HSK 1 Vocabulary List: 150 Words
HSK 1 assumes 150 cumulative words — 150 of them new at this level. They cover greetings, numbers, dates, family, food, and the handful of question words that carry a whole beginner conversation.
By Haoshan HongNative Mandarin speakerUpdated July 2026
Hear HSK 1 words in a real story
黄石公园热泉区清出280多顶帽子
Yellowstone Finds 280 Hats in Hot-Spring Areas
2 min
What is on the HSK 1 word list?
The HSK word lists are published and cumulative, which is what makes the exam a finite target. HSK 1 assumes 150 words in total — 150 of them introduced at this level.
They cover greetings, numbers, dates, family, food, and the handful of question words that carry a whole beginner conversation.
HSK 1 word list
All 150 entries below, straight from the official Hanban HSK 2.0 list. The 150 words new at HSK 1 come first, then earlier levels.
Pinyin and definitions come from CC-CEDICT. Tap any word to see its other senses without leaving the list. Words with a full Fluentide entry — character breakdown, usage notes, example sentences — link out from there.
Showing 51–100 of 150 · page 2 of 3
看见kànjiànHSK 1to see
- to see
- to catch sight of
块kuàiHSK 1lump
- lump
- chunk
- piece
- classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc
- (coll.) classifier for money and currency units
来láiHSK 1to come
- to come
- (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)
- hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回来)
- ever since (as in 自古以来)
- for the past (amount of time)
- (prefix) the coming ...
- the next ... (as in 来世)
- (between two verbs) in order to
- (after a round number) approximately
- (used after 得 to indicate possibility, as in 谈得来, or after 不 to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不来)
老师lǎoshīHSK 1teacher
了liǎoHSK 1to finish
- to finish
- (used with 得 or 不 after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了 "cannot forget")
- (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 无 or 不) completely (not)
- entirely (not)
- (not) in the least
- (bound form) clear in one's mind
- to understand clearly
- (completed action marker)
- (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now)
- (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
- unofficial variant of 瞭
- variant of 了
冷lěngHSK 1cold
- cold
- surname Leng
里lǐHSK 1lining
- lining
- interior
- inside
- internal
- also written 里
- li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m
- neighborhood
- ancient administrative unit of 25 families
- (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 镇 and neighborhood 邻 levels
- surname Li
- variant of 里
零língHSK 1zero
- zero
- nought
- zero sign
- fractional
- fragmentary
- odd (of numbers)
- (placed between two numbers to indicate a smaller quantity followed by a larger one)
- fraction
- (in mathematics) remainder (after division)
- extra
- to wither and fall
- to wither
六liùHSK 1six
- six
- 6
- used in place names
妈妈māmaHSK 1mama
- mama
- mommy
- mother
- CL:个,位
吗maHSK 1(question particle for "yes-no" questions)
- (question particle for "yes-no" questions)
- (coll.) what?
- used in 吗啡
买mǎiHSK 1to buy
- to buy
- to purchase
猫māoHSK 1cat (CL:只)
- cat (CL:只)
- (dialect) to hide oneself
- (loanword) (coll.) modem
- used in 猫腰
没méiHSK 1(negative prefix for verbs) have not
- (negative prefix for verbs) have not
- not
- drowned
- to end
- to die
- to inundate
没关系méiguānxiHSK 1it doesn't matter
- it doesn't matter
米饭mǐfànHSK 1(cooked) rice
- (cooked) rice
名字míngziHSK 1name (of a person or thing)
- name (of a person or thing)
明天míngtiānHSK 1tomorrow
哪nǎHSK 1how
- how
- which
- (emphatic sentence-final particle, used instead of 啊 after a word ending in "n")
- which? (interrogative, followed by classifier or numeral-classifier)
- used in 哪吒
- Taiwan pr.
那nàHSK 1(specifier) that
- (specifier) that
- the
- those (colloquial pr. )
- (pronoun) that (referring to persons, things or situations)
- then (in that case)
- surname Na
- surname Nuo
- (archaic) many
- beautiful
- how
- variant of 哪
- old variant of 挪
呢neHSK 1(sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?")
- (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?")
- (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation still holds
- (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech
- dense wool fabric (used for coats and jackets)
能néngHSK 1can
- can
- to be able to
- might possibly
- ability
- (physics) energy
- surname Neng
你nǐHSK 1you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您)
- you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您)
- you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.)
