How many words are in HSK 1?

The official HSK Level 1 vocabulary has 150 words, and this list covers all of them, split into five themed decks.

Is this the official HSK 1 list?

Yes. Every word is cross-checked against the official HSK 2.0 vocabulary for Level 1, so nothing is added or left out. The example sentences and audio are our own, built to help you study the list, not copied from the exam.

Can I use these words in Anki?

Yes. Download the free .apkg file on this page and import it into Anki like any other deck. If you'd rather not configure FSRS yourself, study the same list in Recense instead.

Yes. Downloading the .apkg and CSV costs nothing and needs no account, and studying the list in Recense is included on the Free plan.

Do I need to know pinyin before I start?

No. Every word and example shows pinyin with tone marks next to the character, so you can start from zero and pick up the readings as you go.

The complete HSK 1 word list: all 150 words

Updated 2026-08-01

These are the 150 words tested on HSK Level 1, grouped into five themed decks: Greetings and People, Numbers Time and Money, Food Drink and Daily Life, Verbs and Actions, and Questions Pronouns and Connectors. Every word comes with pinyin, an English meaning, an example sentence, and native audio.

Who HSK 1 is for

HSK 1 is the first of six official levels, aimed at complete beginners: short phrases, common nouns, numbers, and everyday questions. If you're starting Mandarin from zero, or want a structured first checkpoint before the HSK 1 exam, this is where to begin.

How HSK 1 fits with the other levels

HSK 1's 150 words are the foundation the rest of the HSK 2.0 framework builds on. HSK 2 adds another 150 words on top of these for a cumulative 300, and each level after that keeps building the same way, up to HSK 4's cumulative 1,200.

Examples and audio

Every entry has its own example sentence, written to use words you already know at this level, with a translation and native audio for both the word and the sentence. Play a clip to hear the pronunciation before you commit it to memory: it is generated automatically, so every entry has it.

Download Anki deck (.apkg)Download CSV

Free, no account needed. Text is CC BY 4.0. Audio is generated speech, included for study.

