HSK 1 Vocabulary List: 150 Essential Words

HSK 1 is where most beginners start. If you want a clear first goal in Mandarin, these 150 words are a solid one.

They matter because they cover the language you meet first: greetings, numbers, time, family, food, and the basic verbs that hold simple sentences together. If you know these words well, you are no longer guessing your way through beginner Chinese.

If HSK still feels fuzzy, read what HSK is first. If your pronunciation feels shaky, keep pinyin and the four Chinese tones close while you study this list.

What HSK 1 Actually Means

HSK 1 is the usual entry point for learners following the familiar HSK 1 to HSK 6 path. The official framework now also includes Levels 7-9, but for beginners, HSK 1 is still the most practical place to begin.

At this stage, you are not trying to speak about everything. You are trying to build a base that lets you:

• greet people
• ask and answer simple personal questions
• understand basic numbers, dates, and time expressions
• recognize common actions such as 来, 去, 吃, 喝, 看

That is why HSK 1 vocabulary works so well as a first milestone. It is small enough to finish, but useful enough to change how beginner Chinese feels.

How To Think About the 150 Words

Do not treat HSK 1 as one giant pile of flashcards.

It is easier to learn when you break it into chunks you will actually use:

Category	Why it matters	Sample words
Greetings and basics	Helps you survive first conversations	你好, 谢谢, 对不起
People and pronouns	Lets you talk about yourself and others	我, 你, 老师, 学生
Numbers and time	Needed for dates, age, prices, and routines	一, 二, 今天, 明天
Common verbs	Gives you the backbone of simple sentences	是, 有, 来, 去, 学习
Food and daily nouns	Makes basic daily-life language possible	水, 茶, 米饭, 苹果

This is also the best way to review. Your brain remembers grouped language better than random isolated items.

HSK 1 Vocabulary List by Category

Greetings & Basic Expressions

Chinese	Pinyin	English
你好	nǐ hǎo	hello
谢谢	xiè xie	thank you
对不起	duì bu qǐ	sorry
再见	zài jiàn	goodbye
是	shì	yes / to be
不	bù	no / not

People & Pronouns

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我	wǒ	I / me
你	nǐ	you
他	tā	he / him
她	tā	she / her
我们	wǒ men	we / us
朋友	péng yǒu	friend
老师	lǎo shī	teacher
学生	xué shēng	student

Numbers & Time

Chinese	Pinyin	English
零	líng	zero
一	yī	one
二	èr	two
三	sān	three
今天	jīn tiān	today
明天	míng tiān	tomorrow
年	nián	year
月	yuè	month
日	rì	day

Common Verbs

Chinese	Pinyin	English
是	shì	to be
有	yǒu	to have
来	lái	to come
去	qù	to go
吃	chī	to eat
喝	hē	to drink
看	kàn	to look / watch
听	tīng	to listen
说	shuō	to speak
学习	xué xí	to study

Food & Everyday Nouns

Chinese	Pinyin	English
水	shuǐ	water
茶	chá	tea
米饭	mǐ fàn	rice
菜	cài	dish / vegetable
苹果	píng guǒ	apple

How To Study HSK 1 Vocabulary So It Actually Sticks

This is where many learners waste time. They finish a list, but a week later they can barely use it.

What works better:

1. Learn by small category, not by random order.
2. Say every word out loud with pinyin and tone marks.
3. Hear the word from a real speaker before trusting your own memory of it.
4. Put each word into a short example sentence as early as possible.

Here is a simple study routine:

Step	What to do	Why it works
Day 1	Learn 8-12 words from one category	Keeps the load realistic
Day 2	Review yesterday's words aloud	Stops fast forgetting
Day 3	Add short sentences	Turns recognition into usable language
Weekly	Revisit old words with audio	Helps tones and pronunciation stay attached

The key difference is not just repetition. It is pronunciation-based repetition. If you memorize HSK 1 as English meanings only, you may recognize the words on paper but still miss them in speech.

Common HSK 1 Mistakes

• Moving on to HSK 2 before HSK 1 tones and pinyin feel stable
• Memorizing English meanings without saying the words aloud
• Treating characters, pinyin, and sound as three separate things
• Reviewing in giant batches instead of short daily cycles

If you want the list to turn into real ability, learn the word, its sound, and its tone as one unit.

What To Learn After HSK 1

If you are just starting, do not rush. A strong HSK 1 base saves time later.

The best next steps are:

• review what HSK means so the bigger path makes sense
• move into the HSK 2 vocabulary list once this HSK 1 base feels stable
• make sure pinyin feels comfortable
• tighten your tone control with the four Chinese tones

Then move into HSK 2 vocabulary with much less friction.

Letsgo Chinese is built around this exact progression: level-based vocabulary, native-speaker video for every word, and flashcard review that helps pronunciation stay attached to meaning.