年niánHSK 1year
- year
- CL:个
- grain
- harvest (old)
- surname Nian
- variant of 年
女儿nu:3érHSK 1daughter
朋友péngyouHSK 1friend
- friend
- CL:个,位
漂亮piàoliangHSK 1pretty
- pretty
- beautiful
苹果píngguǒHSK 1apple
七qīHSK 1seven
前面qiánmiànHSK 1ahead
- ahead
- in front
- preceding
- above
- also pr.
钱qiánHSK 1coin
- coin
- money
- CL:笔
- unit of weight, one tenth of a tael 两
- surname Qian
请qǐngHSK 1to ask
- to ask
- to invite
- please (do sth)
- to treat (to a meal etc)
- to request
去qùHSK 1to go
- to go
- to go to (a place)
- (of a time etc) last
- just passed
- to send
- to remove
- to get rid of
- to reduce
- to be apart from in space or time
- to die (euphemism)
- to play (a part)
- (when used either before or after a verb) to go in order to do sth
- (after a verb of motion indicates movement away from the speaker)
- (used after certain verbs to indicate detachment or separation)
热rèHSK 1to warm up
- to warm up
- to heat up
- hot (of weather)
- heat
- fervent
人rénHSK 1person
- person
- people
- CL:个,位,名
认识rènshiHSK 1to know
- to know
- to recognize
- to be familiar with
- to get acquainted with sb
- knowledge
- understanding
- awareness
- cognition
日rìHSK 1(bound form) sun
- (bound form) sun
- day
- day of the month
- (bound form) Japan (abbr. for 日本)
- (vulgar) to fuck
- to have sex with
三sānHSK 1three
- three
- 3
- surname San
商店shāngdiànHSK 1store
- store
- shop
- CL:家
上shàngHSK 1(bound form) up
- (bound form) up
- upper
- above
- previous
- first (of multiple parts)
- to climb
- to get onto
- to go up
- to attend (class or university)
- (directional complement) up
- (noun suffix) on
- above
- used in 上声
上午shàngwǔHSK 1morning
少shǎoHSK 1few
- few
- less
- to lack
- to be missing
- to stop (doing sth)
- seldom
- young
谁shéiHSK 1who
什么shénmeHSK 1what?
- what?
- something
- anything
十shíHSK 1ten
时候shíhouHSK 1time
- time
- length of time
- moment
- period
是shìHSK 1to be (followed by substantives only)
- to be (followed by substantives only)
- correct
- right
- true
- (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well
- (adverb for emphatic assertion)
- variant of 是
书shūHSK 1book
- book
- letter
- document
- CL:本,册,部
- to write
- abbr. for 书经
水shuǐHSK 1water
- water
- (after a name) ... River
- to swim (used mostly in 会水 and 水性)
- (coll.) lacking in substance
- shoddy
- (bound form) additional cost
- extra income
- classifier for washings of a garment
- surname Shui
- Shui ethnic group
水果shuǐguǒHSK 1fruit
How to actually learn HSK 1 vocabulary
A word list is a checklist, not a method. Recognising a word on a page is a different skill from catching it at speed in a sentence — and the HSK listening section only tests the second one.
Read the list once, do not memorise it
You are looking for which words feel unfamiliar, not trying to learn them here.
Listen at your level daily
Fluentide's HSK 1 episodes are written inside this vocabulary band, so the words arrive in sentences instead of flashcards.
Look a word up only after you have heard it
A word you have already met in audio sticks in one reading. A word you meet cold takes many.
Come back to this list monthly
Use it as a progress check, not a study plan. The gaps you find are what to listen for next.
HSK 1 episodes to hear these words in
Every episode below is written inside the HSK 1 word band and read at HSK 1 speed. Press play — no account needed for the first few.
HSK 1 Chinese listening episodes
Showing 12 of 231
The method in practice
Hear HSK 1 vocabulary in real Mandarin
Every HSK 1 episode is written inside this word band and read at HSK 1 speed, so words stick because you have heard them in a sentence. Full transcript, pinyin toggle, and line-by-line English on every episode. Five free episodes after a one-tap magic-link sign-in — no password, no payment.