HSK 1 Vocabulary List: Essential Words for Beginners

Key takeaways

• HSK 1 requires knowledge of exactly 150 words in the context of the 6-level HSK system.
• These 150 words cover the most fundamental everyday topics: greetings, family, time, numbers, basic actions, and common objects.
• Learning HSK 1 words in thematic groups is faster than memorizing a random alphabetical list.
• You need to recognize these words in listening and reading. HSK 1 does not test speaking or writing.
• A Chinese language tutor can help you practice these words in real conversation so recognition becomes active use.

You have started learning Chinese and you know you need to tackle HSK 1. The mistake most beginners make is opening the full 150-word list and trying to work through it from top to bottom. Vocabulary sticks when it connects to something: a context, a category, a conversation.

This guide organizes all 150 HSK 1 words by topic so you can learn connected clusters rather than isolated entries.

italki operates across 150+ languages with more than 30,000 tutors, giving you access to Chinese teachers ready to help you practice these words. This guide covers all 150 HSK 1 vocabulary words organized by eight topics: greetings and core phrases, pronouns and questions, time and numbers, family members, common verbs, adjectives and states, objects and places, and miscellaneous high-frequency words.

Topic 1: Greetings and essential phrases

Organize words around the core phrases you will use first. Start with greetings and build context around each one.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
你好	nǐ hǎo	hello
谢谢	xièxie	thank you
不客气	bù kèqi	you’re welcome
对不起	duìbuqǐ	sorry
没关系	méi guānxi	it doesn’t matter
再见	zàijiàn	goodbye
喂	wèi	hello (on the phone)
是	shì	to be / yes (it is)
不	bù	not / no
吗	ma	question particle
呢	ne	question particle (and you?)
了	le	completed action particle
的	de	possessive particle

Work with a Chinese tutor on italki on natural dialogue using these phrases.

Topic 2: Pronouns, people, and question words

Pronouns form the foundation of every conversation. Master these before moving to verbs and objects.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我	wǒ	I / me
你	nǐ	you (singular)
他	tā	he / him
她	tā	she / her
我们	wǒmen	we / us
什么	shénme	what
哪	nǎ	which
哪儿	nǎr	where
谁	shéi	who
怎么	zěnme	how
怎么样	zěnmeyàng	how is it / what do you think
多少	duōshao	how many / how much
几	jǐ	how many (small numbers)

Practice forming simple questions with these words: “你是谁?” (Who are you?) or “那是什么?” (What is that?). Drill question formation with a Chinese language tutor on italki.

Topic 3: Numbers and time

Numbers and time markers appear constantly in HSK 1 listening and reading. Build fluency here early.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
零	líng	zero
一	yī	one
二	èr	two
三	sān	three
四	sì	four
五	wǔ	five
六	liù	six
七	qī	seven
八	bā	eight
九	jiǔ	nine
十	shí	ten
百	bǎi	hundred
千	qiān	thousand
万	wàn	ten thousand
年	nián	year
月	yuè	month
日	rì	day (of the month)
号	hào	number / date
星期	xīngqī	week
今天	jīntiān	today
明天	míngtiān	tomorrow
昨天	zuótiān	yesterday
现在	xiànzài	now
时候	shíhou	time / when
点	diǎn	o’clock / point
分钟	fēnzhōng	minute
上午	shàngwǔ	morning / AM
下午	xiàwǔ	afternoon / PM
中午	zhōngwǔ	noon

Practice saying dates and times aloud. This vocabulary appears in HSK 1 listening passages regularly. Work with Chinese tutors on natural-speed pronunciation.

Topic 4: Family members

Family vocabulary appears in nearly every introductory Chinese dialogue. Learn these relationships accurately.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
爸爸	bàba	father
妈妈	māma	mother
儿子	érzi	son
女儿	nǚ’ér	daughter
先生	xiānsheng	Mr. / husband
小姐	xiǎojiě	Miss
朋友	péngyou	friend
同学	tóngxué	classmate
老师	lǎoshī	teacher

Use family vocabulary in real introductions: “这是我妈妈” (This is my mother). Get comfortable introducing family members with a Chinese teacher on italki.

