Vehicles, Buildings & Machines

Vehicles, buildings and machines each take their own measure word:

• 辆 vehicles on wheels: cars, taxis, bicycles, motorbikes, lorries
• 架 aircraft: planes, helicopters
• 家 businesses: shops, restaurants, cafés, companies, bookshops
• 所 schools and universities: 一所大学 (a university)
• 座 big structures and landforms that stand in one place: bridges, towers, hills, cities
• 台 machines and appliances: computers, TVs, washing machines, air conditioners (部 is also used for computers)

A quick test: if it is a shop or a company, it is usually 家; if people go there to study, 所; if it stands tall and never moves, 座; if you plug it in, 台. Examples: 一家银行 (a bank), 一座桥 (a bridge), 一台冰箱 (a fridge).