100 Most Common Mandarin Chinese Words

The 100 most common Mandarin words, ranked by frequency. Function words and the handful of verbs and nouns you will use in every conversation.

Curriculum

97 words

#	Freq	Word	Translation	Part of speech	Qualifications	HSK
1	1	的deof, possessive and modifier particle	of, possessive and modifier particle	particle	HSK 1	HSK 1
2	2	我wǒI, me	I, me	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
3	3	你nǐyou (singular)	you (singular)	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
4	4	了leaspect particle marking completion or a change of state	aspect particle marking completion or a change of state	particle	HSK 1	HSK 1
5	5	是shìto be (linking verb)	to be (linking verb)	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
6	6	在zàiat, in, on; to be located at; progressive marker	at, in, on; to be located at; progressive marker	preposition	HSK 1	HSK 1
7	7	他tāhe, him	he, him	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
8	8	我们wǒ menwe, us	we, us	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
9	9	不bùnot, no	not, no	adverb	HSK 1	HSK 1
10	10	吗maquestion particle (turns a statement into a yes/no question)	question particle (turns a statement into a yes/no question)	particle	HSK 1	HSK 1
11	11	好hǎogood, well, OK	good, well, OK	adjective	HSK 1	HSK 1
12	12	什么shén mewhat	what	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
13	13	有yǒuto have, there is/are	to have, there is/are	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
14	14	就jiùthen, just, exactly, as soon as	then, just, exactly, as soon as	adverb	HSK 2	HSK 2
15	15	吧basuggestion or softening particle (let's, shall we, I suppose)	suggestion or softening particle (let's, shall we, I suppose)	particle	AQA GCSEHSK 1	HSK 1
16	16	她tāshe, her	she, her	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
17	17	这zhèthis	this	determiner	HSK 1	HSK 1
18	18	知道zhī dàoto know (a fact)	to know (a fact)	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
19	19	说shuōto say, to speak	to say, to speak	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
20	20	都dōuall, both, already	all, both, already	adverb	AQA GCSEHSK 1	HSK 1
21	21	去qùto go	to go	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
22	22	很hěnvery, quite	very, quite	adverb	HSK 1	HSK 1
23	23	啊aah, oh (exclamatory particle)	ah, oh (exclamatory particle)	particle	HSK 1	HSK 1
24	24	要yàoto want; will; need to	to want; will; need to	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
25	25	也yěalso, too, as well	also, too, as well	adverb	HSK 1	HSK 1
26	26	他们tā menthey, them (mixed or male group)	they, them (mixed or male group)	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
27	27	和héand; with	and; with	conjunction	HSK 1	HSK 1
28	28	那nàthat	that	determiner	HSK 1	HSK 1
29	29	想xiǎngto think; to want; to miss	to think; to want; to miss	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
30	30	人rénperson, people	person, people	noun	HSK 1	HSK 1
31	31	会huìcan, to know how to; will; meeting	can, to know how to; will; meeting	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
32	33	来láito come	to come	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
33	34	把bǎto take, handle; disposal marker	to take, handle; disposal marker	preposition	HSK 2	HSK 2
34	35	对duìcorrect, right; toward; pair	correct, right; toward; pair	adjective	HSK 1	HSK 1
35	36	没有méi yǒudo not have; have not; not (past negation)	do not have; have not; not (past negation)	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
36	37	做zuòto do, to make, to work as	to do, to make, to work as	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
37	38	不是bú shìis not, am not, are not	is not, am not, are not	verb	AQA GCSEHSK 1	HSK 1
38	39	让ràngto let, to allow; to make (causative)	to let, to allow; to make (causative)	verb	HSK 2	HSK 2
39	40	给gěito give; for (beneficiary marker)	to give; for (beneficiary marker)	verb	AQA GCSEHSK 1	HSK 1
40	41	可以kě yǐcan, may (permission or possibility)	can, may (permission or possibility)	verb	AQA GCSEHSK 1	HSK 1
41	42	你们nǐ menyou (plural)	you (plural)	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
42	43	呢neand what about...? (question particle)	and what about...? (question particle)	particle	AQA GCSEHSK 1	HSK 1
43	44	但dànbut, however	but, however	conjunction	HSK 2	HSK 2
44	45	到dàoto arrive; to (destination); result complement	to arrive; to (destination); result complement	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
45	46	还háistill, yet; also; even more	still, yet; also; even more	adverb	HSK 1	HSK 1
46	47	现在xiàn zàinow, at present	now, at present	noun	HSK 1	HSK 1
47	48	这个zhè gethis one, this (with general measure word)	this one, this (with general measure word)	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
48	49	能néngcan, to be able to (physical capacity)	can, to be able to (physical capacity)	verb	HSK 1	HSK 1
49	50	怎么zěn mehow; why (in rhetorical questions)	how; why (in rhetorical questions)	pronoun	HSK 1	HSK 1
50	51	就是jiù shìexactly is; just is; even if	exactly is; just is; even if	verb	AQA GCSEHSK 2	HSK 2