HSK 1 Word List: Complete 150 Words with PDF Download

What Is HSK 1?

HSK 1 is the entry-level tier of the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), China's official standardized test for Mandarin Chinese proficiency. Administered by the Chinese Ministry of Education and recognized internationally, the HSK is the most widely accepted Chinese language certification in the world. HSK 1 corresponds to CEFR level A1, meaning it targets absolute beginners who are just starting their Chinese learning journey.

Passing HSK 1 proves that you can understand and use very simple Chinese words and phrases. You can introduce yourself, ask basic questions, make simple purchases, and handle fundamental daily interactions. It is the minimum level many Chinese universities require for enrollment in Chinese language preparation programs, and some employers accept it as proof of basic Mandarin ability.

HSK 1 is ideal for students who have completed around 60-80 hours of formal Chinese instruction, self-learners who have been studying consistently for two to three months, or anyone who wants a concrete milestone to work toward early in their Chinese studies. The vocabulary is deliberately practical — you will learn words you can actually use from day one, not obscure academic terms.

One important note: HSK 1 reading materials include pinyin annotations above every character. This means you do not need perfect character recognition to pass — if you know the pinyin and meaning of each word, you can still read and answer correctly. That said, building character recognition from the start will give you a significant advantage as you progress to higher HSK levels where pinyin support is reduced and eventually removed.

HSK 1 Word Categories

The 150 HSK 1 words are not random. They are carefully selected to cover the most essential areas of daily communication. Understanding how these words break down by category can help you study more strategically and see the connections between related vocabulary. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of every major category in the HSK 1 word list.

Greetings and Politeness

These are the first words most Chinese learners encounter, and for good reason. Greetings and polite expressions form the foundation of every conversation. HSK 1 includes 你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello), 谢谢 (xiè xie, thank you), 再见 (zài jiàn, goodbye), 请 (qǐng, please), 对不起 (duì bu qǐ, sorry), and 不客气 (bú kè qi, you're welcome). These six words alone will get you through the most basic social interactions in China. You will also learn 没关系 (méi guān xi, it does not matter / no problem), which is the natural response to an apology.

Numbers and Counting

Numbers are essential for shopping, telling time, giving dates, and countless other daily situations. HSK 1 covers all basic numbers from 一 (yī, one) through 十 (shí, ten), plus 百 (bǎi, hundred). You will also learn the question words 几 (jǐ, how many, for small numbers) and 多少 (duō shǎo, how many/how much). Chinese numbers are remarkably logical — once you know one through ten, you can construct any number up to 99 by combining them. For example, 25 is simply 二十五 (èr shí wǔ, literally "two-ten-five"). With 百 added, you can count all the way to 999.

People and Family

Personal pronouns and family vocabulary let you talk about the people in your life. HSK 1 includes the three basic pronouns 我 (wǒ, I/me), 你 (nǐ, you), and 他/她 (tā, he/she). Family members include 爸爸 (bà ba, father), 妈妈 (mā ma, mother), 儿子 (ér zi, son), and 女儿 (nǚ ér, daughter). Important social roles covered include 朋友 (péng you, friend), 老师 (lǎo shī, teacher), 学生 (xué shēng, student), and 医生 (yī shēng, doctor). You will notice that Chinese does not distinguish between "he" and "she" in spoken language — both are pronounced "tā" — though the written characters are different.

Time and Dates

Being able to discuss time is fundamental to making plans and understanding schedules. HSK 1 teaches 今天 (jīn tiān, today), 明天 (míng tiān, tomorrow), 昨天 (zuó tiān, yesterday), along with the building blocks for dates: 年 (nián, year), 月 (yuè, month), 日 (rì, day/date), and 星期 (xīng qī, week). For telling clock time, you will learn 点 (diǎn, o'clock) and 分 (fēn, minute). Combined with the numbers you already know, these words let you express any date or time. For instance, "3:15" is simply 三点十五分 (sān diǎn shí wǔ fēn).

Places

Location vocabulary lets you navigate and talk about where things are. HSK 1 includes 中国 (zhōng guó, China), 北京 (běi jīng, Beijing), 学校 (xué xiào, school), 医院 (yī yuàn, hospital), 商店 (shāng diàn, shop/store), 饭馆 (fàn guǎn, restaurant), and 家 (jiā, home/family). These place words pair naturally with the verbs 去 (qù, to go) and 来 (lái, to come) to form simple but practical sentences like 我去学校 (wǒ qù xué xiào, I am going to school) or 他来中国 (tā lái zhōng guó, he is coming to China).

