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HSK 1 一级 2.0
The entry tier: a small set of the highest-frequency words and phrases, enough to meet the most basic, concrete communication needs. This is the older six-level HSK 2.0 list. Learn the words in frequency order and the rest of the level gets far easier.
150New words
150Cumulative
37.4%Spoken coverage
ElementaryTier
Quick answer
How many words are in HSK 1 (2.0), and what is on the list?
HSK 1 under the older HSK 2.0 standard contains 150 new words, the first 150 words of the six-level scheme. The full list is below, highest-frequency entries first, each with simplified and traditional hanzi, tone-marked pinyin, part of speech, a corpus frequency rank, an English gloss, and the level the same word sits at in the newer nine-level HSK 3.0 scheme. In HSK 3.0 the equivalent Level 1 holds 506 new words, so the two standards do not line up one to one.
Knowing every HSK 2.0 word up to and including Level 1 means you recognize about 37.4% of the running words in everyday spoken Chinese (film and TV subtitles), because the most frequent words are front-loaded into the lower levels. That is token coverage, not full comprehension. See the full ladder.
On the current standard See HSK 1 on the new HSK 3.0 scale The 2021 HSK 3.0 Level 1 list holds 506 words, a different set. Open the full 3.0 table with its own 2.0-vs-3.0 toggle.
| # | 简 | 繁 | Pīnyīn | POS | HSK 3.0 | Freq | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 的 | = | de | part | 1 | 1 | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute) |
| 2 | 了 | = | le | part | 1 | 3 | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) |
| 3 | 我 | = | wǒ | pron | 1 | 3 | I; me; my |
| 4 | 是 | = | shì | verb | 1 | 4 | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true |
| 5 | 你 | = | nǐ | pron | 1 | 5 | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您) |
| 6 | 在 | = | zài | prep | 1 | 5 | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at |
| 7 | 不 | = | bù | adv | 1 | 9 | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 8 | 有 | = | yǒu | verb | 1 | 9 | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 意 intentional) |
| 9 | 他 | = | tā | pron | 1 | 10 | he; him (used for either sex when the sex is unknown or unimportant); (used before sb's... |
| 10 | 这 | 這 | zhè | pron | 1 | 11 | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) |
| 11 | 个 | 個 | gě | meas | 1 | 19 | used in 自个儿 |
| 12 | 人 | = | rén | noun | 1 | 19 | person; people |
| 13 | 和 | 咊 | hé | conj | 1 | 19 | old variant of 和 |
| 14 | 我们 | 我們 | wǒ men | pron | 1 | 19 | we; us |
| 15 | 好 | = | hǎo | adj | 1 | 20 | good; appropriate; proper |
| 16 | 一 | = | yī | num | 1 | 21 | one; single |
| 17 | 会 | 會 | huì | verb | 1 | 23 | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to |
| 18 | 都 | = | Dū | adv | 1 | 25 | surname Du |
| 19 | 上 | = | shǎng | loc | 1 | 29 | used in 上声 |
| 20 | 来 | 來 | lái | verb | 1 | 31 | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) |
| 21 | 很 | = | hěn | adv | 1 | 35 | (adverb of degree); quite |
