The complete list of official HSK1 vocabulary: every word with its character, tone-coloured pinyin and English meaning.
HSK1 is the first official Mandarin Chinese exam (汉语水平考试) and covers 150 vocabulary words. Here they all are, grouped by word type. Tap a group to expand it.
Tones: ■ 1st ■ 2nd ■ 3rd ■ 4th ■ neutral
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不客气 | búkèqi | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | sorry; excuse me |
| 读 | dú | to read; to study |
| 打电话 | dǎdiànhuà | to make a phone call |
| 工作 | gōngzuò | work; to work |
| 会 | huì | can; know how to; will |
| 回 | huí | to return; to go back |
| 喝 | hē | to drink |
| 叫 | jiào | to be called; to call; to shout |
| 看 | kàn | to look; to watch; to read |
| 看见 | kànjiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 开 | kāi | to open; to drive; to start |
| 来 | lái | to come |
| 没关系 | méiguānxi | it doesn't matter; no problem |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase |
| 能 | néng | can; to be able to |
| 去 | qù | to go |
| 请 | qǐng | please; to invite |
| 认识 | rènshi | to know; to recognize |
| 睡觉 | shuìjiào | to sleep |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 是 | shì | to be; yes |
| 听 | tīng | to listen; to hear |
| 下雨 | xiàyǔ | to rain |
| 谢谢 | xièxie | thank you; thanks |
| 写 | xiě | to write |
| 想 | xiǎng | to want; to think; to miss |
| 学习 | xuéxí | to study; to learn |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuān | to like; to enjoy |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is/are |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside |
| 坐 | zuò | to sit; to take (transport) |
| 做 | zuò | to do; to make |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye; see you |
| 爱 | ài | to love; love |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 爸爸 | bàba | father; dad |
| 杯子 | bēizi | cup; glass |
| 北京 | Běijīng | Beijing; Peking |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi; cab |
| 菜 | cài | vegetable; dish; food |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 电视 | diànshì | television; TV |
| 电影 | diànyǐng | movie; film |
| 点 | diǎn | o'clock; a little |
| 东西 | dōngxi | thing; object |
| 饭馆 | fànguǎn | restaurant |
| 飞机 | fēijī | airplane; plane |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog |
| 火车站 | huǒchēzhàn | train station; railway station |
| 汉语 | Hànyǔ | Chinese (Mandarin); the Chinese language |
| 号 | hào | number; day of the month |
| 后面 | hòumian | behind; at the back |
| 家 | jiā | home; house; family |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 里 | lǐ | inside; interior |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 名字 | míngzi | name |
| 妈妈 | māma | mother; mom |
| 猫 | māo | cat |
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | cooked rice |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 女儿 | nǚér | daughter |
| 朋友 | péngyou | friend |
| 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple |
| 钱 | qián | money |
| 前面 | qiánmian | in front; ahead |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 日 | rì | day; sun |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
| 上 | shàng | above; on; upper |
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | morning (AM) |
| 时候 | shíhou | time; moment; when |
| 商店 | shāngdiàn | shop; store |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 书 | shū | book |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 同学 | tóngxué | classmate |
| 下 | xià | below; under; down |
| 现在 | xiànzài | now; currently |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon (PM) |
| 先生 | xiānsheng | Mr.; husband; teacher (formal) |
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | Miss; young lady |
| 学生 | xuésheng | student; pupil |
| 学校 | xuéxiào | school |
| 星期 | xīngqī | week; day of the week |
| 月 | yuè | month; moon |
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes; clothing |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor; physician |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
| 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
| 桌子 | zhuōzi | table; desk |
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon; midday |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 字 | zì | character; written word |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 在 | zài | at; in; on; to be at |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 和 | hé | and; with |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 喂 | wèi | hey!; hello (on phone) |
Every character hides an image or a story. Uncovering it is the best way to make it stick.
苹 (apple; grass radical + 平 'flat') + 果 (fruit). Literally 'flat fruit', though there's no firm agreement on the exact origin.
Giving apples on Christmas Eve (平安夜, píng'ān yè) is a tradition invented by young Chinese, because 'apple' (苹果, píngguǒ) sounds like 'peace' (平安, píng'ān). Students give gift-wrapped apples to their friends.
Radical 宀 (roof) + 豕 (pig). In ancient China, having a pig under the roof meant wealth and stability — hence 'home'.
It's also the measure word for families or businesses: '一家店' (one shop). On New Year's Day, people head back '家' (home) to reunite with family.
东 (east) + 西 (west). Literally 'east and west', but since everything lies between these two points, it came to mean 'thing'.
In Chinese, '东西' can also refer to a person, but it's derogatory: '你这什么东西' ('what kind of person are you?'). It's also in 买东西 (to go shopping).
Radical 犭 (animal) + 苗 (sprout, phonetic). The cat is a small, nimble animal.
The famous 'lucky cat' (招财猫, zhāocái māo) is a ceramic figure that waves its paw to draw customers and money to a business. It's hugely popular in Chinese restaurants and shops.
This list will always be here whenever you need it. And when you feel like really practising and making the words stick, the HSK 1 Lan app has everything you need:
The official HSK1 has 150 vocabulary words. They are all in this list, with their character (hanzi), pinyin and meaning. We also include a few common variants and word forms, so you will see a handful of rows more than 150.
Each colour marks one of the four tones of Mandarin Chinese: first tone (high and level), second tone (rising), third tone (low) and fourth tone (falling). Syllables with no colour are neutral tone. Seeing the tone at a glance helps you memorise the right pronunciation.
Yes. They are grouped by word type (pronouns, numbers, verbs, adjectives, nouns, etc.) and, within each group, in alphabetical pinyin order, so they are easy to find and study in blocks.
For HSK1 you should recognise the characters, not just the pinyin. Start with the meaning and the pronunciation through pinyin, then link each word to its hanzi. Understanding the radicals that make up each character makes them far easier to remember.
In the HSK 1 Lan app. This page is the reference list; in the app you can practise every word with exercises, pronunciation audio, animated stroke order, smart answer checking and 150 example phrases to fix the vocabulary in context.
