Express an approximate quantity
来 / 左右
How it works
With a suitable round number, 来 can make a quantity approximate: 十来个人 means roughly ten people. It does not give an exact count.
左右 follows the quantity phrase: 十个人左右 also means around ten people. Choose an approximation that fits the situation rather than treating these words as exact numerical operations.
The pattern
Example sentences
今天来了十来个人。
About ten people came today.
我们等了十分钟左右。
We waited for about ten minutes.
Pinyin generally shows citation tones; tones can change in connected speech.
What to watch for
左右 goes after the whole quantity phrase: 十分钟左右. Do not move it between 十 and 分钟.
Try it
Make “十分钟” approximate with 左右.
Show answer
十分钟左右。 Shí fēnzhōng zuǒyòu. About ten minutes.
Syllabus reference
The topic is listed in the official 2025 syllabus. The explanation, examples and practice on this page are written for SenMandarin.
SenMandarin · Updated 2026-10-22