Word, Pinyin, Meaning, Example
Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Example
爱	ài	to love	我爱你。 Wǒ ài nǐ. I love you.
爸爸	bàba	dad; father	这是我爸爸。 Zhè shì wǒ bàba. This is my dad.
不客气	bú kèqi	you're welcome	不客气，再见。 Bú kèqi, zàijiàn. You're welcome, goodbye.
对不起	duìbuqǐ	sorry	对不起，我来晚了。 Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le. Sorry, I'm late.
儿子	érzi	son	他的儿子是学生。 Tā de érzi shì xuéshēng. His son is a student.
家	jiā	home; family	我家有四个人。 Wǒ jiā yǒu sì ge rén. There are four people in my family.
汉语	Hànyǔ	Chinese language	我学习汉语。 Wǒ xuéxí Hànyǔ. I study Chinese.
老师	lǎoshī	teacher	我的老师是中国人。 Wǒ de lǎoshī shì Zhōngguó rén. My teacher is Chinese.
妈妈	māma	mom; mother	我妈妈喜欢喝茶。 Wǒ māma xǐhuan hē chá. My mom likes to drink tea.
没关系	méi guānxi	it doesn't matter	没关系，我们走吧。 Méi guānxi, wǒmen zǒu ba. It doesn't matter, let's go.
名字	míngzi	name	你叫什么名字？ Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? What is your name?
你	nǐ	you	你是学生吗？ Nǐ shì xuésheng ma? Are you a student?
女儿	nǚ'ér	daughter	我的女儿七岁。 Wǒ de nǚ'ér qī suì. My daughter is seven years old.
朋友	péngyou	friend	他是我的好朋友。 Tā shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou. He is my good friend.
请	qǐng	please; to invite	请喝茶。 Qǐng hē chá. Please have some tea.
人	rén	person; people	中国人很多。 Zhōngguó rén hěn duō. There are a lot of Chinese people.
他	tā	he; him	他是医生。 Tā shì yīshēng. He is a doctor.
她	tā	she; her	她是我妈妈。 Tā shì wǒ māma. She is my mom.
同学	tóngxué	classmate	他是我的同学。 Tā shì wǒ de tóngxué. He is my classmate.
喂	wèi	hello [on phone]	喂，你好！ Wèi, nǐ hǎo! Hello, hi! [answering the phone]
我	wǒ	I; me	我爱中国。 Wǒ ài Zhōngguó. I love China.
我们	wǒmen	we; us	我们是朋友。 Wǒmen shì péngyou. We are friends.
先生	xiānsheng	Mr.; sir	王先生是老师。 Wáng xiānsheng shì lǎoshī. Mr. Wang is a teacher.
小姐	xiǎojie	Miss; young lady	李小姐是医生。 Lǐ xiǎojie shì yīshēng. Miss Li is a doctor.
谢谢	xièxie	thanks; thank you	谢谢你的帮助。 Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù. Thank you for your help.
学生	xuésheng	student	他是学生。 Tā shì xuésheng. He is a student.
医生	yīshēng	doctor	我妈妈是医生。 Wǒ māma shì yīshēng. My mom is a doctor.
再见	zàijiàn	goodbye	老师，再见！ Lǎoshī, zàijiàn! Goodbye, teacher!
八	bā	eight	我家有八个人。 Wǒ jiā yǒu bā ge rén. There are eight people in my family.
本	běn	measure word for books	我有三本书。 Wǒ yǒu sān běn shū. I have three books.
点	diǎn	o'clock; dot	现在八点。 Xiànzài bā diǎn. It's eight o'clock now.
多少	duōshao	how many; how much	这个多少钱？ Zhège duōshao qián? How much is this?
二	èr	two	我有二十块钱。 Wǒ yǒu èrshí kuài qián. I have twenty yuan.
分钟	fēnzhōng	minute	请等五分钟。 Qǐng děng wǔ fēnzhōng. Please wait five minutes.
个	gè	general measure word	我有一个朋友。 Wǒ yǒu yí ge péngyou. I have one friend.
号	hào	day of month; number	今天是几号？ Jīntiān shì jǐ hào? What's the date today?
几	jǐ	how many; several	你家有几个人？ Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ ge rén? How many people are in your family?
今天	jīntiān	today	今天是星期一。 Jīntiān shì xīngqīyī. Today is Monday.
九	jiǔ	nine	现在九点。 Xiànzài jiǔ diǎn. It's nine o'clock now.
块	kuài	yuan; piece	这本书十块钱。 Zhè běn shū shí kuài qián. This book is ten yuan.
六	liù	six	我儿子六岁。 Wǒ érzi liù suì. My son is six years old.
明天	míngtiān	tomorrow	明天见！ Míngtiān jiàn! See you tomorrow!
年	nián	year	我学习汉语一年了。 Wǒ xuéxí Hànyǔ yì nián le. I've studied Chinese for one year.
七	qī	seven	现在七点。 Xiànzài qī diǎn. It's seven o'clock now.
钱	qián	money	我没有钱。 Wǒ méiyǒu qián. I don't have any money.
三	sān	three	我有三个孩子。 Wǒ yǒu sān ge háizi. I have three children.
上午	shàngwǔ	morning	上午我去学校。 Shàngwǔ wǒ qù xuéxiào. In the morning I go to school.
十	shí	ten	我有十本书。 Wǒ yǒu shí běn shū. I have ten books.
时候	shíhou	time; moment	你什么时候来？ Nǐ shénme shíhou lái? When are you coming?
四	sì	four	现在四点。 Xiànzài sì diǎn. It's four o'clock now.
岁	suì	years of age	我今年二十岁。 Wǒ jīnnián èrshí suì. I'm twenty years old this year.
