HSK 3 Vocabulary List — All 500 Words
Official HSK 3.0 syllabus (2025) · simplified characters, pinyin and English · sorted A–Z by pinyin
HSK 3 is the band the official standard describes as “Effective everyday communication”. 500 words are new at this level, and they are all listed below.
The exam is cumulative: an HSK 3 paper can draw on any of the 1,000 words introduced from level 1 up to and including level 3 — level 2 added 200 of them.
Every entry links to a full word page with stroke-order animation, native audio and the part of speech.
A
5 wordsB
38 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch |
| 搬 | bān | to move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift; to copy indiscriminately |
| 办 | bàn | to take care of (a matter); to deal with (a task, procedure etc); to organize (an event); to establish; to set up; to manage; to run (an enterprise); (law) to handle; to investigate; to prosecute (a case or suspect); (bound form) office (as in 招办, admissions office) (abbr. for 办公室) |
| 办法 | bànfǎ | way of handling sth; means; measure; (practical) solution to a problem |
| 办公室 | bàngōngshì | office; business premises |
| 帮助 | bāngzhù | assistance; aid; to help; to assist |
| 班级 | bānjí | class (group of students); grade (in school) |
| 搬家 | bānjiā | to move house; to relocate; to remove (sth) |
| 半天 | bàntiān | half of the day; a long time; quite a while; midair |
| 饱 | bǎo | to eat till full; satisfied |
| 报纸 | bàozhǐ | newspaper; newsprint |
| 北 | běi | north; (classical) to be defeated |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, if the doer is not mentioned, before the verb) |
| 北方 | běifāng | north; the northern part a country; China north of the Yellow River |
| 变 | biàn | to change; to become different; to transform; to vary |
| 遍 | biàn | everywhere; all over; classifier for actions: one time |
| 变成 | biànchéng | to change into; to turn into; to become |
| 变化 | biànhuà | (intransitive) to change; to vary; change; variation |
| 表演 | biǎoyǎn | play; show; performance; exhibition |
| 别的 | biéde | else; other |
| 别人 | biérén | other people; others; other person |
| 笔记 | bǐjì | to take down (in writing); notes; a type of literature consisting mainly of short sketches |
| 比较 | bǐjiào | to compare; to contrast; comparatively; relatively |
| 笔记本 | bǐjìběn | notebook (stationery); (computing) laptop; notebook (abbr. for 笔记本电脑) |
| 冰 | bīng | ice; to chill sth; (of an object or substance) to feel cold |
| 冰激凌 | bīngjīlíng | ice cream |
| 病人 | bìngrén | sick person; patient; invalid |
| 宾馆 | bīnguǎn | guesthouse; lodge; hotel |
| 冰箱 | bīngxiāng | refrigerator; (old) icebox |
| 比如 | bǐrú | for example; for instance; such as; see 比如县 |
| 比赛 | bǐsài | competition (sports etc); match; to compete |
| 必须 | bìxū | to have to; must; compulsory; necessarily |
| 不但 | búdàn | not only (... but also ...) |
| 不见 | bújiàn | not to see; not to meet; to have disappeared; to be missing |
| 不久 | bùjiǔ | not long (after); before too long; soon; soon after |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct; not the same; not alike |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question; be no good; not work |
| 不用 | búyòng | need not |
C
27 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then |
| 菜单 | càidān | menu |
| 参加 | cānjiā | to participate; to take part; to join |
| 草 | cǎo | grass; straw; manuscript; draft (of a document); careless; rough; variant of 肏 |
| 草地 | cǎodì | lawn; meadow; sod; turf |
| 层 | céng | to pile on top of one another; layer; stratum; floor (of a building); story; (math.) sheaf |
| 查 | chá | to research; to check; to investigate; to examine; to refer to; to look up (e.g. a word in a dictionary); surname Zha |
| 差 | chà | different; wrong; mistaken; to fall short; to lack; not up to standard; inferior; Taiwan pr. chā |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly; more or less; about the same |
| 尝 | cháng | to taste; to try (food); to experience; (literary) ever; once |
| 常 | cháng | always; ever; often; frequently; common; general; surname Chang |