| 22 | 去 | = | qù | verb | 1 | 38 | to go; to go to (a place) |
| 23 | 她 | = | tā | pron | 1 | 38 | she |
| 24 | 想 | = | xiǎng | verb | 1 | 44 | to think (about); to think of; to devise |
| 25 | 能 | = | Néng | verb | 1 | 46 | surname Neng |
| 26 | 那 | = | Nā | pron | 1 | 48 | surname Na |
| 27 | 看 | = | kān | verb | 1 | 52 | to look after; to take care of |
| 28 | 做 | = | zuò | verb | 1 | 53 | to make; to produce; to write; to compose |
| 29 | 什么 | 什麼 | shén me | pron | 1 | 55 | what?; something |
| 30 | 点 | 點 | diǎn | meas | 1 | 58 | point; dot |
| 31 | 没 | 沒 | méi | adv | 1 | 63 | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 32 | 大 | = | dà | adj | 1 | 66 | big; large; great; older (than another person) |
| 33 | 下 | = | xià | verb | 1 | 70 | down; downwards |
| 34 | 里 | 裏 | lǐ | loc | 1 | 75 | variant of 里 |
| 35 | 现在 | 現在 | xiàn zài | time | 1 | 77 | now; at present |
| 36 | 年 | = | Nián | meas | 1 | 79 | surname Nian |
| 37 | 多 | = | duō | adj | 1 | 80 | many; much; too many; in excess |
| 38 | 吗 | 嗎 | má | part | 1 | 83 | (coll.) what? |
| 39 | 太 | = | tài | adv | 1 | 87 | highest; greatest |
| 40 | 呢 | = | ne | part | 1 | 96 | particle indicating that a previously asked question is to be applied to the preceding... |
| 41 | 小 | = | xiǎo | adj | 1 | 100 | small; tiny |
| 42 | 时候 | 時候 | shí hou | noun | 1 | 107 | time; length of time |
| 43 | 工作 | = | gōng zuò | v/n | 1 | 111 | to work; (of a machine) to operate |
| 44 | 家 | 傢 | jiā | noun | 1 | 124 | used in 家伙 and 家俱 |
| 45 | 怎么 | 怎麼 | zěn me | pron | 1 | 128 | how?; what? |
| 46 | 爱 | 愛 | ài | verb | 1 | 130 | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection |
| 47 | 喜欢 | 喜歡 | xǐ huan | verb | 1 | 139 | to like; to be fond of |
| 48 | 吃 | = | chī | verb | 1 | 142 | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc) |
| 49 | 谁 | 誰 | shéi | pron | 1 | 142 | who |
| 50 | 今天 | = | jīn tiān | time | 1 | 155 | today; at the present |
| 51 | 月 | = | yuè | noun | 1 | 161 | moon; month |
| 52 | 几 | = | jī | num | 1 | 178 | small table |
| 53 | 听 | = | yǐn | verb | 1 | 190 | smile (archaic) |
| 54 | 开 | 開 | kāi | verb | 1 | 195 | to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start |
| 55 | 叫 | = | jiào | verb | 1 | 200 | to shout; to call |
| 56 | 请 | 請 | qǐng | verb | 1 | 216 | to ask; to invite |
| 57 | 钱 | 錢 | Qián | noun | 1 | 218 | surname Qian |
| 58 | 本 | = | běn | pron | 1 | 222 | root; stem |
| 59 | 回 | = | huí | verb | 1 | 225 | to circle; to go back |
| 60 | 东西 | 東西 | dōng xī | noun | 1 | 226 | east and west |
| 61 | 三 | = | Sān | num | 1 | 233 | surname San |
| 62 | 买 | 買 | mǎi | verb | 1 | 240 | to buy; to purchase |
| 63 | 岁 | 嵗 | suì | meas | 1 | 266 | years old |
| 64 | 住 | = | zhù | verb | 1 | 280 | to live; to dwell |
| 65 | 朋友 | = | péng you | noun | 1 | 280 | friend |
| 66 | 水 | = | Shuǐ | noun | 1 | 335 | surname Shui |
| 67 | 写 | 寫 | xiě | verb | 1 | 352 | to write |
| 68 | 日 | = | Rì | time | 1 | 395 | abbr. for 本, Japan |
| 69 | 喝 | = | hē | bound | 1 | 428 | to drink |
| 70 | 学校 | 學校 | xué xiào | noun | 1 | 430 | school |
