The complete HSK 1 vocabulary list — all 150 words with pinyin, tones, and English meanings. Download the free Excel spreadsheet to study offline, or browse the full table here.
HSK 1 is the entry point of the official Chinese proficiency framework. It covers 150 words — the most frequent, most useful everyday vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese. Mastering these 150 words is the single highest-leverage thing a beginner can do: they appear in virtually every Chinese text you will ever read and every conversation you will ever have.
Below is the complete HSK 1 word list — all 150 words with Chinese character, pinyin, English meaning, and category. You can also download the full list as a free Excel spreadsheet to study offline, import into Anki, or print out.
All 150 words. Two sheets: alphabetical & by category.
↓ Download Free HSK 1 Excel Vocabulary SheetFree download · No sign-up required · Works with Excel, Google Sheets & Numbers
Do not try to memorise all 150 words before you start reading. Work through the first 50 to 80 words and then immediately begin reading an HSK 1 graded story. Words you are learning will appear in context, which is where real retention happens. For an efficient review system, see the guide to using Anki for Chinese. For the full beginner roadmap, see how to read Chinese for beginners.
| # | Chinese | Pinyin | English Meaning | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 爱 | ài | to love; to like; affection | Verbs |
| 2 | 八 | bā | eight; 8 | Numbers |
| 3 | 爸爸 | bà ba | father (informal) | People |
| 4 | 杯子 | bēi zi | cup; glass | Objects |
| 5 | 北京 | běi jīng | Beijing; capital of China | Places |
| 6 | 本 | běn | classifier for books; origin; this | Grammar |
| 7 | 不客气 | bú kè qi | you're welcome; don't mention it | Phrases |
| 8 | 不 | bù | not; no (negative prefix) | Grammar |
| 9 | 菜 | cài | dish; vegetables; cuisine | Food & Drink |
| 10 | 茶 | chá | tea | Food & Drink |
| 11 | 吃 | chī | to eat; to have a meal | Verbs |
| 12 | 出租车 | chū zū chē | taxi | Travel |
| 13 | 打电话 | dǎ diàn huà | to make a phone call | Verbs |
| 14 | 大 | dà | big; large; great; major | Adjectives |
| 15 | 的 | de | structural particle (possessive/descriptive) | Grammar |
| 16 | 点 | diǎn | o'clock; a little; drop; dot | Time |
| 17 | 电脑 | diàn nǎo | computer | Objects |
| 18 | 电视 | diàn shì | television; TV | Objects |
| 19 | 电影 | diàn yǐng | movie; film | Objects |
| 20 | 东西 | dōng xi | thing; stuff; object | Objects |
| 21 | 都 | dōu | all; both; entirely; already | Grammar |
| 22 | 读 | dú | to read; to study | Verbs |
| 23 | 对不起 | duì bu qǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; pardon me | Phrases |
| 24 | 多 | duō | many; much; a lot of; more | Adjectives |
| 25 | 多少 | duō shǎo | how much; how many | Question Words |
| 26 | 儿子 | ér zi | son | People |
| 27 | 二 | èr | two; 2 | Numbers |
| 28 | 饭店 | fàn diàn | restaurant; hotel | Places |
| 29 | 飞机 | fēi jī | airplane | Travel |
| 30 | 分钟 | fēn zhōng | minute | Time |
| 31 | 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; cheerful | Adjectives |
| 32 | 个 | gè | general classifier (people/objects) | Grammar |
| 33 | 工作 | gōng zuò | job; work; task | Verbs |
| 34 | 狗 | gǒu | dog | Animals |
| 35 | 汉语 | hàn yǔ | Chinese language; Mandarin | Language |
| 36 | 好 | hǎo | good; well; fine; proper | Adjectives |
| 37 | 号 | hào | day of month; ordinal number | Time |
| 38 | 喝 | hē | to drink | Verbs |
| 39 | 和 | hé | and; with; together with | Grammar |
| 40 | 很 | hěn | very; quite; awfully | Grammar |
| 41 | 后面 | hòu miàn | rear; back; behind; afterwards | Directions |
