苹果

apple

Apple; fruit counted with 个 (gè); also universally used as the brand name for Apple Inc. (苹果手机).

Common Usage & Traps

  • 六个苹果 (liù gè píngguǒ) — six apples
  • 一个苹果 (yí gè píngguǒ) — one apple
  • 吃苹果 (chī píngguǒ) — eat apples / eat an apple
  • 买苹果 (mǎi píngguǒ) — buy apples
  • 苹果手机 (píngguǒ shǒujī) — Apple phone / iPhone
  • 苹果公司 (píngguǒ gōngsī) — Apple Inc.
  • 六苹果 六个苹果

    A number cannot sit directly on 苹果; Chinese needs the counting word 个.

  • 苹果们 苹果 / 一些苹果

    们 is for people, not for fruit.

  • 苹果水果 苹果 / 苹果这种水果

    苹果 already means apple; 水果 adds a redundant category.

Why do you say 六个苹果, not 六苹果?

Chinese puts a counting word between a number and 苹果: 六个苹果.

You cannot stack a number directly onto 苹果. The counting word 个 is required when counting apples in everyday speech. The same pattern gives 一个苹果, 三个苹果, and 六个苹果.

“我买了六个苹果。” (I bought six apples.)
DimensionNaturalAvoid
Number + 苹果六个苹果六苹果
With 一一个苹果一苹果
Counting word个no counting word

Does 苹果 always mean the fruit?

No. 苹果手机 means an Apple phone, not a fruit phone.

苹果 usually means the fruit in daily food talk. But in tech talk, 苹果手机 means an Apple phone or iPhone. 苹果公司 means Apple Inc., the company behind it.
DimensionNaturalAvoid
Fruit我喜欢吃苹果。我喜欢吃苹果手机。
Phone brand苹果手机水果手机
Company苹果公司水果公司

Appears in Stories 9 stories

Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.

《很贵的苹果》 (The Expensive Apples) HSK 1
~2 min read 137 chars
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This short, simple story follows a shopper's trip to the supermarket to buy apples. You'll learn useful vocabulary for shopping, prices, and comparing things.

  • 我看见超市有大 苹果 ,也有小 苹果 。

  • 大 苹果 很便宜,小 苹果 很贵。

《三号病房的苹果》 (The Apple in Ward Three) HSK 1
~3 min read 191 chars
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Enjoy this simple story about a patient and a mysterious apple. It shows how a small act of kindness can make someone feel at home, and you'll learn key words for feelings and daily life.

  • 天天下午,桌子上都会多出一个很大的 苹果 。

  • 谢医生对马家友说:“ 苹果 不是医院给的。

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