五	wǔ	five	我有五个朋友。 Wǒ yǒu wǔ ge péngyou. I have five friends.
下午	xiàwǔ	afternoon	下午我们喝茶。 Xiàwǔ wǒmen hē chá. In the afternoon we drink tea.
些	xiē	some; a few	我买了一些书。 Wǒ mǎi le yìxiē shū. I bought some books.
星期	xīngqī	week	今天星期几？ Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ? What day of the week is it today?
现在	xiànzài	now	现在几点？ Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? What time is it now?
一	yī	one	我有一个哥哥。 Wǒ yǒu yí ge gēge. I have one older brother.
一点儿	yìdiǎnr	a little; a bit	我会说一点儿汉语。 Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Hànyǔ. I can speak a little Chinese.
月	yuè	month; moon	今天是几月几号？ Jīntiān shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào? What's today's date?
中午	zhōngwǔ	noon; midday	中午我们吃饭。 Zhōngwǔ wǒmen chīfàn. At noon we have a meal.
昨天	zuótiān	yesterday	昨天我没去学校。 Zuótiān wǒ méi qù xuéxiào. Yesterday I didn't go to school.
杯子	bēizi	cup; glass	这个杯子是我的。 Zhège bēizi shì wǒ de. This cup is mine.
菜	cài	dish; vegetable	这个菜很好吃。 Zhège cài hěn hǎochī. This dish is very tasty.
茶	chá	tea	我喜欢喝茶。 Wǒ xǐhuan hē chá. I like to drink tea.
出租车	chūzūchē	taxi	我们坐出租车去。 Wǒmen zuò chūzūchē qù. We'll go by taxi.
电脑	diànnǎo	computer	这是我的电脑。 Zhè shì wǒ de diànnǎo. This is my computer.
电视	diànshì	television	妈妈在看电视。 Māma zài kàn diànshì. Mom is watching television.
电影	diànyǐng	movie; film	我们去看电影。 Wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng. We're going to see a movie.
东西	dōngxi	thing; stuff	我去商店买东西。 Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi. I'm going to the shop to buy things.
饭店	fàndiàn	restaurant; hotel	我们去饭店吃饭。 Wǒmen qù fàndiàn chīfàn. We're going to the restaurant to eat.
飞机	fēijī	airplane	他坐飞机去中国。 Tā zuò fēijī qù Zhōngguó. He's going to China by plane.
狗	gǒu	dog	我家有一只狗。 Wǒ jiā yǒu yì zhī gǒu. We have a dog at home.
冷	lěng	cold	今天很冷。 Jīntiān hěn lěng. It's very cold today.
猫	māo	cat	那只猫很小。 Nà zhī māo hěn xiǎo. That cat is very small.
米饭	mǐfàn	cooked rice	我想吃米饭。 Wǒ xiǎng chī mǐfàn. I want to eat rice.
苹果	píngguǒ	apple	我买了五个苹果。 Wǒ mǎi le wǔ ge píngguǒ. I bought five apples.
热	rè	hot	今天天气很热。 Jīntiān tiānqì hěn rè. The weather is very hot today.
商店	shāngdiàn	shop; store	商店在学校旁边。 Shāngdiàn zài xuéxiào pángbiān. The shop is next to the school.
书	shū	book	我在看一本书。 Wǒ zài kàn yì běn shū. I'm reading a book.
水	shuǐ	water	我想喝水。 Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ. I want to drink water.
水果	shuǐguǒ	fruit	我喜欢吃水果。 Wǒ xǐhuan chī shuǐguǒ. I like to eat fruit.
天气	tiānqì	weather	今天的天气怎么样？ Jīntiān de tiānqì zěnmeyàng? What's the weather like today?
下雨	xiàyǔ	to rain	明天会下雨。 Míngtiān huì xiàyǔ. It will rain tomorrow.
学校	xuéxiào	school	我的学校很大。 Wǒ de xuéxiào hěn dà. My school is very big.
医院	yīyuàn	hospital	妈妈在医院工作。 Māma zài yīyuàn gōngzuò. Mom works at the hospital.
衣服	yīfu	clothes	这件衣服很漂亮。 Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn piàoliang. These clothes are very pretty.
椅子	yǐzi	chair	这把椅子是新的。 Zhè bǎ yǐzi shì xīn de. This chair is new.
桌子	zhuōzi	table; desk	书在桌子上。 Shū zài zhuōzi shàng. The book is on the table.
字	zì	character; word	这个字怎么写？ Zhège zì zěnme xiě? How do you write this character?
吃	chī	to eat	我想吃苹果。 Wǒ xiǎng chī píngguǒ. I want to eat an apple.
打电话	dǎ diànhuà	to make a phone call	我给妈妈打电话。 Wǒ gěi māma dǎ diànhuà. I'm calling my mom.
读	dú	to read	他在读书。 Tā zài dú shū. He is reading a book.
工作	gōngzuò	to work; job	爸爸在医院工作。 Bàba zài yīyuàn gōngzuò. Dad works at the hospital.
喝	hē	to drink	我想喝茶。 Wǒ xiǎng hē chá. I want to drink tea.
回	huí	to return	我下午回家。 Wǒ xiàwǔ huí jiā. I'll go home in the afternoon.
会	huì	can; will	我会说汉语。 Wǒ huì shuō Hànyǔ. I can speak Chinese.
叫	jiào	to be called	我叫王明。 Wǒ jiào Wáng Míng. My name is Wang Ming.
开	kāi	to open; to drive	请开门。 Qǐng kāi mén. Please open the door.