| 常常 | chángcháng | frequently; often |
| 常见 | cháng jiàn | commonly seen; common; to see sth frequently |
| 常用 | cháng yòng | in common usage |
| 成绩 | chéngjì | achievement; performance records; grades |
| 城市 | chéngshì | city; town |
| 衬衫 | chènshān | shirt; blouse |
| 迟到 | chídào | to arrive late |
| 船 | chuán | boat; vessel; ship |
| 出发 | chūfā | to set off; to start (on a journey) |
| 除了 | chúle | apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，谁也没来 "apart from him, nobody came", or to include, as in 除了英语，他也会法语 "in addition to English, he also knows French"); (used to introduce one of two habitual alternatives in the pattern 除了 + A + 就是 + B, "either A or B") |
| 春天 | chūntiān | spring (season) |
| 出生 | chūshēng | to be born |
| 出院 | chūyuàn | to leave hospital; to be discharged from hospital |
| 初中 | chūzhōng | junior high school (abbr. for 初级中学) |
| 词典 | cídiǎn | dictionary |
| 聪明 | cōngmíng | intelligent; clever; bright; acute (of sight and hearing) |
D
39 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大概 | dàgài | roughly; probably; rough; approximate |
| 带 | dài | band; belt; girdle; ribbon |
| 蛋糕 | dàngāo | cake |
| 当然 | dāngrán | only natural; as it should be; certainly; of course |
| 担心 | dānxīn | anxious; worried; uneasy; to worry |
| 到处 | dàochù | everywhere |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup; title of respect toward superiors |
| 打扫 | dǎsǎo | to clean; to sweep |
| 打算 | dǎsuàn | to plan; to intend; to calculate; plan |
| 大小 | dàxiǎo | large and small; size; adults and children; consideration of seniority |
| 大熊猫 | dàxióngmāo | giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) |
| 大衣 | dàyī | overcoat; topcoat; cloak |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease) |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 得分 | défēn | to score a point (in a competition, test etc); score; rating; grade |
| 的话 | dehuà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 得 | děi | to have to; must; ought to; to need to |
| 灯 | dēng | lamp; light; lantern |
| 地 | dì | earth; ground; field; place; land |
| 电 | diàn | lightning; electricity; electric (bound form); to get (or give) an electric shock |
| 电梯 | diàntī | elevator; escalator |
| 电子书 | diànzǐshū | electronic book; e-book; e-book reader |
| 地点 | dìdiǎn | place; site; location; venue |
| 地方 | dìfang | place; area; part; aspect; space |
| 地图 | dìtú | map |
| 丢 | diū | to lose; to put aside; to throw |
| 东 | dōng | east; host (i.e. sitting on east side of guest); landlord; surname Dong |
| 东北 | dōngběi | northeast; Northeast China; Manchuria |
| 懂得 | dǒngde | to understand; to know; to comprehend |
| 东方 | dōngfāng | east; the East; the Orient |
| 东南 | dōngnán | southeast |
| 冬天 | dōngtiān | winter |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 动物园 | dòngwùyuán | zoo |
| 短 | duǎn | short; brief; to lack; weak point |
| 段 | duàn | paragraph; section; segment; stage (of a process); classifier for stories, periods of time, lengths of thread etc; surname Duan |
| 短裤 | duǎnkù | short pants; shorts |
| 锻炼 | duànliàn | to toughen; to temper; to engage in physical exercise; to work out |
| 对话 | duìhuà | to talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation |
E
4 wordsF
21 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 发 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free |
| 方便 | fāngbiàn | convenient; suitable; to facilitate; to make things easy; having money to spare; (euphemism) to relieve oneself |
| 方便面 | fāngbiànmiàn | instant noodles |
| 方法 | fāngfǎ | method; way; technique; procedure |
| 放假 | fàngjià | to have a holiday or vacation |
| 方向 | fāngxiàng | direction; orientation |
| 放心 | fàngxīn | to feel relieved; to feel reassured; to be at ease |
| 放学 | fàngxué | to dismiss students at the end of the school day |
| 房子 | fángzi | house; building (single- or two-story); apartment; room |
| 发烧 | fāshāo | to have a high temperature (from illness); to have a fever; (fig.) to be fascinated with; to obsess over; (fig.) flourishing; thriving; popular |
