The 1000 most common Mandarin Chinese words

中文（普通话） · ranked by frequency · with English translations

Mandarin has more first-language speakers than any other language on earth — over 900 million — and is the official language of mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore. This list gives the characters, the pinyin romanisation, and the English.

Mandarin has no conjugation, no gender, no plurals and no cases, which makes its grammar far gentler than most learners expect. The work is elsewhere: every syllable carries one of four tones and changing the tone changes the word, and the writing system has to be learned more or less separately from the speech. The commonest characters, though, are extraordinarily productive — a few hundred of them cover most of a page of ordinary text.

Learn them in this order, not alphabetically

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The list

Ordered by frequency across a large corpus of written and spoken Mandarin, with pinyin.

This page lists the first 1000 of 1100 words in the Mandarin Chinese frequency list.

#	Mandarin Chinese	Pinyin	English	Part of speech
1	你	nǐ	you (singular)	pron
2	好	hǎo	good; well; fine	adj
3	你好	nǐ hǎo	hello; hi	phrase
4	我	wǒ	I; me	pron
5	是	shì	to be; is; am; are	v
6	吗	ma	(question particle) turns a statement into a yes-no question	particle
7	人	rén	person; people	n
8	的	de	(possessive particle) 's; of	particle
9	不	bù	not; no	adv
10	了	le	(grammar particle) completed action; change of state	particle
11	在	zài	to be at; at; in	v
12	有	yǒu	to have; there is; there are	v
13	他	tā	he; him	pron
14	她	tā	she; her	pron
15	这	zhè	this	pron
16	那	nà	that	pron
17	什么	shén me	what	question word
18	谁	shéi	who; whom	question word
19	呢	ne	(question particle) and you?; what about that?	particle
20	很	hěn	very	adv
21	也	yě	also; too	adv
22	都	dōu	all; both	adv
23	和	hé	and; with	conj
24	个	gè	(measure word) general classifier for people and things	measure word
25	我们	wǒ men	we; us	pron
26	你们	nǐ men	you (plural)	pron
27	他们	tā men	they; them	pron
28	中国	Zhōng guó	China	n
29	名字	míng zi	name	n
30	叫	jiào	to be called; to call	v
31	老师	lǎo shī	teacher	n
32	学生	xué sheng	student	n
33	请	qǐng	please; to invite	v
34	谢谢	xiè xie	thank you; thanks	phrase
35	对不起	duì bu qǐ	sorry; excuse me	phrase
36	再见	zài jiàn	goodbye; see you again	phrase
37	一	yī	one; 1	num
38	二	èr	two; 2	num
39	三	sān	three; 3	num
40	四	sì	four; 4	num
41	五	wǔ	five; 5	num
42	六	liù	six; 6	num
43	七	qī	seven; 7	num
44	八	bā	eight; 8	num
45	九	jiǔ	nine; 9	num
46	十	shí	ten; 10	num
47	零	líng	zero; 0	num
48	两	liǎng	two (of something); a couple of	num
49	岁	suì	years old; year of age	measure word
50	家	jiā	home; family	n
51	爱	ài	to love	v
52	说	shuō	to speak; to say	v
53	去	qù	to go	v
54	来	lái	to come	v
55	看	kàn	to look; to watch; to read	v
56	听	tīng	to listen; to hear	v
57	吃	chī	to eat	v
58	喝	hē	to drink	v
59	想	xiǎng	to want to; to think; to miss	v
60	要	yào	to want; will; to need	v
61	会	huì	can (know how to); will	v
62	能	néng	can (be able to); may	v
63	可以	kě yǐ	may; can (be allowed to)	v
64	没有	méi yǒu	to not have; there is not	v
65	没	méi	did not; not (negates having)	adv
66	大	dà	big; large	adj
67	小	xiǎo	small; little	adj
68	多	duō	many; much	adj
69	少	shǎo	few; little (amount)	adj
70	上	shàng	up; on; above; to go up	prep
71	下	xià	down; under; below; to go down	prep
72	里	lǐ	inside; in	prep
73	外	wài	outside	prep
74	前	qián	front; before	prep
75	后	hòu	back; behind; after	prep
76	东西	dōng xi	thing; stuff	n
77	朋友	péng you	friend	n
78	男	nán	male; man	adj
79	女	nǚ	female; woman	adj
80	妈妈	mā ma	mom; mother	n
81	爸爸	bà ba	dad; father	n
82	儿子	ér zi	son	n
83	女儿	nǚ ér	daughter	n