看	kàn	to look; to watch	我们看电影吧。 Wǒmen kàn diànyǐng ba. Let's watch a movie.
看见	kànjiàn	to see	我看见老师了。 Wǒ kànjiàn lǎoshī le. I saw the teacher.
来	lái	to come	你来吗？ Nǐ lái ma? Are you coming?
买	mǎi	to buy	我去商店买水果。 Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi shuǐguǒ. I'm going to the shop to buy fruit.
没有	méiyǒu	to not have	我没有朋友。 Wǒ méiyǒu péngyou. I don't have any friends.
能	néng	can; to be able to	你能来吗？ Nǐ néng lái ma? Can you come?
去	qù	to go	我去学校。 Wǒ qù xuéxiào. I go to school.
认识	rènshi	to know; to recognize	很高兴认识你。 Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. Nice to meet you.
是	shì	to be; yes	我是学生。 Wǒ shì xuéshēng. I am a student.
睡觉	shuìjiào	to sleep	孩子在睡觉。 Háizi zài shuìjiào. The child is sleeping.
说	shuō	to speak; to say	请说慢一点儿。 Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎnr. Please speak a little slower.
听	tīng	to listen	我喜欢听音乐。 Wǒ xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè. I like to listen to music.
喜欢	xǐhuan	to like	我喜欢猫。 Wǒ xǐhuan māo. I like cats.
想	xiǎng	to want; to think	我想看电影。 Wǒ xiǎng kàn diànyǐng. I want to watch a movie.
写	xiě	to write	请写你的名字。 Qǐng xiě nǐ de míngzi. Please write your name.
学习	xuéxí	to study; to learn	我每天学习汉语。 Wǒ měitiān xuéxí Hànyǔ. I study Chinese every day.
有	yǒu	to have; there is	我有三个朋友。 Wǒ yǒu sān ge péngyou. I have three friends.
住	zhù	to live; to stay	我住在北京。 Wǒ zhù zài Běijīng. I live in Beijing.
做	zuò	to do; to make	妈妈在做菜。 Māma zài zuò cài. Mom is cooking.
坐	zuò	to sit	请坐。 Qǐng zuò. Please sit down.
北京	Běijīng	Beijing	我想去北京。 Wǒ xiǎng qù Běijīng. I want to go to Beijing.
不	bù	not; no	我不喝茶。 Wǒ bù hē chá. I don't drink tea.
大	dà	big; large	我家很大。 Wǒ jiā hěn dà. My home is very big.
的	de	possessive particle	这是我的书。 Zhè shì wǒ de shū. This is my book.
都	dōu	all; both	他们都是老师。 Tāmen dōu shì lǎoshī. They are all teachers.
多	duō	many; much	这里的书很多。 Zhèlǐ de shū hěn duō. There are a lot of books here.
高兴	gāoxìng	happy; glad	今天我很高兴。 Jīntiān wǒ hěn gāoxìng. I'm very happy today.
好	hǎo	good; well	他是一个好人。 Tā shì yí ge hǎo rén. He is a good person.
和	hé	and; with	我和他是朋友。 Wǒ hé tā shì péngyou. He and I are friends.
很	hěn	very	她很漂亮。 Tā hěn piàoliang. She is very pretty.
后面	hòumiàn	behind; back	学校在医院后面。 Xuéxiào zài yīyuàn hòumiàn. The school is behind the hospital.
了	le	completed-action particle	我吃了。 Wǒ chī le. I have eaten.
里	lǐ	inside	妈妈在家里。 Māma zài jiā lǐ. Mom is at home.
吗	ma	question particle	你好吗？ Nǐ hǎo ma? How are you?
哪	nǎ	which	你喜欢哪个？ Nǐ xǐhuan nǎ ge? Which one do you like?
哪儿	nǎr	where	你去哪儿？ Nǐ qù nǎr? Where are you going?
那	nà	that; those	那是我的书。 Nà shì wǒ de shū. That is my book.
呢	ne	question particle	我很好，你呢？ Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne? I'm fine, and you?
漂亮	piàoliang	pretty; beautiful	她的女儿很漂亮。 Tā de nǚ'ér hěn piàoliang. Her daughter is very pretty.
前面	qiánmiàn	in front; ahead	商店在前面。 Shāngdiàn zài qiánmiàn. The shop is up ahead.
上	shàng	up; on	你的书在桌子上。 Nǐ de shū zài zhuōzi shàng. Your book is on the table.
少	shǎo	few; little	今天人很少。 Jīntiān rén hěn shǎo. There are few people today.
谁	shéi	who	他是谁？ Tā shì shéi? Who is he?
什么	shénme	what	这是什么？ Zhè shì shénme? What is this?
太	tài	too; excessively	这件衣服太大了。 Zhè jiàn yīfu tài dà le. These clothes are too big.
下	xià	down; below	猫在椅子下。 Māo zài yǐzi xià. The cat is under the chair.
小	xiǎo	small; little	这个杯子很小。 Zhège bēizi hěn xiǎo. This cup is very small.
在	zài	at; in; on	妈妈在家。 Māma zài jiā. Mom is at home.
怎么	zěnme	how	这个字怎么读？ Zhège zì zěnme dú? How do you read this character?
怎么样	zěnmeyàng	how about; how is it	我们去喝茶，怎么样？ Wǒmen qù hē chá, zěnmeyàng? Let's go drink tea, how about it?
这	zhè	this; these	这是我的老师。 Zhè shì wǒ de lǎoshī. This is my teacher.
中国	Zhōngguó	China	他在中国学习汉语。 Tā zài Zhōngguó xuéxí Hànyǔ. He studies Chinese in China.

