HSK 1 covers 150 words — the survival core of Mandarin: numbers, family, food, time, and the most common verbs. Below is the complete list with characters, pinyin and English, grouped by category (which is how memory actually works, not alphabetically). At 5–10 words a day with SRS, you’ll finish it in 3–6 weeks.
This is the first vocabulary milestone in Chinese — and the most encouraging one, because these 150 words carry a shocking share of everyday speech. Rather than the alphabetical lists most sites publish, we’ve grouped the words the way your brain files them: by meaning. Study one group at a time, and each new word reinforces its neighbors.
Numbers (10 words)
The gateway vocabulary — these unlock counting to 100, dates, prices and time.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | yī | one |
| 二 | èr | two |
| 三 | sān | three |
| 四 | sì | four |
| 五 | wǔ | five |
| 六 | liù | six |
| 七 | qī | seven |
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 九 | jiǔ | nine |
| 十 | shí | ten |
Pronouns & question words (14 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I, me |
| 我们 | wǒmen | we, us |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 他 | tā | he, him |
| 她 | tā | she, her |
| 这 | zhè | this |
| 那 | nà | that |
| 哪 | nǎ | which |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where |
| 谁 | shéi | who |
| 什么 | shénme | what |
| 多少 | duōshao | how many, how much |
| 几 | jǐ | how many (small numbers) |
| 怎么 / 怎么样 | zěnme / zěnmeyàng | how / how about |
People & family (12 words)
Just the HSK 1 slice — the full family tree comes later.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 爸爸 | bàba | dad |
| 妈妈 | māma | mom |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 朋友 | péngyou | friend |
| 同学 | tóngxué | classmate |
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 学生 | xuésheng | student |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor |
| 先生 | xiānsheng | Mr., sir |
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | Miss |
| 人 | rén | person |
Time words (16 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | morning |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 月 | yuè | month |
| 号 | hào | day of the month |
| 星期 | xīngqī | week |
| 点 | diǎn | o’clock |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 现在 | xiànzài | now |
| 时候 | shíhou | time, moment |
| 岁 | suì | years old |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
Food & drink (8 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 喝 | hē | to drink |
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | cooked rice |
| 菜 | cài | dish, vegetable |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
| 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple |
Places & transport (10 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 北京 | Běijīng | Beijing |
| 家 | jiā | home, family |
| 学校 | xuéxiào | school |
| 商店 | shāngdiàn | shop |
| 饭店 | fàndiàn | restaurant, hotel |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
| 火车站 | huǒchēzhàn | train station |
| 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi |
| 飞机 | fēijī | airplane |
Everyday objects & animals (13 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 东西 | dōngxi | thing |
| 书 | shū | book |
| 字 | zì | character, word |
| 名字 | míngzi | name |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 电视 | diànshì | television |
| 电影 | diànyǐng | movie |
| 杯子 | bēizi | cup |
| 桌子 | zhuōzi | table |
| 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes |
| 猫 | māo | cat |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog |
Verbs (32 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 是 | shì | to be |
| 有 | yǒu | to have |
| 没有 | méiyǒu | to not have |
| 在 | zài | to be at |
| 去 | qù | to go |
| 来 | lái | to come |
| 回 | huí | to return |
| 住 | zhù | to live (somewhere) |
| 坐 | zuò | to sit, to take (transport) |
| 开 | kāi | to open, to drive |
| 看 | kàn | to look, to watch |
| 看见 | kànjiàn | to see |
| 听 | tīng | to listen |
| 说 | shuō | to speak |
| 读 | dú | to read |
| 写 | xiě | to write |
| 叫 | jiào | to be called |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy |
| 做 | zuò | to do, to make |
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; job |
| 学习 | xuéxí | to study |
| 睡觉 | shuìjiào | to sleep |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a phone call |
| 下雨 | xiàyǔ | to rain |
| 爱 | ài | to love |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuan | to like |
| 想 | xiǎng | to want, to think |
| 认识 | rènshi | to know (someone) |
| 会 | huì | can (learned skill) |
| 能 | néng | can (ability/permission) |
| 请 | qǐng | please; to invite |
| 谢谢 | xièxie | to thank |
Adjectives (11 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 好 | hǎo | good |
| 大 | dà | big |
| 小 | xiǎo | small |
| 多 | duō | many |
| 少 | shǎo | few |
| 冷 | lěng | cold |
| 热 | rè | hot |
| 高兴 | gāoxìng | happy |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | pretty |
| 汉语 | Hànyǔ | Chinese language |
| 钱 | qián | money |
Function words, particles & expressions (24 words)
The connective tissue of every sentence — small words, huge frequency.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 的 | de | possessive particle |
| 了 | le | completed-action particle |
| 吗 | ma | yes/no question particle |
| 呢 | ne | “and you?” particle |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 很 | hěn | very |
| 太 | tài | too (excessively) |
| 都 | dōu | all, both |
| 和 | hé | and |
| 个 | gè | general measure word |
| 本 | běn | measure word for books |
| 块 | kuài | measure word for money |
| 些 | xiē | some |
| 一点儿 | yìdiǎnr | a little |
| 上 | shàng | up, on |
| 下 | xià | down, under |
| 里 | lǐ | inside |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | in front |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | behind |
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
| 对不起 / 没关系 | duìbuqǐ / méi guānxi | sorry / it’s OK |
| 不客气 | bú kèqi | you’re welcome |
| 喂 | wéi | hello (on the phone) |
HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0: which list should you study?
The list above is the classic HSK 2.0 level 1 — the version most apps, flashcard decks and textbooks are built on. The newer HSK 3.0 standard (introduced 2021) expands Band 1 to ~500 words. Don’t let that intimidate you: the 150 words above sit inside every version of the beginner list. Learn them first; they’re the core either way. Full context in our HSK levels guide.
How to actually learn these 150 words
- Group by meaning (as above), not alphabetically — related words reinforce each other.
- 5–10 new words a day with SRS review beats 50-word cram sessions you’ll forget.
- Learn sounds with the words: say each word aloud with its tone from day one — see the tones guide and pinyin guide.
This exact list, as a smart course
Hanzijo has every HSK 1 word (and the full HSK 1–9 path beyond it) with native audio, color-coded tones, exclusive mnemonics for every character, and an SRS engine that quizzes you right before you’d forget. Learn the list here, keep it forever there.
Learn HSK 1 with Hanzijo — FreeFrequently asked questions
How many characters do I need for HSK 1?
The 150 words use about 174 unique characters. Many repeat across words (电 appears in computer, TV, movie and phone call), so the character load is lighter than it looks.
Should I learn the words in order?
Learn by category, and front-load the highest-leverage groups: numbers, pronouns and verbs. Those three groups let you build real sentences within the first week.
What comes after HSK 1?
HSK 2 adds ~150 more words (300 total) on the same everyday themes. The step up is gentle — most learners flow straight into it within a month or two.
Why do 会 and 能 both mean “can”?
会 is a learned skill (“I can speak Chinese”), 能 is ability or permission in the moment (“I can come tomorrow”). Mixing them up is normal at HSK 1 — the distinction settles with examples.