Verbs

Verbs are the engine of any language, and HSK 1 provides a solid set of high-frequency action words. The most fundamental is 是 (shì, to be), followed by 有 (yǒu, to have). Movement verbs include 去 (qù, to go) and 来 (lái, to come). Daily activity verbs cover 做 (zuò, to do/make), 看 (kàn, to look/watch/read), 听 (tīng, to listen), 说 (shuō, to speak), 读 (dú, to read aloud), 写 (xiě, to write), 买 (mǎi, to buy), 吃 (chī, to eat), 喝 (hē, to drink), 睡觉 (shuì jiào, to sleep), 工作 (gōng zuò, to work), and 学习 (xué xí, to study). You will also learn 喜欢 (xǐ huān, to like), which lets you express preferences. Together, these verbs allow you to describe most basic daily routines and activities.

Adjectives

Adjectives let you describe people, things, and situations. HSK 1 includes fundamental pairs like 好 (hǎo, good), 大 (dà, big) and 小 (xiǎo, small), 多 (duō, many/much) and 少 (shǎo, few/little), 冷 (lěng, cold) and 热 (rè, hot). Emotional adjectives include 高兴 (gāo xìng, happy) and 漂亮 (piào liàng, beautiful/pretty). Learning adjectives in opposing pairs is a proven memorization strategy — when you learn "big," immediately learn "small" alongside it. The contrast strengthens your memory of both words.

Question Words

Asking questions is one of the most important skills for a beginner. HSK 1 equips you with a complete set of question words: 什么 (shén me, what), 谁 (shéi, who), 哪 (nǎ, which), 哪儿 (nǎr, where), 怎么 (zěn me, how), 怎么样 (zěn me yàng, how about / how is it), 几 (jǐ, how many — for small numbers), and 多少 (duō shǎo, how many/much). Chinese question structure is simpler than English in one key way: you do not need to rearrange the sentence. To turn "He is a teacher" (他是老师) into "Who is a teacher?" you simply replace the subject: 谁是老师？ The word order stays the same.

Preview HSK 1 Vocabulary

Click the cards below to reveal the pinyin and English meaning. These are some of the most important words from the HSK 1 word list:

HSK 1 Exam Format

Understanding the exam format is just as important as learning the vocabulary. The HSK 1 exam consists of two sections: listening and reading. There is no writing section at HSK 1 — that is introduced at HSK 3 under the 2.0 system. Here is the complete breakdown:

Listening Section

The listening section contains 20 items and lasts approximately 15 minutes. It is divided into four parts. In the first part, you hear a short phrase and choose whether a picture matches what you heard. In the second part, you hear a sentence and select the correct picture from a set of options. The third part presents a short dialogue, and you answer a question about it. The fourth part features slightly longer exchanges where you identify the correct response. All audio is played twice, giving you two chances to catch the content. The listening section accounts for 100 of the 200 total points.

Reading Section

The reading section also contains 20 items and takes approximately 17 minutes. Like listening, it has four parts. You will match words to pictures, match sentences to pictures, fill in blanks by choosing the correct word, and match questions with appropriate responses. Every reading item includes pinyin above the characters, so you do not need perfect character recognition to answer correctly. The reading section accounts for the remaining 100 points.

The total exam duration is about 35 minutes of testing time plus 5 minutes to fill in your answer sheet, for a total of 40 minutes. You need a combined score of at least 120 out of 200 (60%) to pass. There is no minimum score for either section individually — only the total matters.

How Long Does It Take to Learn HSK 1?

Most learners can master all 150 HSK 1 words in 4 to 8 weeks when studying 30 to 60 minutes per day. That is a realistic timeline for someone starting from zero with no prior Chinese experience. If you already speak another tonal language (like Vietnamese or Thai) or have some exposure to Chinese characters (like Japanese kanji knowledge), you may progress faster.

The biggest factor is not how many hours you study, but how consistently you study. Thirty minutes every single day will produce dramatically better results than three hours on the weekend. This is because of how memory works — your brain consolidates new information during sleep, so daily study sessions with overnight breaks in between are far more effective than marathon cramming sessions.

Study method also matters enormously. Passive methods like reading through a word list or re-reading your notes are among the least effective ways to memorize vocabulary. Active recall — the practice of testing yourself by trying to remember a word before seeing the answer — is proven to be significantly more effective. Spaced repetition systems (SRS) combine active recall with optimally timed review intervals, making them the gold standard for vocabulary memorization.

With an SRS tool like HSKLord, you can learn 10 to 15 new words per day while reviewing previously learned words. The algorithm tracks which words you know well and which ones you struggle with, automatically scheduling reviews at the optimal moment — just before you would forget. This eliminates wasted time reviewing words you already know and ensures you spend your study time where it matters most.

HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0: What Changes for HSK 1?

China is in the process of transitioning from the current HSK system (commonly called HSK 2.0) to a new system called HSK 3.0. This transition directly affects HSK 1 learners, so it is important to understand what is changing and when.

