HSK 1 Vocabulary List: 150 Words with Pinyin, Tones & Audio
Every word on the HSK 1 list with pinyin, English meaning and audio you can play. Filter by tone pattern, search any character, and export the list to CSV, Anki or PDF.
Word list based on the HSK 2.0 standard.
How many words are in HSK 1?
Under the original HSK 2.0 standard, HSK 1 adds 150 new words, for a cumulative 150 counting every level below it. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard is bigger: 500 new words at HSK 1, or 500 cumulative. This page lists 150 unique entries with pinyin, English meanings and audio — the de-duplicated HSK 2.0 list, so the figure can differ by a word or two from the headline number.
83 are single-syllable words, 60 are two-syllable and 7 are longer — 224 syllables to pronounce in total.
This page shows the first 100 of 150 words. The rest continue in the parts below; search and the exports cover the whole list.
| # | Character | Pinyin | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute); (used to form a nominal expression) | |
| 2 | 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) | |
| 3 | 我 | wǒ | I; me; my | |
| 4 | 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well | |
| 5 | 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您) | |
| 6 | 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) | |
| 7 | 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- | |
| 8 | 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 意 intentional) | |
| 9 | 他 | tā | he; him (used for either sex when the sex is unknown or unimportant); (used before sb's name for emphasis); (used as a meaningless mock object) | |
| 10 | 这這 | 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) | |
| 11 | 个個 | gě | used in 自个儿 | |
| 12 | 和咊 | hé | old variant of 和 | |
| 13 | 人 | rén | person; people | |
| 14 | 我们我們 | wǒ men | we; us; ourselves | |
| 15 | 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right! | |
| 16 | 一 | yī | one; single; a (article) | |
| 17 | 会會 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together | |
| 18 | 都 | Dū | surname Du | |
| 19 | 上 | shǎng | used in 上声 | |
| 20 | 来來 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回来) | |
| 21 | 很 | hěn | (adverb of degree); quite; very | |
| 22 | 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last | |
| 23 | 她 | tā | she | |
| 24 | 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that) | |
| 25 | 能 | Néng | surname Neng | |
| 26 | 那 | Nā | surname Na | |
| 27 | 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch | |
| 28 | 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc) | |
| 29 | 什么什麼 | shén me | what?; something; anything | |
| 30 | 点點 | diǎn | point; dot; drop | |
| 31 | 没沒 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not | |
| 32 | 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 姐) | |
| 33 | 下 | xià | down; downwards; below | |
| 34 | 里裏 | lǐ | variant of 里 | |
| 35 | 现在現在 | xiàn zài | now; at present; at the moment | |
| 36 | 年 | Nián | surname Nian | |
| 37 | 多 | duō | many; much; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd | |
| 38 | 吗嗎 | má | (coll.) what? | |
| 39 | 太 | tài | highest; greatest; too (much) | |
| 40 | 呢 | ne | particle indicating that a previously asked question is to be applied to the preceding word ("What about ...?", "And ...?"); particle for inquiring about location ("Where is ...?"); particle signaling a pause, to emphasize the preceding words and allow the listener time to take them on board ("ok?", "are you with me?") | |
| 41 | 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few | |
| 42 | 时候時候 | shí hou | time; length of time; moment | |
| 43 | 工作 | gōng zuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate; job | |
| 44 | 家傢 | jiā | used in 家伙 and 家俱 | |
| 45 | 怎么怎麼 | zěn me | how?; what?; why? | |
| 46 | 爱愛 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) | |
| 47 | 喜欢喜歡 | xǐ huan | to like; to be fond of | |
| 48 | 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy | |
| 49 | 谁誰 | shéi | who; also pr. [shuí] | |
| 50 | 今天 | jīn tiān | today; at the present; now | |
| 51 | 月 | yuè | moon; month; monthly | |
| 52 | 几 | jī | small table | |
| 53 | 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic) | |
| 54 | 开開 | kāi | to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start; to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run | |
| 55 | 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order | |
| 56 | 请請 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth) | |
| 57 | 钱錢 | Qián | surname Qian | |
| 58 | 本 | běn | root; stem; origin | |
| 59 | 回 | huí | to circle; to go back; to turn around | |
| 60 | 东西東西 | dōng xī | east and west | |
| 61 | 三 | Sān | surname San | |
| 62 | 买買 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase | |
| 63 | 岁嵗 | suì | variant of 岁, year; years old | |
| 64 | 朋友 | péng you | friend | |
| 65 | 住 | zhù | to live; to dwell; to stay | |
| 66 | 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui | |
| 67 | 写寫 | xiě | to write | |
| 68 | 日 | Rì | abbr. for 本, Japan | |
| 69 | 喝 | hē | to drink; variant of 嗬 | |
| 70 | 学校學校 | xué xiào | school | |
| 71 | 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo | |
| 72 | 认识認識 | rèn shi | to know; to recognize; to be familiar with | |
| 73 | 分钟分鐘 | fēn zhōng | minute | |
| 74 | 明天 | míng tiān | tomorrow | |
| 75 | 四 | sì | four; 4 | |
| 76 | 块塊 | kuài | lump; chunk; piece; classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc; (coll.) classifier for money and currency units | |
| 77 | 谢谢謝謝 | xiè xie | to thank; thanks; thank you | |
| 78 | 多少 | duō shǎo | number; amount; somewhat | |
| 79 | 妈妈媽媽 | mā ma | mama; mommy; mother | |
| 80 | 少 | shǎo | few; less; to lack | |
| 81 | 电影電影 | diàn yǐng | movie; film | |
| 82 | 哪 | nǎ | how; which | |
| 83 | 昨天 | zuó tiān | yesterday | |
| 84 | 书書 | Shū | abbr. for 书经 | |
| 85 | 五 | wǔ | five; 5 | |
| 86 | 先生 | xiān sheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.); husband | |
| 87 | 医院醫院 | yī yuàn | hospital | |
| 88 | 些 | xiē | classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several | |
| 89 | 狗 | gǒu | dog | |
| 90 | 学生學生 | xué sheng | student; schoolchild | |
| 91 | 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid | |
| 92 | 儿子兒子 | ér zi | son | |
| 93 | 中国中國 | Zhōng guó | China | |
| 94 | 电视電視 | diàn shì | television; TV | |
| 95 | 下午 | xià wǔ | afternoon; p.m. | |
| 96 | 学习學習 | xué xí | to learn; to study | |
| 97 | 老师老師 | lǎo shī | teacher | |
| 98 | 六 | liù | six; 6 | |
| 99 | 医生醫生 | yī shēng | doctor | |
| 100 | 名字 | míng zi | name (of a person or thing) |
Tones in HSK 1
Vocabulary lists tell you what to memorize. Tone counts tell you what to practise. Here is how the 224 syllables of HSK 1 break down.
Tone distribution
Fourth tone is the workhorse of Mandarin, and HSK 1 is no exception: tone 4 covers 28% of the syllables on this list.
Most common tone pairs
60 of these words are two syllables long, and a handful of tone pairs account for most of them. Tap a pattern to filter the list.
- 4–37 wordse.g. 电影 diàn yǐng
- 1–16 wordse.g. 今天 jīn tiān
- 1–46 wordse.g. 工作 gōng zuò
- 2–06 wordse.g. 什么 shén me
- 1–05 wordse.g. 妈妈 mā ma
- 3–05 wordse.g. 我们 wǒ men
- 4–05 wordse.g. 认识 rèn shi
- 4–45 wordse.g. 现在 xiàn zài
0 = neutral tone
Pronunciation traps in this list
Counted straight from the pinyin above — these are the words worth recording yourself on.
HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0 at level 1
Two vocabulary standards are in circulation, which is why you will see wildly different word counts for the same level.
| Standard | New words | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 2.0 (2009) | 150 | 150 |
| HSK 3.0 (2021) | 500 | 500 |
HSK 2.0 (2009) is the six-level standard nearly every textbook, course and exam-prep book on the market still teaches. HSK 3.0 — officially the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards, published in 2021 — keeps the level names but roughly doubles the vocabulary and adds a 7–9 band for advanced learners. Exam centres are still migrating, so unless your course explicitly says HSK 3.0, the 2.0 list is the one you are being tested on.
This page follows the HSK 2.0 list, the version most HSK 1 courses and exam papers still use.
How many words are in HSK 1?
HSK 1 adds 150 new words under the HSK 2.0 standard (150 cumulative from HSK 1), or 500 under HSK 3.0 (500 cumulative). This page lists 150 unique entries with pinyin, meaning and audio.
What is HSK?
HSK (汉语水平考试) is the official Chinese proficiency test. Each level has a set vocabulary list you are expected to know, and the test assumes you can both read and say every word on it.
Can I download the HSK 1 word list?
Yes, three ways and none of them need an account: Download CSV opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers; Anki deck gives you a tab-separated file you can import straight into Anki or Quizlet; Print / PDF produces a clean printable list with no site furniture.
What is the difference between HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 for HSK 1?
HSK 2.0 (2009) sets HSK 1 at 150 new words. The 2021 HSK 3.0 standard raises it to 500 and adds an advanced 7–9 band. Most courses and exam papers still follow the 2.0 list, which is the one on this page.
Does the HSK 1 list include pinyin?
Every entry shows pinyin with tone marks next to the simplified and traditional characters and the English meaning, and the speaker icon plays the word out loud.
Which tones matter most in HSK 1?
Tone 4 is the most frequent, covering 28% of the 224 syllables on this list. 1 of the words contain two third tones in a row, where third-tone sandhi applies.
How long does it take to learn the HSK 1 vocabulary?
At ten new words a day, 150 words is roughly 3 weeks of study — but recognising a word is not the same as saying it. Learners who record themselves from day one hit the speaking sections far more comfortably.
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