店 is the normal choice.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
General destination去书店去一个书店

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