HSK 1 vocabulary
The starting level for beginner Mandarin: greetings, people, everyday places, and simple actions.
Start here: first 20 words
A small entry set before the full list.
to love someone or something
hobby; something you like to do in your free time
the number eight (8)
(coll.) father; dad
(modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise)
white; the colour of snow or milk
daytime; the hours when the sun is up
hundred; the number 100
class; a group of students who study together (as in 班级)
half; one of two equal parts of something
half a year; six months
half of a day
to help; to do something useful for someone
to help someone by doing something
bag; package
a steamed bun filled with meat or vegetables
cup; glass — a small container for drinking water, tea, or coffee
cup; glass (a small container you drink from)
north, the direction opposite south
the north side of a place
Core characters
Each card leads to stroke order, examples, and words.
All words
Page 1 of 10 · 50 words per page
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 爱 | ài | to love someone or something |
| 爱好 | àihào | hobby; something you like to do in your free time |
| 八 | bā | the number eight (8) |
| 爸爸 | bàba | (coll.) father; dad |
| 吧 | ba | (modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise) |
| 白 | bái | white; the colour of snow or milk |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; the hours when the sun is up |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred; the number 100 |
| 班 | bān | class; a group of students who study together (as in 班级) |
| 半 | bàn | half; one of two equal parts of something |
| 半年 | bàn nián | half a year; six months |
| 半天 | bàntiān | half of a day |
| 帮 | bāng | to help; to do something useful for someone |
| 帮忙 | bāngmáng | to help someone by doing something |
| 包 | bāo | bag; package |
| 包子 | bāozi | a steamed bun filled with meat or vegetables |
| 杯 | bēi | cup; glass — a small container for drinking water, tea, or coffee |
| 杯子 | bēizi | cup; glass (a small container you drink from) |
| 北 | běi | north, the direction opposite south |
| 北边 | běibian | the north side of a place |
| 北京 | Běijīng | Beijing, the capital city of China |
| 本 | běn | a counting word for books (一本书: one book) |
| 本子 | běnzi | a notebook, a book for writing in |
| 比 | bǐ | than; used to compare two people or things (A 比 B + adjective) |
| 别 | bié | don't (used to tell someone not to do something) |
| 别的 | biéde | other; different (things, people, or places) |
| 别人 | biérén | other people; someone else, not you or the speaker |
| 病 | bìng | a sickness; a health problem in the body |
| 病人 | bìngrén | a sick person; someone who is being treated by a doctor |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very; not too |
| 不对 | bùduì | wrong; not correct |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; a polite answer when someone says thank you |
| 不用 | bùyòng | no need to do something; you don't have to do it |
| 不 | bù | not; used before a verb or adjective to make it negative |
| 菜 | cài | a vegetable, like cabbage or carrots |
| 茶 | chá | a hot drink made by pouring boiling water over dried leaves |
| 差 | chà | different |
| 常 | cháng | often; doing something many times |
| 常常 | chángcháng | often; many times; again and again |
| 唱 | chàng | to sing |
| 唱歌 | chànggē | to sing; to sing a song |
| 车 | chē | a car; a vehicle with wheels that carries people or things |
| 车票 | chēpiào | a ticket for a bus, train, or other vehicle |
| 车上 | chē shang | on the bus or car; in a vehicle |
| 车站 | chēzhàn | station; a place where trains stop for people |
| 吃 | chī | to eat (food) |
| 吃饭 | chīfàn | to eat a meal; to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out |
| 出来 | chūlái | to move from inside to outside; come out |
| 出去 | chūqù | to go out (of a room, house, or other place) |