84	哥哥	gē ge	older brother	n
85	姐姐	jiě jie	older sister	n
86	弟弟	dì di	younger brother	n
87	妹妹	mèi mei	younger sister	n
88	先生	xiān sheng	Mr.; sir; husband	n
89	小姐	xiǎo jiě	Miss; young lady	n
90	孩子	hái zi	child; kid	n
91	猫	māo	cat	n
92	狗	gǒu	dog	n
93	字	zì	character; written word	n
94	书	shū	book	n
95	水	shuǐ	water	n
96	茶	chá	tea	n
97	咖啡	kā fēi	coffee	n
98	米饭	mǐ fàn	cooked rice	n
99	面条	miàn tiáo	noodles	n
100	菜	cài	dish (of food); vegetable	n
101	苹果	píng guǒ	apple	n
102	鸡蛋	jī dàn	egg (chicken egg)	n
103	牛奶	niú nǎi	milk	n
104	面包	miàn bāo	bread	n
105	今天	jīn tiān	today	time word
106	明天	míng tiān	tomorrow	time word
107	昨天	zuó tiān	yesterday	time word
108	现在	xiàn zài	now	time word
109	点	diǎn	o'clock; dot; a little	n
110	分钟	fēn zhōng	minute	n
111	年	nián	year	n
112	月	yuè	month; moon	n
113	日	rì	day (of the month); sun	n
114	号	hào	date (of the month); number	n
115	星期	xīng qī	week	n
116	天	tiān	day; sky	n
117	时候	shí hou	time; moment	n
118	上午	shàng wǔ	morning (before noon)	time word
119	下午	xià wǔ	afternoon	time word
120	中午	zhōng wǔ	noon; midday	time word
121	早上	zǎo shang	(early) morning	time word
122	晚上	wǎn shang	evening; night	time word
123	学校	xué xiào	school	n
124	医院	yī yuàn	hospital	n
125	商店	shāng diàn	shop; store	n
126	饭店	fàn diàn	restaurant; hotel	n
127	火车站	huǒ chē zhàn	train station	n
128	北京	Běi jīng	Beijing	n
129	哪	nǎ	which	question word
130	哪儿	nǎr	where	question word
131	这儿	zhèr	here	pron
132	那儿	nàr	there	pron
133	怎么	zěn me	how; why	question word
134	怎么样	zěn me yàng	how about it?; how is it?	question word
135	几	jǐ	how many (small number); a few	question word
136	多少	duō shao	how many; how much	question word
137	钱	qián	money	n
138	块	kuài	(measure word) yuan (money); piece; lump	measure word
139	买	mǎi	to buy	v
140	卖	mài	to sell	v
141	做	zuò	to do; to make	v
142	坐	zuò	to sit; to take (transport)	v
143	住	zhù	to live (somewhere); to stay	v
144	读	dú	to read (aloud); to study	v
145	写	xiě	to write	v
146	学	xué	to study; to learn	v
147	学习	xué xí	to study; to learn	v
148	工作	gōng zuò	to work; job	v
149	睡觉	shuì jiào	to sleep	v
150	起床	qǐ chuáng	to get up (out of bed)	v
151	打电话	dǎ diàn huà	to make a phone call	phrase
152	电话	diàn huà	telephone; phone call	n
153	手机	shǒu jī	mobile phone	n
154	电脑	diàn nǎo	computer	n
155	电视	diàn shì	television; TV	n
156	电影	diàn yǐng	movie; film	n
157	汉语	Hàn yǔ	Chinese language (Mandarin)	n
158	中文	Zhōng wén	Chinese (written) language	n
159	英语	Yīng yǔ	English language	n
160	喜欢	xǐ huan	to like	v
161	觉得	jué de	to feel; to think (opinion)	v
162	认识	rèn shi	to know (a person); to recognise	v
163	知道	zhī dào	to know (a fact)	v
164	漂亮	piào liang	pretty; beautiful	adj
165	高兴	gāo xìng	happy; glad	adj
166	冷	lěng	cold	adj
167	热	rè	hot	adj
168	忙	máng	busy	adj
169	累	lèi	tired	adj
170	饿	è	hungry	adj
171	渴	kě	thirsty	adj
172	新	xīn	new	adj
173	旧	jiù	old (of things); used	adj
174	老	lǎo	old (of people); aged	adj
175	年轻	nián qīng	young	adj
176	高	gāo	tall; high	adj
177	矮	ǎi	short (in height)	adj
178	长	cháng	long	adj
179	短	duǎn	short (in length)	adj
180	快	kuài	fast; quick	adj
181	慢	màn	slow	adj
182	远	yuǎn	far	adj
183	近	jìn	near; close	adj
184	贵	guì	expensive	adj
185	便宜	pián yi	cheap; inexpensive	adj
186	车	chē	car; vehicle	n
187	出租车	chū zū chē	taxi	n
188	公共汽车	gōng gòng qì chē	(public) bus	n
189	飞机	fēi jī	airplane	n
190	火车	huǒ chē	train	n
191	票	piào	ticket	n
192	路	lù	road; way; route	n
193	走	zǒu	to walk; to go (on foot)	v
194	跑	pǎo	to run	v
195	开	kāi	to open; to drive; to turn on	v
196	关	guān	to close; to turn off	v
197	进	jìn	to enter; to go in	v
198	出	chū	to go out; to exit	v
199	回	huí	to return; to go back	v
200	回家	huí jiā	to go home	phrase
201	到	dào	to arrive; to reach	v