| 42 | 回 | huí | to return; to go back; to answer | Verbs |
| 43 | 会 | huì | can; be able to; will; likely to | Grammar |
| 44 | 几 | jǐ | how many; several; a few | Question Words |
| 45 | 家 | jiā | home; family; household | People |
| 46 | 叫 | jiào | to call; to shout; to be called | Verbs |
| 47 | 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present day | Time |
| 48 | 九 | jiǔ | nine; 9 | Numbers |
| 49 | 开 | kāi | to open; to start; to turn on | Verbs |
| 50 | 看 | kàn | to look at; to watch; to read | Verbs |
| 51 | 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of | Verbs |
| 52 | 块 | kuài | yuan (currency); chunk; piece | Money |
| 53 | 来 | lái | to come; to arrive | Verbs |
| 54 | 老师 | lǎo shī | teacher | People |
| 55 | 了 | le | completed action marker (particle) | Grammar |
| 56 | 冷 | lěng | cold | Adjectives |
| 57 | 里 | lǐ | inside; interior; within | Directions |
| 58 | 六 | liù | six; 6 | Numbers |
| 59 | 吗 | ma | question particle (yes/no) | Grammar |
| 60 | 妈妈 | mā ma | mum; mama; mother | People |
| 61 | 买 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase | Verbs |
| 62 | 猫 | māo | cat | Animals |
| 63 | 没关系 | méi guān xi | it doesn't matter; never mind | Phrases |
| 64 | 没有 | méi yǒu | to not have; haven't; doesn't exist | Grammar |
| 65 | 米饭 | mǐ fàn | (cooked) rice | Food & Drink |
| 66 | 名字 | míng zi | name (of a person or thing) | People |
| 67 | 明天 | míng tiān | tomorrow | Time |
| 68 | 哪 | nǎ | which? (interrogative) | Question Words |
| 69 | 哪儿 | nǎ er | where?; wherever | Question Words |
| 70 | 那 | nà | that; those; then | Grammar |
| 71 | 呢 | ne | question particle (for topics already mentioned) | Grammar |
| 72 | 能 | néng | to be able to; can; capability | Grammar |
| 73 | 你 | nǐ | you (singular, informal) | Pronouns |
| 74 | 年 | nián | year | Time |
| 75 | 女儿 | nǚ ér | daughter | People |
| 76 | 朋友 | péng you | friend | People |
| 77 | 漂亮 | piào liang | pretty; beautiful | Adjectives |
| 78 | 苹果 | píng guǒ | apple | Food & Drink |
| 79 | 七 | qī | seven; 7 | Numbers |
| 80 | 前面 | qián miàn | ahead; in front; preceding | Directions |
| 81 | 钱 | qián | money; coin; currency | Money |
| 82 | 请 | qǐng | please; to invite; to ask | Phrases |
| 83 | 去 | qù | to go; to leave | Verbs |
| 84 | 热 | rè | hot (weather); heat; fervent | Adjectives |
| 85 | 人 | rén | person; people; man | People |
| 86 | 认识 | rèn shi | to know; to recognize; to be familiar with | Verbs |
| 87 | 三 | sān | three; 3 | Numbers |
| 88 | 商店 | shāng diàn | store; shop | Places |
| 89 | 上 | shàng | on; above; upper; previous | Directions |
| 90 | 上午 | shàng wǔ | morning (before noon) | Time |
| 91 | 少 | shǎo | few; little; scarce | Adjectives |
| 92 | 谁 | shéi | who; whom | Question Words |
| 93 | 什么 | shén me | what?; something; anything | Question Words |
| 94 | 十 | shí | ten; 10 | Numbers |
| 95 | 时候 | shí hou | time; moment; period | Time |
| 96 | 是 | shì | to be; is; am; are; yes | Grammar |
| 97 | 书 | shū | book; letter | Objects |
| 98 | 水 | shuǐ | water; river; liquid | Food & Drink |
| 99 | 水果 | shuǐ guǒ | fruit | Food & Drink |
| 100 | 睡觉 | shuì jiào | to go to bed; to sleep | Verbs |
| 101 | 说 | shuō | to speak; to say; to tell | Verbs |
| 102 | 四 | sì | four; 4 | Numbers |
| 103 | 岁 | suì | years old; classifier for age | Time |
| 104 | 他 | tā | he; him | Pronouns |
| 105 | 她 | tā | she; her | Pronouns |
| 106 | 太 | tài | too; extremely; very; overly | Grammar |
| 107 | 天气 | tiān qì | weather | Nature |
| 108 | 听 | tīng | to listen; to hear; to obey | Verbs |
| 109 | 同学 | tóng xué | classmate; fellow student | People |