How to study the list

The 150 words are grouped into five themed decks: Greetings and People, Numbers Time and Money, Food Drink and Daily Life, Verbs and Actions, and Questions Pronouns and Connectors. Work through them in order, or start with whichever topic you need first.

Each themed deck holds about 30 words, so at Recense's default pace of 20 new cards a day per deck you'll meet a deck's words in two days. Add the decks one at a time to keep the daily load steady, or add all five to move faster. Either way, reviews keep coming back on their own FSRS schedule, spaced further apart each time you remember a word; you can raise or lower the daily pace anytime in Settings.

Questions

How many words are in HSK 1?: The official HSK Level 1 vocabulary has 150 words, and this list covers all of them, split into five themed decks.
Is this the official HSK 1 list?: Yes. Every word is cross-checked against the official HSK 2.0 vocabulary for Level 1, so nothing is added or left out. The example sentences and audio are our own, built to help you study the list, not copied from the exam.
Can I use these words in Anki?: Yes. Download the free .apkg file on this page and import it into Anki like any other deck. If you'd rather not configure FSRS yourself, study the same list in Recense instead.
Is it free?: Yes. Downloading the .apkg and CSV costs nothing and needs no account, and studying the list in Recense is included on the Free plan.
Do I need to know pinyin before I start?: No. Every word and example shows pinyin with tone marks next to the character, so you can start from zero and pick up the readings as you go.

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