HSK 1 Vocabulary List — All 300 Words
Official HSK 3.0 syllabus (2025) · simplified characters, pinyin and English · sorted A–Z by pinyin
HSK 1 is the band the official standard describes as “Simple everyday communication”. 300 words are new at this level, and they are all listed below.
The exam is cumulative: an HSK 1 paper can draw on any of the 300 words introduced from level 1 up to and including level 1.
Every entry links to a full word page with stroke-order animation, native audio and the part of speech.
A
1 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
B
14 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 吧 | ba | (modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise); ...right?; ...OK?; ...I presume. |
| 爸爸 | bàba | (coll.) father; dad |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred; numerous; all kinds of; surname Bai |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day; day |
| 半 | bàn | half; semi-; incomplete; (after a number) and a half |
| 包子 | bāozi | baozi; bao (steamed stuffed bun) |
| 杯子 | bēizi | cup; glass |
| 本 | běn | (bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this; (bound form) this; the current (year etc) |
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin; border |
| 病 | bìng | illness; disease; to fall ill |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 不客气 | bú kèqi | you're welcome; don't mention it; impolite; rude |
| 不要 | búyào | don't!; must not |
C
8 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 菜 | cài | vegetable; greens; dish (of food); (of one's skills etc) weak; poor; (coll.) (one's) type |
| 茶 | chá | tea; tea plant |
| 唱 | chàng | to sing; to call loudly; to chant |
| 超市 | chāoshì | supermarket (abbr. for 超级市场) |
| 车 | chē | car; vehicle; machine; to shape with a lathe; surname Che |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb |
| 穿 | chuān | to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together; to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.) |
| 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi; (Tw) rental car |
D
24 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐); greatly; freely; fully |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) |
| 大学 | dàxué | university; college |
| 大学生 | dàxuéshēng | university student; college student |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 "new one") |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六 "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high official; (literary) but; however |
| 点 | diǎn | to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person) |
| 店 | diàn | inn; old-style hotel; (bound form) shop; store |
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 电视 | diànshì | television; TV |
| 电影 | diànyǐng | movie; film |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater |
| 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother |
| 东西 | dōngxi | thing; stuff; person |
| 都 | dōu | all; both; entirely; (used for emphasis) even; already; (not) at all; surname Du |
| 读 | dú | to read out; to read aloud; to read; to attend (school); to study (a subject in school); to pronounce |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way) |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. duó) |
| 多少 | duōshao | how much?; how many?; (phone number, student ID etc) what number? |
| 读书 | dúshū | to read a book; to study; to attend school |
E
2 wordsF
7 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 饭 | fàn | cooked rice; meal |
| 饭店 | fàndiàn | restaurant; hotel |
| 房间 | fángjiān | room |
| 非常 | fēicháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 飞机 | fēijī | airplane |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局) |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
G
10 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 高兴 | gāoxìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth); in a cheerful mood |
| 歌 | gē | song; (bound form) to sing |
| 个 | gè | (classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier); (bound form) individual; used in 自个儿 |
| 哥哥 | gēge | older brother |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give |
| 公司 | gōngsī | company; firm; corporation |
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog |
| 贵 | guì | expensive; (bound form) highly valued; precious; (bound form) noble; of high rank; (prefix) (honorific) your; short name for Guizhou 贵州 |
| 国 | guó | country; nation; state; (bound form) national; surname Guo |
H
17 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 还 | hái | still; still in progress; still more; yet; even more; in addition; surname Huan |
| 孩子 | háizi | child |
| 汉语 | Hànyǔ | Chinese language |
| 汉字 | Hànzì | Chinese character(s) |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to |
| 号 | hào | (literary) to call out; to command; (bound form) bugle; trumpet; (bound form) signal; bugle call (e.g. 起床号); (bound form) mark; sign; to mark; to label; to assign a number; (bound form) name; appellation (e.g. 国号, 年号, 辽宁号) |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty; delicious |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good; in an embarrassing situation |
| 好听 | hǎotīng | pleasant to hear |
| 好玩儿 | hǎowánr | amusing; fun; interesting; to be playful; to be fond of one's fun; erhua variant of 好玩 |
| 喝 | hē | to drink; variant of 嗬 |
| 和 | hé | (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. hàn); (math.) sum; to make peace; (sports) to draw; to tie; (bound form) harmonious; (bound form) Japan; Japanese; surname He |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 后 | hòu | empress; queen; (archaic) monarch; ruler; back; behind; surname Hou |
| 回 | huí | to go back; to return; to turn back; to turn around; to reply; to answer; classifier for literary divisions (acts of a play, sections or chapters of a classic book); classifier for occurrences or times; to curve; to return; Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims); variant of 回 |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering |
| 火车 | huǒchē | train |
J
13 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 几 | jǐ | how many; how much; several; a few |
| 家 | jiā | home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian; used in 家伙 and 家俱 |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask |
| 饺子 | jiǎozi | dumpling; pot-sticker |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member; (old) servant |
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | (chicken) egg; hen's egg |
| 姐姐 | jiějie | older sister |
| 今年 | jīnnián | this year |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today; the present time; now |
| 九 | jiǔ | nine; 9 |
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
K
9 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 开 | kāi | to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start; to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run; to boil |
| 开车 | kāichē | to drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual joke |
| 看 | kàn | to see; to look at; to watch; to read; to visit; to think; to consider |
| 看病 | kànbìng | to visit a doctor; to see a patient |
| 看见 | kànjiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 课 | kè | subject; course; class |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | can; may; possible; able to |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 块 | kuài | lump; chunk; piece; classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc; (coll.) classifier for money and currency units |
L
8 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回来); ever since (as in 自古以来) |
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) |
| 冷 | lěng | cold; surname Leng |
| 里 | lǐ | lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 里; li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m; surname Li |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few |
| 零 | líng | zero; nought; zero sign; fractional |
| 六 | liù | six; 6 |
M
17 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吗 | ma | (question particle for "yes-no" questions) |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase |
| 卖 | mài | to sell; to betray; to spare no effort; to show off or flaunt |
| 妈妈 | māma | mama; mommy; mother |
| 忙 | máng | busy; hurriedly; to hurry; to rush |
| 猫 | māo | cat; (dialect) to hide oneself; (loanword) (coll.) modem |
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | it doesn't matter |
| 妹妹 | mèimei | younger sister; young woman |
| 没事 | méishì | it's not important; it's nothing; never mind; to have nothing to do |
| 没有 | méiyǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 面包 | miànbāo | bread |
| 面条儿 | miàntiáor | noodles; erhua variant of 面条 |
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | (cooked) rice |
| 明年 | míngnián | next year |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 名字 | míngzi | name (of a person or thing) |
N
25 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 哪 | nǎ | how; which |
| 那 | nà | (specifier) that; the; those (colloquial pr. nèi); (pronoun) that (referring to persons, things or situations); then (in that case); surname Na; variant of 哪 |
| 那边 | nàbiān | over there; yonder |
| 哪个 | nǎge | which; who |
| 那个 | nàge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis) |
| 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where?; somewhere; anywhere; wherever |
| 那里 | nàlǐ | there; that place |
| 男 | nán | (bound form) male; baron, the lowest of the five ranks of nobility 五等爵位 |
| 男朋友 | nánpéngyou | boyfriend |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere; (used in rhetorical questions) how can ...?; how could ...? |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 哪些 | nǎxiē | which ones?; who?; what? |
| 那些 | nàxiē | those |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation still holds; (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech |
| 能 | néng | can; to be able to; might possibly; ability; (physics) energy; surname Neng |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您) |
| 年 | nián | year; grain; harvest (old); surname Nian |
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello; hi |
| 你们 | nǐmen | you (plural) |
| 您 | nín | you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你) |
| 牛奶 | niúnǎi | cow's milk |
| 女 | nǚ | female; woman; daughter |
| 女儿 | nǚ’ér | daughter |
| 女朋友 | nǚpéngyou | girlfriend |
| 女士 | nǚshì | lady; madam; Miss |
P
4 wordsQ
9 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 七 | qī | seven; 7 |
| 千 | qiān | thousand |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first |
| 钱 | qián | coin; money; unit of weight, one tenth of a tael 两; surname Qian |
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get out of bed; to get up |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc) |
| 请问 | qǐngwèn | Excuse me, may I ask...? |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed |
| 去年 | qùnián | last year |
R
4 wordsS
27 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三 | sān | three; 3; surname San |
| 上 | shàng | (bound form) up; upper; above; previous; first (of multiple parts); to climb; to get onto; to go up; to attend (class or university); (directional complement) up; (noun suffix) on; above; used in 上声 |
| 上班 | shàngbān | to go to work; to be on duty; to start work; to go to the office |
| 商店 | shāngdiàn | store; shop |
| 上课 | shàngkè | to go to class; to attend class; to go to teach a class |
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | morning |
| 上学 | shàngxué | to go to school; to attend school |
| 少 | shǎo | few; less; to lack; to be missing |
| 谁 | shéi/shuí | who; also pr. shuí |
| 生病 | shēngbìng | to fall ill |
| 什么 | shénme | what?; something; anything |
| 十 | shí | ten; 10 |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing; item; work |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion) |
| 时候 | shíhou | time; length of time; moment; period |
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time |
| 手机 | shǒujī | cell phone; mobile phone |
| 书 | shū | book; letter; document; to write; abbr. for 书经 |
| 书店 | shūdiàn | bookstore |
| 水 | shuǐ | water; (after a name) ... River; to swim (used mostly in 会水 and 水性); (coll.) lacking in substance; shoddy; (bound form) additional cost; extra income; classifier for washings of a garment; surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 睡 | shuì | to sleep; to lie down |
| 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