| 发生 | fāshēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to break out |
| 发现 | fāxiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 发展 | fāzhǎn | development; growth; to develop; to grow |
| 风 | fēng | wind; news; style; custom |
| 封 | fēng | to confer; to grant; to bestow a title; to seal; classifier for sealed objects, esp. letters; surname Feng |
| 分开 | fēnkāi | to separate; to part |
| 附近 | fùjìn | nearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood |
| 夫妻 | fūqī | husband and wife; married couple |
| 服务 | fúwù | to serve; service |
| 复习 | fùxí | to review; revision |
G
26 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be |
| 干 | gàn | to do; to work; to manage; cadre |
| 感到 | gǎndào | to feel; to sense; to perceive |
| 刚 | gāng | (literary) hard; firm; strong; exactly; precisely; barely; only just; just; only a short while ago |
| 刚才 | gāngcái | just now; a moment ago |
| 刚刚 | gānggāng | just recently; just a moment ago |
| 干净 | gānjìng | clean; neat |
| 感冒 | gǎnmào | to catch cold; (common) cold; (coll.) to be interested in (often used in the negative) |
| 感兴趣 | gǎn xìngqù | to be interested (in sth) |
| 高铁 | gāotiě | high speed rail |
| 更 | gèng | more; even more; further; still; still more |
| 根据 | gēnjù | according to; based on; basis; foundation |
| 公斤 | gōngjīn | kilogram (kg) |
| 公园 | gōngyuán | park (for public recreation) |
| 工作日 | gōngzuòrì | workday; working day; weekday |
| 刮 | guā | to scrape; to blow; to shave; to plunder |
| 关 | guān | mountain pass; to close; to shut; to turn off; to confine; to lock (sb) up; to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc); to concern; to involve; surname Guan |
| 关机 | guānjī | to turn off (a machine or device); to finish shooting a film |
| 关系 | guānxì | relation; relationship; to concern; to affect |
| 关心 | guānxīn | to be concerned about; to care about |
| 关于 | guānyú | pertaining to; concerning; with regard to; about |
| 关注 | guānzhù | to pay attention to; to follow sth closely; to follow (on social media); concern; interest; attention |
| 国家 | guójiā | country; nation; state |
| 过节 | guòjié | to celebrate a festival; after the celebrations (i.e. once the festival is over) |
| 过去 | guòqù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 故事 | gùshi | narrative; story; tale |
H
26 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海 | hǎi | ocean; sea; great number of people or things; (dialect) numerous; surname Hai |
| 害怕 | hàipà | to be afraid; to be scared |
| 好多 | hǎoduō | many; quite a lot; much better |
| 好久 | hǎojiǔ | (coll.) for a long time |
| 号码 | hàomǎ | number |
| 好像 | hǎoxiàng | as if; to seem like |
| 河 | hé | river; (bound form) the Yellow River; (bound form) the Milky Way; (bound form) (on restaurant menus) rice noodles 河粉 |
| 黑板 | hēibǎn | blackboard |
| 合适 | héshì | suitable; fitting; appropriate |
| 红绿灯 | hóng-lǜdēng | traffic light; traffic signal |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 后年 | hòunián | the year after next |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experiences, contrasted with 先天); acquired (not innate or congenital); a posteriori |
| 画家 | huàjiā | painter |
| 还 | huán | to pay back; to return; surname Huan |
| 换 | huàn | to exchange; to change (clothes etc); to substitute; to switch |
| 黄色 | huángsè | yellow; vulgar; lewd; pornographic |
| 环境 | huánjìng | environment; circumstances; surroundings |
| 欢迎 | huānyíng | to welcome; welcome |
| 花园 | huāyuán | garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plants |
| 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 |
| 回答 | huídá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 会议 | huìyì | meeting; conference |
| 或 | huò | maybe; perhaps; might; possibly |
| 或者 | huòzhě | or; possibly; maybe; perhaps |
| 护照 | hùzhào | passport |
J
38 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鸡 | jī | fowl; chicken; (slang) prostitute |
| 极 | jí | extremely; pole (geography, physics); utmost; top |
