Greetings and polite phrases
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | hello | nǐ hǎo | 你好,你叫什么名字?Hello, what is your name? |
| 再见 | goodbye | zàijiàn | 再见,明天见。Goodbye, see you tomorrow. |
| 谢谢 | thank you | xièxie | 谢谢你的帮助。Thank you for your help. |
| 不客气 | you're welcome | bú kèqi | 不客气,没问题。You're welcome, no problem. |
| 对不起 | sorry | duìbuqǐ | 对不起,我迟到了。Sorry, I am late. |
| 没关系 | it's okay | méi guānxi | 没关系,别担心。It's okay, don't worry. |
| 请 | please | qǐng | 请坐。Please sit down. |
| 早上好 | good morning | zǎoshang hǎo | 早上好,你吃饭了吗?Good morning, have you eaten? |
| 晚安 | good night | wǎn'ān | 晚安,做个好梦。Good night, sweet dreams. |
| 欢迎 | welcome | huānyíng | 欢迎来到中国。Welcome to China. |
Numbers
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | one | yī | 我有一本书。I have one book. |
| 二 | two | èr | 现在是二月。It is February now. |
| 三 | three | sān | 我们三个人一起去。The three of us go together. |
| 四 | four | sì | 她有四只猫。She has four cats. |
| 五 | five | wǔ | 现在五点了。It is five o'clock now. |
| 六 | six | liù | 六月很热。June is hot. |
| 七 | seven | qī | 一周有七天。A week has seven days. |
| 八 | eight | bā | 我八点上班。I go to work at eight o'clock. |
| 九 | nine | jiǔ | 她九岁了。She is nine years old. |
| 十 | ten | shí | 这里有十个学生。There are ten students here. |
| 百 | hundred | bǎi | 这本书一百块钱。This book costs one hundred yuan. |
| 零 | zero | líng | 现在是零度。It is zero degrees now. |
Colors
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 红色 | red | hóngsè | 我喜欢红色的裙子。I like the red skirt. |
| 蓝色 | blue | lánsè | 天空是蓝色的。The sky is blue. |
| 黄色 | yellow | huángsè | 香蕉是黄色的。Bananas are yellow. |
| 绿色 | green | lǜsè | 树叶是绿色的。Leaves are green. |
| 黑色 | black | hēisè | 他穿黑色的鞋子。He wears black shoes. |
| 白色 | white | báisè | 这件衬衫是白色的。This shirt is white. |
| 紫色 | purple | zǐsè | 她的包是紫色的。Her bag is purple. |
| 橙色 | orange | chéngsè | 橙色的花很漂亮。The orange flowers are beautiful. |
| 灰色 | grey | huīsè | 我的猫是灰色的。My cat is grey. |
| 粉色 | pink | fěnsè | 这朵花是粉色的。This flower is pink. |
Family
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爸爸 | father | bàba | 我爸爸是老师。My father is a teacher. |
| 妈妈 | mother | māma | 妈妈在做饭。Mom is cooking. |
| 儿子 | son | érzi | 他的儿子很聪明。His son is very smart. |
| 女儿 | daughter | nǚ'ér | 我女儿喜欢画画。My daughter likes drawing. |
| 哥哥 | older brother | gēge | 我哥哥比我高。My older brother is taller than me. |
| 姐姐 | older sister | jiějie | 姐姐在上大学。My older sister is in university. |
| 弟弟 | younger brother | dìdi | 弟弟今年十岁。My younger brother is ten this year. |
| 妹妹 | younger sister | mèimei | 妹妹喜欢跳舞。My younger sister likes dancing. |
| 爷爷 | paternal grandfather | yéye | 爷爷每天散步。Grandpa walks every day. |
| 奶奶 | paternal grandmother | nǎinai | 奶奶做的菜很好吃。Grandma's cooking is delicious. |
| 家人 | family members | jiārén | 我爱我的家人。I love my family. |
Food and drink
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 米饭 | rice | mǐfàn | 我每天吃米饭。I eat rice every day. |
| 面条 | noodles | miàntiáo | 这家店的面条很好吃。The noodles at this shop are delicious. |
| 水 | water | shuǐ | 请给我一杯水。Please give me a glass of water. |
| 茶 | tea | chá | 我喜欢喝绿茶。I like drinking green tea. |
| 咖啡 | coffee | kāfēi | 早上我喝咖啡。I drink coffee in the morning. |
| 鸡蛋 | egg | jīdàn | 早餐有鸡蛋。There are eggs for breakfast. |
| 蔬菜 | vegetables | shūcài | 多吃蔬菜对身体好。Eating more vegetables is good for health. |
| 水果 | fruit | shuǐguǒ | 苹果是一种水果。Apples are a kind of fruit. |
| 肉 | meat | ròu | 他不吃肉。He does not eat meat. |
| 面包 | bread | miànbāo | 我买了一些面包。I bought some bread. |
| 好吃 | delicious | hǎochī | 这个菜很好吃。This dish is delicious. |
| 饿 | hungry | è | 我很饿,想吃饭。I am hungry, I want to eat. |
Time and days
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今天 | today | jīntiān | 今天天气很好。The weather is nice today. |
| 明天 | tomorrow | míngtiān | 明天我们去公园。Tomorrow we go to the park. |
| 昨天 | yesterday | zuótiān | 昨天我很忙。I was busy yesterday. |
| 星期一 | Monday | xīngqīyī | 星期一我要上班。I have to work on Monday. |
| 星期天 | Sunday | xīngqītiān | 星期天我们休息。We rest on Sunday. |
| 现在 | now | xiànzài | 现在几点了?What time is it now? |
| 点 | o'clock | diǎn | 现在是三点。It is three o'clock now. |
| 分钟 | minute | fēnzhōng | 等我五分钟。Wait for me five minutes. |
| 年 | year | nián | 今年是新的一年。This year is a new year. |
