1000 Most Common Mandarin Chinese Words

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words, ranked by frequency. Covers around 80% of spoken Mandarin per Nation (2006); the workhorse vocabulary every learner needs.

Source: Nation (2006) on top-1k coverage of spoken English.

Curriculum

900 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