| 急 | jí | urgent; pressing; rapid; hurried |
| 记 | jì | to record; to note; to memorize; to remember |
| 季 | jì | season; the last month of a season; fourth or youngest amongst brothers; classifier for seasonal crop yields; surname Ji |
| 加 | jiā | to add; (math.) plus; to increase; to augment; (used before a disyllabic verb, often after an adverb like 不, 大, 稍 etc, to indicate that the action applies to sth previously mentioned, as in 稍加改良 "make some minor improvements to (it)"); Canada (abbr. for 加拿大); surname Jia |
| 检查 | jiǎnchá | inspection; to examine; to inspect |
| 坚持 | jiānchí | to persevere with; to persist in; to insist on |
| 简单 | jiǎndān | simple; not complicated |
| 讲 | jiǎng | to speak; to explain; to negotiate; to emphasize |
| 健康 | jiànkāng | health; healthy |
| 见面 | jiànmiàn | to meet; to see each other |
| 检票 | jiǎnpiào | to inspect a ticket; to examine a ballot |
| 角 | jiǎo | angle; corner; horn; horn-shaped; unit of money equal to 0.1 yuan, or 10 cents (a dime); surname Jue |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot; leg (of an animal or an object); base (of an object) |
| 假期 | jiàqī | vacation |
| 接 | jiē | to receive; to answer (the phone); to meet or welcome sb; to connect |
| 街 | jiē | street |
| 节 | jié | joint; node; (bound form) section; segment; solar term (one of the 24 divisions of the year in the traditional Chinese calendar); seasonal festival; (bound form) to economize; to save; (bound form) moral integrity; chastity; see 节骨眼 |
| 借 | jiè | to borrow; (used in combination with 给 or 出 etc) to lend; to make use of; to avail oneself of; (sometimes followed by 着) by; with |
| 结婚 | jiéhūn | to marry; to get married |
| 解决 | jiějué | to solve; to resolve; to settle (a problem); to eliminate; to wipe out (an enemy, bandits etc) |
| 姐妹 | jiěmèi | sisters; siblings; sister (school, city etc) |
| 节目 | jiémù | (TV or radio) program; show; item; act; segment; number (on the program of a concert, variety show or cultural event); a planned activity (in one's schedule) |
| 节日 | jiérì | holiday; festival |
| 结束 | jiéshù | to end; to finish; to conclude |
| 几乎 | jīhū | almost; nearly; practically |
| 机会 | jīhuì | opportunity; chance; occasion |
| 季节 | jìjié | time; season; period |
| 斤 | jīn | catty; (PRC) weight equal to 500 g; (Tw) weight equal to 600 g; (HK, Malaysia, Singapore) slightly over 604 g |
| 经过 | jīngguò | to pass; to go through; process; course |
| 经理 | jīnglǐ | manager; director |
| 久 | jiǔ | (of a period of time) long |
| 酒 | jiǔ | wine (esp. rice wine); liquor; spirits; alcoholic beverage |
| 旧 | jiù | old; opposite: new 新; former; worn (with age) |
| 句 | jù | sentence; clause; phrase; classifier for phrases or lines of verse; variant of 勾 |
| 决定 | juédìng | to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind; decision |
| 句子 | jùzi | sentence |
K
18 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 卡 | kǎ | card (loanword); truck; calorie; (coll., of software) laggy; slow |
| 开花 | kāihuā | to bloom; to blossom; to flower; (fig.) to burst; to split open; (fig.) to burst with joy; (fig.) to spring up everywhere; to flourish |
| 开会 | kāihuì | to hold a meeting; to attend a meeting |
| 开机 | kāijī | to start an engine; to boot up (a computer); to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete; to begin shooting a film or TV show |
| 开心 | kāixīn | to feel happy; to rejoice; to have a great time; to make fun of sb |
| 看来 | kànlái | apparently; it seems that |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very |
| 渴 | kě | thirsty |
| 刻 | kè | quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave |
| 可爱 | kě’ài | adorable; cute; lovely |
| 课本 | kèběn | textbook |
| 客人 | kèrén | visitor; guest; customer; client |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 课文 | kèwén | text |
| 空调 | kōngtiáo | air conditioning; air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode) |
| 哭 | kū | to cry; to weep |
| 筷子 | kuàizi | chopsticks |
| 矿泉水 | kuàngquánshuǐ | mineral water |
L