The most significant change is vocabulary count. Under HSK 2.0, HSK 1 requires 150 words. Under HSK 3.0, HSK 1 expands to 300 words — exactly double. The new words are not arbitrary additions; they include practical vocabulary pulled down from higher levels to make HSK 1 more immediately useful for real-world communication. Categories like medical vocabulary, directional words, and weather terms that were previously HSK 2 or HSK 3 material now appear at the HSK 1 level.

HSK 3.0 also introduces explicit character recognition requirements. While HSK 2.0 implicitly required you to know the characters used in its word list, HSK 3.0 formally specifies that HSK 1 learners should be able to recognize approximately 200 characters. The good news is that handwriting is not required at HSK 1 under either system — you only need to recognize characters, not produce them by hand.

The transition is scheduled for July 2026. Until then, you can still take the HSK 2.0 version of the exam. After July 2026, all new HSK 1 exams will follow the 3.0 format. If you are studying right now and plan to take the exam before the switch, focus on the 150-word list. If you are preparing for an exam after July 2026, you will want to study the expanded 300-word list. For a deep dive into every change, see our complete guide to new HSK 1 under HSK 3.0.

Study Tips for HSK 1 Vocabulary

Learning 150 words is very achievable, but the right approach makes a huge difference in how quickly you learn and how long you remember. Here are six proven strategies for mastering HSK 1 vocabulary efficiently.

1. Use Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is the single most impactful study technique for vocabulary memorization. Instead of reviewing all words equally, an SRS algorithm shows you words right before you are about to forget them. Words you know well get pushed further into the future, while words you struggle with come back more frequently. Research consistently shows that spaced repetition produces better long-term retention than any other memorization method, often by a factor of two or more. HSKLord's built-in SRS is specifically calibrated for Chinese vocabulary and HSK word lists.

2. Learn Words in Context, Not Isolation

Memorizing isolated word-translation pairs (e.g., 吃 = eat) is a start, but words stick much better when you learn them in short phrases or sentences. Instead of just learning 吃, learn 吃饭 (chī fàn, to eat a meal) or 我喜欢吃中国菜 (wǒ xǐ huān chī zhōng guó cài, I like to eat Chinese food). Context gives your brain more hooks to attach the new word to, making recall easier and more natural.

3. Focus on Tones from Day One

Mandarin Chinese has four tones (plus a neutral tone), and they change the meaning of words entirely. 买 (mǎi, third tone) means "to buy," while 卖 (mài, fourth tone) means "to sell." Many beginners try to learn vocabulary first and "add tones later." This is a mistake. If you learn a word with the wrong tone, you are essentially learning the wrong word, and it is much harder to correct a bad habit than to form a good one. Always practice tones from the very beginning, even if it slows you down initially.

4. Practice with Audio

The HSK 1 exam is 50% listening, so training your ear is not optional. Listen to native pronunciation for every new word you learn. Many learners make the mistake of only studying silently from written materials and then struggling badly on the listening portion of the exam. Use apps with audio (HSKLord includes native audio for every word), watch beginner Chinese videos, or find HSK 1 listening practice materials online. The goal is to recognize words by sound, not just by sight.

5. Write Characters by Hand

Even though HSK 1 does not test handwriting, the physical act of writing characters helps you remember them. Studies on motor memory show that handwriting engages different neural pathways than typing or passive reading, creating stronger memory traces. You do not need to achieve perfect calligraphy — just writing each new character a few times as you learn it will boost your recognition and retention. Focus on stroke order, as learning the correct stroke order helps you break characters into logical components.

6. Set Daily Goals

Consistency beats intensity. Set a target of 10 to 15 new words per day and stick to it. At 10 words per day, you will finish the entire HSK 1 word list in just 15 days. At 15 words per day, you will finish in 10 days. Then spend the remaining weeks reviewing and cementing those words through spaced repetition. Having a clear daily target makes your study sessions focused and gives you a sense of progress. Track your streak — most people find that once they build a 7-day streak, they do not want to break it.

Free HSK 1 Resources

Beyond the PDF download on this page, here are additional free resources to support your HSK 1 preparation:

• HSK 1 Practice on HSKLord — Interactive flashcards with spaced repetition for all 150 HSK 1 words. Free trial available with no credit card required.
• HSK 1 Vocabulary List — Browse the complete HSK 1 word list online with search, filtering, and audio pronunciation.
• HSK 1 Vocabulary PDF — Downloadable PDF formatted for printing, with characters, pinyin, and English organized by category.
• Best HSK Apps in 2026 — Our comprehensive review of the top apps for HSK preparation, including free options.

HSKLord offers a free 30-day trial that includes full access to all HSK levels, spaced repetition scheduling, audio pronunciation, and progress tracking. It is the fastest way to go from zero to HSK 1 ready, and you can start without entering a credit card.

Frequently Asked Questions