Topic 5: Common verbs and actions

Verbs are the core of any sentence. HSK 1 tests about 25 high-frequency verbs. These are the most essential.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
有	yǒu	to have
没有	méiyǒu	to not have
在	zài	to be at / to be present
去	qù	to go
来	lái	to come
回	huí	to return
看	kàn	to look / to watch
听	tīng	to listen
说	shuō	to speak / to say
读	dú	to read (aloud)
写	xiě	to write
吃	chī	to eat
喝	hē	to drink
买	mǎi	to buy
开	kāi	to open / to drive
坐	zuò	to sit / to take transport
做	zuò	to do / to make
睡觉	shuìjiào	to sleep
住	zhù	to live / to reside
认识	rènshi	to know (a person)
想	xiǎng	to want / to think
能	néng	can / to be able to
会	huì	can / know how to
学习	xuéxí	to study
工作	gōngzuò	to work

Form simple sentences with each verb: “我去学校” (I go to school). Practice verb conjugation and past/present tense patterns with a Chinese teacher online.

Topic 6: Adjectives and states

Adjectives are frequent in HSK 1 reading sections. These descriptive words help you discuss how things are.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
好	hǎo	good
好吃	hǎo chī	delicious
大	dà	big
小	xiǎo	small
多	duō	many / much
少	shǎo	few / less
冷	lěng	cold
热	rè	hot
高兴	gāoxìng	happy
漂亮	piàoliang	beautiful
太	tài	too / extremely
很	hěn	very
都	dōu	all / both

Use adjectives to describe objects and people: “这个苹果很好吃” (This apple is very delicious). Work with an online Chinese tutor on using descriptive words in conversation.

Topic 7: Objects and places

Nouns for everyday objects and locations are essential for survival communication. These terms appear in nearly every HSK 1 dialogue.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
杯子	bēizi	cup
椅子	yǐzi	chair
桌子	zhuōzi	table
苹果	píngguǒ	apple
米饭	mǐfàn	rice
菜	cài	dish / vegetable
茶	chá	tea
水	shuǐ	water
水果	shuǐguǒ	fruit
书	shū	book
衣服	yīfu	clothes
电脑	diànnǎo	computer
电视	diànshì	television
电影	diànyǐng	movie
飞机	fēijī	airplane
出租车	chūzū chē	taxi
学校	xuéxiào	school
医院	yīyuàn	hospital
商店	shāngdiàn	shop
饭馆	fànguǎn	restaurant
机场	jīchǎng	airport

Connect these objects to real contexts: “医院在哪里?” (Where is the hospital?). Practice asking for and naming objects with Chinese tutors online.

Topic 8: High-frequency miscellaneous words

These function words and common particles complete your HSK 1 foundation.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
和	hé	and
在	zài	at / in / on
里	lǐ	inside
这	zhè	this
那	nà	that
一点儿	yīdiǎnr	a little
块	kuài	piece / unit of currency (RMB)
钱	qián	money
名字	míngzi	name
岁	suì	years old
生日	shēngrì	birthday
天气	tiānqì	weather
汉语	Hànyǔ	Chinese language
中国	Zhōngguó	China
北京	Běijīng	Beijing
个	gè	general classifier

Practice using prepositions and function words in context. These words are subtle but essential for grammatical correctness. Study function words intensively with an online Chinese teacher.

How to study HSK 1 vocabulary efficiently

Work through one topic cluster per day rather than the full list at once. For each word, write a simple sentence using it. Read and listen to HSK 1-level materials so you encounter the words in context. For characters, use spaced repetition (Anki or Pleco flashcards) to handle the memorization load.

Recognizing these 150 words in a test is one thing. Using them to hold a real conversation in Chinese is the goal most learners are working toward.

With over 15 years of experience connecting learners to qualified teachers, italki has helped students in 190+ countries achieve their language learning goals. Book a trial lesson on italki today.

FAQ

How long does it take to learn HSK 1 vocabulary?

Most learners with a few hours of study per week can cover the 150 HSK 1 words in 4-6 weeks. The challenge at HSK 1 is not the number of words but recognizing the characters on sight, which requires visual practice, not just audio listening. Combining character flashcards with listening to the words in context is the fastest approach.

Does HSK 1 test speaking?

No. The standard HSK 1 exam tests only reading and listening comprehension. Speaking is tested separately through the HSKK (Chinese Proficiency Spoken Language Test), which has its own beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. If you want a speaking certificate alongside your HSK 1, the HSKK Beginner level would be the appropriate pairing.

What comes after HSK 1?

HSK 2 adds 150 more words (300 total) and introduces slightly more complex sentence structures. After HSK 2, HSK 3 adds 300 more words (600 total) and is generally considered the first practically useful level for everyday communication in Chinese.