21 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 蓝 | lán | blue; indigo plant; surname Lan |
| 老 | lǎo | prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerable (person); experienced |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly; one's aged parents or grandparents |
| 脸 | liǎn | face |
| 练 | liàn | to practice; to train; to drill; to perfect (one's skill) |
| 辆 | liàng | classifier for vehicles |
| 凉快 | liángkuai | pleasantly cool (weather etc); to cool oneself; to cool off; (Tw) (slang) (of clothing) scanty; revealing; (coll.) to stay out of it; to butt out |
| 练习 | liànxí | to practice; exercise; drill; practice |
| 聊 | liáo | (coll.) to chat; (literary) temporarily; for a while; (literary) somewhat; slightly; (literary) to depend upon |
| 了解 | liǎojiě | to understand; to realize; to find out |
| 聊天儿 | liáotiānr | to chat; to gossip; erhua variant of 聊天 |
| 离开 | líkāi | to depart; to leave |
| 邻居 | línjū | neighbor |
| 历史 | lìshǐ | history |
| 留学 | liúxué | to study abroad |
| 留学生 | liúxuéshēng | student studying abroad; returned student; foreign student; international student |
| 礼物 | lǐwù | gift; present |
| 楼梯 | lóutī | stair; staircase |
| 路边 | lùbiān | curb; roadside; wayside |
| 路口 | lùkǒu | crossing; intersection (of roads) |
M
10 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 马 | mǎ | horse; horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess; knight in Western chess; surname Ma; abbr. for Malaysia 马来西亚 |
| 马路 | mǎlù | street; road |
| 满意 | mǎnyì | satisfied; pleased; to one's satisfaction |
| 毛 | máo | hair; feather; down; wool; mildew; mold; surname Mao |
| 马上 | mǎshàng | at once; right away; immediately; on horseback (i.e. by military force) |
| 米 | mǐ | uncooked rice; meter (unit of length); (slang) Chinese yuan; surname Mi |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing; (in the) presence (of) |
| 明白 | míngbai | clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable; to understand; to realize |
| 名单 | míngdān | list of names |
| 名人 | míngrén | personage; celebrity |
N
15 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 南 | nán | south; surname Nan |
| 难 | nán | difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult |
| 南方 | nánfāng | south; southern direction; (in China) southern regions, often referring to areas south of the Yangtze River |
| 难过 | nánguò | to feel sad; to feel unwell; (of life) to be difficult |
| 难看 | nánkàn | ugly; unsightly |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male; men |
| 男生 | nánshēng | schoolboy; male student; boy; guy (young adult male) |
| 难题 | nántí | difficult problem |
| 难听 | nántīng | unpleasant to hear; coarse; vulgar; offensive |
| 年级 | niánjí | grade; year (in school, college etc) |
| 年轻 | niánqīng | young |
| 牛 | niú | ox; cow; bull; newton (abbr. for 牛顿); (slang) awesome; surname Niu |
| 努力 | nǔlì | to make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working; conscientious |
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman |
| 女生 | nǚshēng | schoolgirl; female student; girl |
P
8 wordsQ
16 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 骑 | qí | to sit astride; to ride (a horse, bike etc); classifier for saddle horses |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out |
| 铅笔 | qiānbǐ | (lead) pencil |
| 前年 | qiánnián | the year before last |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 汽车 | qìchē | car; automobile; bus |
| 起飞 | qǐfēi | (of an aircraft or rocket) to take off; to lift off; (fig.) (of an enterprise etc) to start to develop rapidly |
| 奇怪 | qíguài | strange; odd; to marvel; to be baffled |
| 清楚 | qīngchu | clear; distinct; to understand thoroughly; to be clear about |
| 请假 | qǐngjià | to request leave of absence |
| 请客 | qǐngkè | to give a dinner party; to entertain guests; to invite to dinner |
| 其实 | qíshí | actually; in fact; really |
| 其他 | qítā | other; (sth or sb) else; the rest |
| 球场 | qiúchǎng | stadium; sports ground; court; pitch |
| 秋天 | qiūtiān | autumn |
| 裙子 | qúnzi | skirt |
R