| 月 | month | yuè | 这个月很忙。This month is busy. |
Common verbs
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 是 | to be | shì | 我是学生。I am a student. |
| 有 | to have | yǒu | 我有一只狗。I have a dog. |
| 去 | to go | qù | 我们去学校。We go to school. |
| 来 | to come | lái | 请你过来。Please come over. |
| 吃 | to eat | chī | 我想吃苹果。I want to eat an apple. |
| 喝 | to drink | hē | 他喜欢喝茶。He likes drinking tea. |
| 看 | to look, to watch | kàn | 我在看电视。I am watching TV. |
| 说 | to speak | shuō | 她会说中文。She can speak Chinese. |
| 听 | to listen | tīng | 我喜欢听音乐。I like listening to music. |
| 学习 | to study | xuéxí | 我在学习中文。I am studying Chinese. |
| 工作 | to work | gōngzuò | 他每天工作八小时。He works eight hours every day. |
| 喜欢 | to like | xǐhuan | 我喜欢看书。I like reading books. |
Common adjectives
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大 | big | dà | 这个房子很大。This house is big. |
| 小 | small | xiǎo | 我有一只小猫。I have a small cat. |
| 多 | many, much | duō | 这里有很多人。There are many people here. |
| 少 | few, little | shǎo | 时间不少了。There is not much time left. |
| 好 | good | hǎo | 今天是个好天气。Today is good weather. |
| 贵 | expensive | guì | 这个手机很贵。This phone is expensive. |
| 便宜 | cheap | piányi | 这件衣服很便宜。This clothing is cheap. |
| 高 | tall | gāo | 他个子很高。He is very tall. |
| 忙 | busy | máng | 我最近很忙。I have been busy recently. |
| 漂亮 | pretty | piàoliang | 这条裙子很漂亮。This skirt is pretty. |
Question words
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 什么 | what | shénme | 这是什么?What is this? |
| 谁 | who | shéi | 他是谁?Who is he? |
| 哪里 | where | nǎlǐ | 你去哪里?Where are you going? |
| 为什么 | why | wèishénme | 你为什么迟到?Why are you late? |
| 怎么 | how | zěnme | 这个字怎么读?How do you read this character? |
| 几 | how many (small numbers) | jǐ | 你家有几口人?How many people are in your family? |
| 多少 | how many, how much | duōshao | 这个多少钱?How much is this? |
| 什么时候 | when | shénme shíhou | 你什么时候回家?When do you go home? |
Travel and business
| Chinese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 火车站 | train station | huǒchēzhàn | 火车站离这儿很近。The train station is close to here. |
| 机场 | airport | jīchǎng | 我们去机场接他。We are going to the airport to pick him up. |
| 酒店 | hotel | jiǔdiàn | 这家酒店很干净。This hotel is very clean. |
| 护照 | passport | hùzhào | 请带好你的护照。Please bring your passport. |
| 出租车 | taxi | chūzūchē | 我们坐出租车去吧。Let's take a taxi. |
| 公司 | company | gōngsī | 我在一家公司工作。I work at a company. |
| 老板 | boss | lǎobǎn | 老板今天开会。The boss has a meeting today. |
| 同事 | colleague | tóngshì | 他是我的同事。He is my colleague. |
| 会议 | meeting | huìyì | 会议在下午三点开始。The meeting starts at three in the afternoon. |
| 经理 | manager | jīnglǐ | 她是我们的经理。She is our manager. |
| 价格 | price | jiàgé | 这个价格很合理。This price is reasonable. |
Study tips for Chinese
- Learn pinyin tones first (ma, ma2, ma3, ma4) since the same syllable can mean different things depending on tone.
- Group characters by theme, like family or numbers, to make them easier to remember and recognize.
- Practice writing characters in the correct stroke order, which helps you remember their shape and read handwriting.
- Listen to short native audio clips of HSK 1 and HSK 2 words to train your ear for tones before moving to HSK 3 and above.
- Review measure words like ge and zhi alongside nouns, since Chinese requires a measure word between a number and a noun.
Frequently asked questions
What is HSK 1 vocabulary?
HSK 1 vocabulary refers to around 150 of the most basic Chinese words often covered at HSK 1 level, including greetings, numbers, and simple verbs; many of them appear in the groups above.
Is this the official HSK vocabulary list?
No, this is an original beginner vocabulary selection inspired by words often covered at HSK 1 and HSK 2 level; it is not an official HSK word list.
How is HSK 3 to HSK 5 vocabulary different from HSK 1?
HSK 3 to HSK 5 vocabulary builds on HSK 1 and HSK 2 basics with more abstract nouns, verbs, and business or academic terms, while this page focuses on the beginner words that come first.
How do I say common food words in Chinese?
Common food words include mifan (rice), shui (water), and shuiguo (fruit); see the food and drink group above for more examples with characters and pinyin.