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