7 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 认得 | rènde | to recognize; to remember sth (or sb) on seeing it; to know |
| 认为 | rènwéi | to believe; to think; to consider; to feel |
| 认真 | rènzhēn | conscientious; earnest; serious; to take seriously |
| 热情 | rèqíng | cordial; enthusiastic; passion; passionate |
| 容易 | róngyì | easy; straightforward; likely; liable to; apt to |
| 如果 | rúguǒ | if; in case; in the event that |
S
29 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 伞 | sǎn | umbrella; parasol |
| 扫 | sǎo | to sweep (with a brush or broom); to sweep away; to wipe out; to get rid of; to sweep (one's eyes etc) over; to scan |
| 沙发 | shāfā | (loanword) sofa; (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post |
| 山 | shān | mountain; hill; (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on; surname Shan |
| 上衣 | shàngyī | jacket; upper outer garment |
| 勺子 | sháozi | spoon; ladle |
| 身边 | shēnbiān | at one's side; on hand |
| 声 | shēng | sound; voice; tone; noise |
| 身高 | shēngāo | (a person's) height |
| 生活 | shēnghuó | to live; life; livelihood |
| 生气 | shēngqì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 声音 | shēngyīn | sound; voice |
| 市 | shì | market; city; municipality (administrative unit); (literary) to trade; to buy and sell goods |
| 试 | shì | to test; to try; experiment; examination |
| 室 | shì | room; work unit; grave; scabbard; family or clan; one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy; surname Shi |
| 世界 | shìjiè | world |
| 收 | shōu | to receive; to accept; to collect; to put away |
| 受 | shòu | to receive; to accept; to suffer; subjected to |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin; to lose weight; (of clothing) tight; (of meat) lean |
| 收到 | shōudào | to receive |
| 受到 | shòudào | to receive (praise, an education, punishment etc); to be ...ed (praised, educated, punished etc) |
| 树 | shù | tree; to cultivate; to set up |
| 刷 | shuā | a brush; to paint; to daub; to brush; to scrub; (fig.) to remove; to eliminate (from a contest); to fire (from a job) |
| 双 | shuāng | two; double; pair; both; even (number); surname Shuang |
| 水平 | shuǐpíng | horizontal; level; a standard; a level (of ability, development etc) |
| 叔叔 | shūshu | father's younger brother; paternal uncle; form of address used by children for a male one generation older |
| 数学 | shùxué | mathematics |
| 司机 | sījī | chauffeur; driver |
| 四季 | sìjì | four seasons, namely: spring 春, summer 夏, autumn 秋 and winter 冬 |
T
16 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 太阳 | tàiyáng | sun; sunlight; sunshine; temple (on the side of the human head) (abbr. for 太阳穴) |
| 糖 | táng | sugar; sweets; candy |
| 特别 | tèbié | unusual; special; very; especially; particularly; expressly; for a specific purpose; (often followed by 是) in particular |
| 甜 | tián | sweet; (fig.) pleasant; endearing; lovely |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to hop; to skip over; to bounce |
| 提高 | tígāo | to raise; to increase; to improve |
| 挺 | tǐng | straight; erect; to stick out (a part of the body); to (physically) straighten up |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that); hearsay; listening and speaking |
| 体育 | tǐyù | sports; physical education |
| 体育馆 | tǐyùguǎn | gym; gymnasium; stadium |
| 同事 | tóngshì | colleague; co-worker |
| 同意 | tóngyì | to agree; to consent; to approve |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg |
| 突然 | tūrán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 图书馆 | túshūguǎn | library |
W
15 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外地 | wàidì | parts of the country other than where one is |
| 外卖 | wàimài | (of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business); takeout (meal) |
| 外语 | wàiyǔ | foreign language |
| 碗 | wǎn | bowl; cup |
| 完成 | wánchéng | to complete; to accomplish |
| 晚点 | wǎndiǎn | (of trains etc) late; delayed; behind schedule; light dinner |
| 忘记 | wàngjì | to forget |
| 网球 | wǎngqiú | tennis; tennis ball |
| 网站 | wǎngzhàn | website |
| 晚会 | wǎnhuì | evening party |