| 睡觉 | shuìjiào | to go to bed; to sleep |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to talk; to say; to explain; to comment; to scold; to tell off; (bound form) theory; doctrine |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say; to talk; to gossip |
| 四 | sì | four; 4 |
| 岁 | suì | years old; variant of 岁, year |
T
12 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日 and 他人) |
| 它 | tā | it |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much); very |
| 他们 | tāmen | they; them |
| 它们 | tāmen | they; them |
| 她们 | tāmen | they; them (females) |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 听 | tīng | to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. tìng); (literary) to administer; to deal with (Taiwan pr. tìng) |
| 听见 | tīngjiàn | to hear |
| 同学 | tóngxué | to study at the same school; fellow student; classmate |
W
13 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外 | wài | outside; in addition; foreign; external |
| 外边 | wàibian | outside; outer surface; abroad; place other than one's home |
| 玩 | wán | to play; to have fun; to trifle with; toy |
| 晚 | wǎn | evening; night; late |
| 晚饭 | wǎnfàn | evening meal; dinner; supper |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening; night; in the evening |
| 喂 | wèi | hey; to feed (an animal, baby, invalid etc); to feed |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 问题 | wèntí | question; problem; issue; topic |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 我们 | wǒmen | we; us; ourselves; our |
| 五 | wǔ | five; 5 |
| 午饭 | wǔfàn | lunch |
X
27 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower |
| 下班 | xiàbān | to finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc) |
| 下课 | xiàkè | to finish class; to get out of class; (fig.) (esp. of a sports coach) to be dismissed; to be fired |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to) |
| 先生 | xiānsheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.); husband; (dialect) doctor |
| 现在 | xiànzài | now; at present; currently |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to refer to sb's own child) |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 小学 | xiǎoxué | elementary school; primary school |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild; (fig.) beginner |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon; p.m. |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | to rain |
| 些 | xiē | classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several |
| 写 | xiě | to write |
| 谢谢 | xièxie | to thank; thanks; thank you |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuan | to like; to be fond of |
| 新 | xīn | new; newly; meso- (chemistry); abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡 |
| 星期 | xīngqī | week; day of the week; Sunday |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 休息 | xiūxi | rest; to rest |
| 学 | xué | to learn; to study; to imitate; science |
| 雪 | xuě | snow; (literary) to wipe away (a humiliation etc); surname Xue |
| 学生 | xuéshēng | student; schoolchild |
| 学习 | xuéxí | to learn; to study |
| 学校 | xuéxiào | school |
Y
18 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 要 | yào | to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should; if (same as 要是); (bound form) important |
| 也 | yě | also; too; as well; (not ...) either; (used after a verbal or nominal expression X to indicate that X is an extreme or unexpected case) even (X); (literary) particle having functions similar to 啊; surname Ye |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as |
| 一半 | yíbàn | half |
| 一点儿 | yìdiǎnr | a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligraphy) dot stroke (、); one o'clock (abbr. for 一点钟); erhua variant of 一点 |
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor; medical practitioner |
| 一下 | yíxià | (after a verb) a bit; a little (indicating brief duration, or softening the tone, or suggesting giving sth a try); all at once; suddenly |
| 一些 | yìxiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
| 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 intentional) |
| 有的 | yǒude | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 有点儿 | yǒudiǎnr | slightly; a little; somewhat |
| 有些 | yǒuxiē | some; somewhat; rather; a bit |
| 雨 | yǔ | rain |
| 元 | yuán | currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan); (bound form) first; original; primary; (bound form) basic; fundamental; (bound form) constituent; part; (prefix) meta-; (math.) argument; variable; surname Yuan; Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) |
| 月 | yuè | moon; month; monthly |
Z
31 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; further; beyond this point of time; (before an adjective) more; then (after sth, and not until then) |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye; see you again later |
| 早 | zǎo | early; morning; Good morning!; long ago |
| 早饭 | zǎofàn | breakfast |
| 早上 | zǎoshang | early morning |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how?; what?; why? |
| 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | how?; how about?; how was it?; how are things? |
| 找 | zhǎo | to try to find; to look for; to call on sb; to find |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. zhèi, esp. in Beijing) |
| 这边 | zhèbiān | this side; here |
| 这个 | zhège | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 这里 | zhèlǐ | here |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real |
| 正在 | zhèngzài | to be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing |
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 这些 | zhèxiē | these |
| 只 | zhī | classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils etc |
| 知道 | zhīdào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. zhīdao |
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon; midday |
| 中学 | zhōngxué | middle school |
| 中学生 | zhōngxuéshēng | middle-school student; high school student |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 桌子 | zhuōzi | table; desk |
| 字 | zì | letter; symbol; character; word |
| 坐 | zuò | to sit; to take a seat; to take (a bus, airplane etc); to bear fruit; surname Zuo; variant of 座 |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, friends etc) |
| 做饭 | zuò fàn | to prepare a meal; to cook |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
All HSK 3.0 vocabulary lists (9 levels, 11,000 words) · Study HSK 1 with flashcards