| 110 | 喂 | wèi | hello (on phone); hey | Phrases |
| 111 | 我 | wǒ | I; me; my | Pronouns |
| 112 | 我们 | wǒ men | we; us; our | Pronouns |
| 113 | 五 | wǔ | five; 5 | Numbers |
| 114 | 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like; to be fond of; to enjoy | Verbs |
| 115 | 下 | xià | down; below; lower; next; under | Directions |
| 116 | 下午 | xià wǔ | afternoon; p.m. | Time |
| 117 | 下雨 | xià yǔ | to rain; rainy | Nature |
| 118 | 先生 | xiān sheng | Mr.; husband; teacher; doctor | People |
| 119 | 现在 | xiàn zài | now; at present; currently | Time |
| 120 | 想 | xiǎng | to think; to want; to miss; to believe | Verbs |
| 121 | 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; little; young | Adjectives |
| 122 | 小姐 | xiǎo jie | Miss; young lady; Ms. | People |
| 123 | 些 | xiē | some; a few; several | Grammar |
| 124 | 写 | xiě | to write | Verbs |
| 125 | 谢谢 | xiè xie | thank you; thanks | Phrases |
| 126 | 星期 | xīng qī | week; day of the week | Time |
| 127 | 学生 | xué sheng | student; pupil; school child | People |
| 128 | 学习 | xué xí | to learn; to study | Verbs |
| 129 | 学校 | xué xiào | school | Places |
| 130 | 一 | yī | one; 1; a (article); whole | Numbers |
| 131 | 一点儿 | yī diǎn er | a little (bit); a few | Grammar |
| 132 | 医生 | yī shēng | doctor; physician | People |
| 133 | 医院 | yī yuàn | hospital | Places |
| 134 | 衣服 | yī fu | clothes; clothing | Objects |
| 135 | 椅子 | yǐ zi | chair | Objects |
| 136 | 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; there are | Grammar |
| 137 | 月 | yuè | month; moon | Time |
| 138 | 再见 | zài jiàn | goodbye; see you later | Phrases |
| 139 | 在 | zài | at; in; to exist; located at | Grammar |
| 140 | 怎么 | zěn me | how?; why?; what? | Question Words |
| 141 | 怎么样 | zěn me yàng | how are things?; how about?; what's it like? | Question Words |
| 142 | 这 | zhè | this; these | Grammar |
| 143 | 中国 | zhōng guó | China; Middle Kingdom | Places |
| 144 | 中午 | zhōng wǔ | noon; midday | Time |
| 145 | 住 | zhù | to live; to dwell; to stay; to reside | Verbs |
| 146 | 桌子 | zhuō zi | table; desk | Objects |
| 147 | 字 | zì | character; letter; word; symbol | Language |
| 148 | 昨天 | zuó tiān | yesterday | Time |
| 149 | 做 | zuò | to do; to make; to produce; to act as | Verbs |
| 150 | 坐 | zuò | to sit; to take a seat; to take (transport) | Verbs |
Want to study offline or build your own flashcard deck? Download the free Excel spreadsheet — it includes two sheets: one sorted alphabetically by pinyin, one sorted by category. Works with Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers.
All 150 words. Two sheets: alphabetical & by category.
↓ Download Free HSK 1 Excel Vocabulary SheetFree download · No sign-up required · Works with Excel, Google Sheets & Numbers
Once you are comfortable with the majority of these 150 words, you are ready to start reading real graded content and move toward HSK 2. The Dumplingo graded stories are written specifically to use HSK 1 and HSK 2 vocabulary, so every word you have just learned will appear in context from the very first story.
For more on the HSK framework, see the HSK levels explained guide. If you are curious about how tones work across this vocabulary, the beginner's guide to Chinese tones covers everything you need. For reading practice specifically, how to improve your Chinese reading skills walks through the exact process of going from zero to independent reader.
The most important thing is to start reading as soon as possible. Open an HSK 1 story today — tap any word you do not know to see the pinyin and meaning instantly.