| 为 | wèi | for; for the sake of; because of; in order to |
| 为了 | wèile | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 卫生间 | wèishēngjiān | bathroom; toilet; WC |
| 文化 | wénhuà | culture; civilization; cultural |
| 屋子 | wūzi | house; room |
X
36 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 西 | xī | west; the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙 |
| 喜爱 | xǐ’ài | to like; to love; to be fond of; favorite |
| 先 | xiān | beforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) |
| 向 | xiàng | towards; to face; to turn towards; direction; to support; to side with; surname Xiang |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as |
| 相机 | xiàngjī | camera (abbr. for 照相机); at the opportune moment; as the circumstances allow |
| 香蕉 | xiāngjiāo | banana |
| 相信 | xiāngxìn | to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true |
| 箱子 | xiāngzi | suitcase; chest; box; case |
| 小区 | xiǎoqū | housing estate; community; neighborhood; (telecommunications) cell |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | to be careful; to take care |
| 校园 | xiàoyuán | campus |
| 校长 | xiàozhǎng | (college, university) president; headmaster |
| 夏天 | xiàtiān | summer |
| 西北 | xīběi | northwest; Northwest China (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang) |
| 鞋 | xié | shoe |
| 西方 | xīfāng | the West; the Occident; Western countries |
| 西瓜 | xīguā | watermelon |
| 习惯 | xíguàn | habit; custom; usual practice; to be used to |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; to trust |
| 西南 | xīnán | southwest |
| 行 | xíng | to walk; to go; OK; all right; capable; to be feasible |
| 行李 | xíngli | luggage |
| 兴趣 | xìngqù | interest (desire to know about sth); interest (thing in which one is interested); hobby |
| 心里 | xīnlǐ | chest; heart; mind |
| 新年 | xīnnián | New Year |
| 新闻 | xīnwén | news |
| 新鲜 | xīnxiān | fresh (experience, food etc); freshness; novel; uncommon |
| 信用卡 | xìnyòngkǎ | credit card |
| 休假 | xiūjià | to go on vacation; to have a holiday; to take leave |
| 洗衣机 | xǐyījī | washing machine; washer |
| 洗澡 | xǐzǎo | to bathe; to take a shower |
| 选 | xuǎn | to choose; to pick; to select; to elect |
| 选择 | xuǎnzé | to select; to pick; choice; option; alternative |
| 学期 | xuéqī | term; semester |
| 需要 | xūyào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
Y
46 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 牙 | yá | tooth; ivory |
| 羊 | yáng | sheep; goat; surname Yang |
| 养 | yǎng | to raise (animals); to bring up (children); to keep (pets); to support |
| 要求 | yāoqiú | to request; to require; requirement; to stake a claim |
| 牙刷 | yáshuā | toothbrush |
| 页 | yè | page; leaf |
| 一般 | yìbān | same; ordinary; so-so; common |
| 一边 | yìbiān | one side; either side; on the one hand; on the other hand |
| 一定 | yídìng | surely; certainly; definitely; fixed; settled; a certain ...; a given ... |
| 一共 | yígòng | in total; altogether |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later; afterwards; following |
| 一块儿 | yíkuàir | a piece; a chunk; (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 这) aspect; area; dimension (Example: 情感这一块 "the emotional aspect (of it)"); (coll.) one yuan; a dollar; together; in the same place; in company; erhua variant of 一块 |
| 应该 | yīnggāi | ought to; should; must |
| 影响 | yǐngxiǎng | influence; effect; to influence; to affect (usually adversely) |
| 银行 | yínháng | bank |
| 银行卡 | yínhángkǎ | bank card |
| 饮料 | yǐnliào | drink; beverage |
| 音乐 | yīnyuè | music |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly; previous; ago |
| 以上 | yǐshàng | that level or higher; that amount or more; the above-mentioned; (used to indicate that one has completed one's remarks) That is all. |
| 以外 | yǐwài | apart from; other than; except for; external |
| 以为 | yǐwéi | to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless referring to one's own current belief) |
| 以下 | yǐxià | that level or lower; that amount or less; the following |
| 一样 | yíyàng | same; like; equal to; the same as |