| 71 | 坐 | = | Zuò | verb | 1 | 435 | surname Zuo |
| 72 | 认识 | 認識 | rèn shi | verb | 1 | 463 | to know; to recognize |
| 73 | 分钟 | 分鐘 | fēn zhōng | meas | 2 | 465 | minute |
| 74 | 明天 | = | míng tiān | time | 1 | 469 | tomorrow |
| 75 | 四 | = | sì | num | 1 | 481 | four; 4 |
| 76 | 块 | 塊 | kuài | meas | 1 | 483 | lump; chunk; piece; classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc |
| 77 | 谢谢 | 謝謝 | xiè xie | verb | 1 | 520 | to thank; thanks |
| 78 | 多少 | = | duō shǎo | pron | 1 | 526 | number; amount |
| 79 | 妈妈 | 媽媽 | mā ma | noun | 1 | 527 | mama; mommy |
| 80 | 少 | = | shǎo | adj | 1 | 538 | few; less |
| 81 | 电影 | 電影 | diàn yǐng | noun | 1 | 546 | movie; film |
| 82 | 哪 | = | nǎ | pron | 1 | 547 | how; which |
| 83 | 昨天 | = | zuó tiān | time | 1 | 557 | yesterday |
| 84 | 书 | 書 | Shū | noun | 1 | 560 | abbr. for 书经 |
| 85 | 五 | = | wǔ | num | 1 | 563 | five; 5 |
| 86 | 先生 | = | xiān sheng | noun | 1 | 586 | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) |
| 87 | 医院 | 醫院 | yī yuàn | noun | 1 | 608 | hospital |
| 88 | 些 | = | xiē | meas | 4 | 611 | classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several |
| 89 | 狗 | = | gǒu | noun | 2 | 620 | dog |
| 90 | 学生 | 學生 | xué sheng | noun | 1 | 651 | student; schoolchild |
| 91 | 二 | = | èr | num | 1 | 664 | two; 2 |
| 92 | 儿子 | 兒子 | ér zi | noun | 1 | 665 | son |
| 93 | 中国 | 中國 | Zhōng guó | place | 1 | 729 | China |
| 94 | 电视 | 電視 | diàn shì | noun | 1 | 779 | television; TV |
| 95 | 下午 | = | xià wǔ | time | 1 | 782 | afternoon; p.m. |
| 96 | 学习 | 學習 | xué xí | verb | 1 | 789 | to learn; to study |
| 97 | 老师 | 老師 | lǎo shī | noun | 1 | 799 | teacher |
| 98 | 六 | = | liù | num | 1 | 802 | six; 6 |
| 99 | 医生 | 醫生 | yī shēng | noun | 1 | 827 | doctor |
| 100 | 名字 | = | míng zi | noun | 1 | 829 | name (of a person or thing) |
| 101 | 十 | = | shí | num | 1 | 865 | ten; 10 |
| 102 | 看见 | 看見 | kàn jiàn | verb | 1 | 870 | to see; to catch sight of |
| 103 | 女儿 | 女兒 | nǚ ér | noun | 1 | 879 | daughter |
| 104 | 说话 | 說話 | shuō huà | verb | 1 | 880 | to speak; to say |
| 105 | 爸爸 | = | bà ba | noun | 1 | 908 | (coll.) father; dad |
| 106 | 字 | = | zì | noun | 1 | 913 | letter; symbol |
| 107 | 漂亮 | = | piào liang | adj | 2 | 915 | pretty; beautiful |
| 108 | 高兴 | 高興 | gāo xìng | adj | 1 | 920 | happy; glad |
| 109 | 热 | 熱 | rè | adj | 1 | 938 | to warm up; to heat up |
| 110 | 睡觉 | 睡覺 | shuì jiào | verb | 1 | 944 | to go to bed; to sleep |
| 111 | 电脑 | 電腦 | diàn nǎo | noun | 1 | 946 | computer |
| 112 | 读 | 讀 | dòu | verb | 1 | 1,013 | comma; phrase marked by pause |
| 113 | 冷 | = | Lěng | adj | 1 | 1,027 | surname Leng |
| 114 | 飞机 | 飛機 | fēi jī | noun | 1 | 1,067 | airplane |
| 115 | 猫 | 貓 | māo | noun | 2 | 1,150 | cat; (dialect) to hide oneself |
| 116 | 打电话 | 打電話 | dǎ diàn huà | verb | 1 | 1,218 | to make a telephone call |
| 117 | 后面 | 後面 | hòu mian | loc | 3 | 1,300 | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 118 | 喂 | = | wéi | verb | 2 | 1,301 | hello (when answering the phone) |
| 119 | 八 | = | bā | num | 1 | 1,362 | eight; 8 |