| 一直 | yìzhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet |
| 有关 | yǒuguān | to have sth to do with; to relate to; related to; to concern |
| 邮件 | yóujiàn | mail; post; email |
| 游客 | yóukè | traveler; tourist; (online gaming) guest player |
| 有名 | yǒumíng | famous; well-known |
| 游戏 | yóuxì | game; to play |
| 邮箱 | yóuxiāng | mailbox; post office box; email; email inbox |
| 有用 | yǒuyòng | useful |
| 园 | yuán | land used for growing plants; site used for public recreation; surname Yuan; abbr. for a place ending in 园, such as a botanical garden 植物园, kindergarten 幼儿园 etc |
| 员 | yuán | (bound form) person engaged in a certain field of activity; (bound form) member; classifier for military generals |
| 愿意 | yuànyì | to wish; to want; ready; willing (to do sth) |
| 遇到 | yùdào | to meet; to run into; to come across |
| 越 | yuè | to exceed; to climb over; to surpass; the more... the more; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 月亮 | yuèliang | the moon |
| 遇见 | yùjiàn | to meet |
| 羽毛球 | yǔmáoqiú | badminton; shuttlecock |
| 运动会 | yùndònghuì | sports competition |
| 运动员 | yùndòngyuán | athlete |
| 语言 | yǔyán | language |
| 雨衣 | yǔyī | raincoat |
Z
39 words| Simplified | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 脏 | zāng | dirty; filthy; to get (sth) dirty |
| 咱们 | zánmen | we or us (including both the speaker and the person(s) spoken to); (dialect) I or me; (dialect) (in a coaxing or familiar way) you; also pr. zá men |
| 怎么办 | zěnme bàn | what's to be done |
| 怎样 | zěnyàng | how; what kind |
| 站 | zhàn | station; to stand; to halt; to stop |
| 张 | zhāng | to open up; to spread; sheet of paper; classifier for flat objects, sheet; classifier for votes; surname Zhang |
| 长 | zhǎng | to grow; to develop; to come into being; chief; head; elder |
| 照 | zhào | to shine; to illuminate; variant of 照 |
| 照顾 | zhàogù | to take care of; to show consideration; to attend to; to look after |
| 着急 | zháojí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry; Taiwan pr. zhāojí |
| 照片 | zhàopiàn | photograph |
| 照相 | zhàoxiàng | to take a photograph |
| 只 | zhǐ | only; merely; just; but |
| 纸 | zhǐ | paper; classifier for documents, letters etc |
| 直到 | zhídào | until |
| 只能 | zhǐ néng | can only; obliged to do sth; to have no other choice |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
| 只有 | zhǐyǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通过治疗才能痊愈 "the only way to cure it is with therapy"); it is only (someone) who ... (as in 只有男性才有此需要 "only men would have such a requirement"); (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in 只有屈服 "the only thing you can do is give in") |
| 中 | zhōng | within; among; in; middle; center; while (doing sth); during; (dialect) OK; all right; to hit (a target); to be struck by (a bullet, illness etc); (bound form) China; Chinese |
| 种 | zhǒng | seed; species; kind; type |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among; during; in the meantime |
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major |
| 终于 | zhōngyú | at last; in the end; finally; eventually |
| 周末 | zhōumò | weekend |
| 主要 | zhǔyào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 注意 | zhùyì | to take note of; to pay attention to |
| 住院 | zhùyuàn | to stay in hospital; to be hospitalized |
| 子 | zi | son; child; seed; egg |
| 字典 | zìdiǎn | Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a 词典, which has entries for words of one or more characters); (coll.) dictionary |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle; bike |
| 总 | zǒng | (bound form) general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later |
| 总是 | zǒngshì | always |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth; beak; nozzle; spout (of teapot etc) |
| 最好 | zuìhǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 最近 | zuìjìn | recently; soon; nearest |
| 做客 | zuòkè | to be a guest or visitor |
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework; work; task |
All HSK 3.0 vocabulary lists (9 levels, 11,000 words) · Study HSK 3 with flashcards