| 120 | 怎么样 | 怎麼樣 | zěn me yàng | pron | 2 | 1,367 | how?; how about? |
| 121 | 七 | = | qī | num | 1 | 1,419 | seven; 7 |
| 122 | 菜 | = | cài | noun | 1 | 1,448 | dish (type of food); vegetable |
| 123 | 衣服 | = | yī fu | noun | 1 | 1,472 | clothes |
| 124 | 小姐 | = | xiǎo jie | noun | 1 | 1,575 | young lady; miss |
| 125 | 对不起 | 對不起 | duì bu qǐ | verb | 1 | 1,577 | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 126 | 天气 | 天氣 | tiān qì | noun | 1 | 1,675 | weather |
| 127 | 前面 | = | qián miàn | loc | 3 | 1,789 | ahead; in front |
| 128 | 同学 | 同學 | tóng xué | noun | 1 | 1,828 | to study at the same school; fellow student |
| 129 | 茶 | = | chá | noun | 1 | 1,910 | tea; tea plant |
| 130 | 星期 | = | xīng qī | noun | 1 | 1,956 | week; day of the week |
| 131 | 九 | = | jiǔ | num | 1 | 2,040 | nine; 9 |
| 132 | 上午 | = | shàng wǔ | time | 1 | 2,188 | morning |
| 133 | 再见 | 再見 | zài jiàn | verb | 1 | 2,487 | goodbye |
| 134 | 苹果 | 蘋果 | píng guǒ | noun | 3 | 2,562 | apple |
| 135 | 中午 | = | zhōng wǔ | time | 1 | 2,600 | noon; midday |
| 136 | 出租车 | 出租車 | chū zū chē | noun | 2 | 2,677 | taxi; (Tw) rental car |
| 137 | 水果 | = | shuǐ guǒ | noun | 1 | 3,271 | fruit |
| 138 | 商店 | = | shāng diàn | noun | 1 | 3,479 | store; shop |
| 139 | 没关系 | 沒關係 | méi guān xi | verb | 1 | 3,541 | it doesn't matter |
| 140 | 零 | = | líng | num | 1 | 3,623 | zero; nought |
| 141 | 桌子 | = | zhuō zi | noun | 1 | 3,639 | table; desk |
| 142 | 椅子 | = | yǐ zi | noun | 2 | 4,472 | chair |
| 143 | 北京 | = | Běi jīng | place | 1 | 4,799 | Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China |
| 144 | 下雨 | = | xià yǔ | verb | 1 | 5,648 | to rain |
| 145 | 杯子 | = | bēi zi | noun | 1 | 6,162 | cup; glass |
| 146 | 火车站 | 火車站 | huǒ chē zhàn | noun | · | 7,270 | train station |
| 147 | 米饭 | 米飯 | mǐ fàn | noun | 1 | 10,194 | (cooked) rice |
| 148 | 汉语 | 漢語 | Hàn yǔ | prop | 1 | 13,422 | Chinese language |
| 149 | 饭馆 | 飯館 | fàn guǎn | noun | 2 | 16,449 | restaurant |
| 150 | 不客气 | 不客氣 | bù kè qi | word | 1 | 16,723 | you're welcome; don't mention it |
tone 1 high tone 2 rising tone 3 dip tone 4 falling neutral Freq = corpus rank, lower is more common · HSK 3.0 = the same word's level on the new scale · · = not in HSK 3.0
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How to use this list
| Check which scheme your test uses | If your test center still administers the older six-level HSK 2.0, this is the exact list for your Level 1 exam. If it uses the 2021 nine-level HSK 3.0, follow the cross-link above to the 3.0 Level 1 table instead, the word sets differ. |
| Study in frequency order | The rows are ranked by corpus frequency, so the words nearer the top appear far more often in real Chinese. Front-loading them gives the fastest reading and listening gains. |
| Read the HSK 3.0 column | Each word shows the level it sits at in the newer scheme. Words marked · are not in HSK 3.0 at all. It is the fastest way to see how the two standards diverge on your own vocabulary. |
Not sure this is your level? Take the free placement test, it estimates your level on both the 2.0 and 3.0 scales.