202	给	gěi	to give; for; to	v
203	让	ràng	to let; to make (someone do)	v
204	帮	bāng	to help	v
205	帮助	bāng zhù	to help; help	v
206	等	děng	to wait	v
207	找	zhǎo	to look for; to find	v
208	拿	ná	to take; to hold	v
209	放	fàng	to put; to place; to release	v
210	用	yòng	to use	v
211	穿	chuān	to wear; to put on	v
212	洗	xǐ	to wash	v
213	送	sòng	to give (a gift); to see someone off; to deliver	v
214	玩	wán	to play; to have fun	v
215	笑	xiào	to laugh; to smile	v
216	哭	kū	to cry	v
217	问	wèn	to ask	v
218	回答	huí dá	to answer; answer	v
219	告诉	gào su	to tell	v
220	说话	shuō huà	to speak; to talk	v
221	唱歌	chàng gē	to sing (songs)	v
222	跳舞	tiào wǔ	to dance	v
223	游泳	yóu yǒng	to swim	v
224	踢足球	tī zú qiú	to play football	phrase
225	打篮球	dǎ lán qiú	to play basketball	phrase
226	运动	yùn dòng	sport; exercise; to work out	n
227	身体	shēn tǐ	body; health	n
228	头	tóu	head	n
229	眼睛	yǎn jing	eye	n
230	耳朵	ěr duo	ear	n
231	鼻子	bí zi	nose	n
232	嘴	zuǐ	mouth	n
233	手	shǒu	hand	n
234	脚	jiǎo	foot	n
235	衣服	yī fu	clothes	n
236	裤子	kù zi	trousers; pants	n
237	鞋	xié	shoe; shoes	n
238	帽子	mào zi	hat; cap	n
239	颜色	yán sè	colour	n
240	红	hóng	red	adj
241	黄	huáng	yellow	adj
242	蓝	lán	blue	adj
243	绿	lǜ	green	adj
244	白	bái	white	adj
245	黑	hēi	black	adj
246	天气	tiān qì	weather	n
247	下雨	xià yǔ	to rain	v
248	下雪	xià xuě	to snow	v
249	风	fēng	wind	n
250	太阳	tài yáng	sun	n
251	月亮	yuè liang	moon	n
252	山	shān	mountain; hill	n
253	河	hé	river	n
254	海	hǎi	sea; ocean	n
255	树	shù	tree	n
256	花	huā	flower; to spend	n
257	草	cǎo	grass	n
258	鸟	niǎo	bird	n
259	鱼	yú	fish	n
260	肉	ròu	meat	n
261	牛肉	niú ròu	beef	n
262	鸡肉	jī ròu	chicken (meat)	n
263	羊肉	yáng ròu	lamb; mutton	n
264	水果	shuǐ guǒ	fruit	n
265	香蕉	xiāng jiāo	banana	n
266	西瓜	xī guā	watermelon	n
267	葡萄	pú tao	grape	n
268	太	tài	too (excessively)	adv
269	真	zhēn	really; truly	adv
270	非常	fēi cháng	very; extremely	adv
271	最	zuì	most; -est	adv
272	更	gèng	even more	adv
273	还	hái	still; yet; also	adv
274	再	zài	again (in the future); then	adv
275	又	yòu	again (already happened)	adv
276	就	jiù	then; right away; exactly	adv
277	才	cái	only then; not until	adv
278	只	zhǐ	only; just	adv
279	一起	yì qǐ	together	adv
280	常常	cháng cháng	often	adv
281	有时候	yǒu shí hou	sometimes	adv
282	每天	měi tiān	every day	time word
283	每	měi	every; each	pron
284	先	xiān	first (before something else)	adv
285	然后	rán hòu	then; after that	conj
286	因为	yīn wèi	because	conj
287	所以	suǒ yǐ	so; therefore	conj
288	但是	dàn shì	but; however	conj
289	可是	kě shì	but; yet	conj
290	如果	rú guǒ	if	conj
291	还是	hái shi	or (in questions); still	conj
292	或者	huò zhě	or (in statements)	conj
293	跟	gēn	with; to follow	prep
294	从	cóng	from	prep
295	离	lí	(distance) from; away from	prep
296	向	xiàng	towards; to	prep
297	往	wǎng	towards; in the direction of	prep
298	对	duì	towards; correct; right	prep
299	把	bǎ	(grammar word) takes the object before the verb	particle
300	被	bèi	(passive marker) by	particle
301	吧	ba	(suggestion particle) let's; right?	particle
302	别	bié	don't (do something)	adv
303	得	de	(particle) links a verb to how it is done	particle
304	地	de	(particle) turns an adjective into an adverb	particle
305	过	guò	(particle) have done before; to pass	particle
306	着	zhe	(particle) ongoing state; -ing	particle
307	正在	zhèng zài	right now (in the middle of doing)	adv
308	已经	yǐ jīng	already	adv
309	马上	mǎ shàng	at once; right away	adv
310	刚	gāng	just (a moment ago)	adv
311	一会儿	yí huìr	a little while	time word
312	以前	yǐ qián	before; in the past	time word
313	以后	yǐ hòu	after; later	time word
314	去年	qù nián	last year	time word
315	明年	míng nián	next year	time word
316	小时	xiǎo shí	hour	n
317	时间	shí jiān	time	n
318	房间	fáng jiān	room	n
319	房子	fáng zi	house	n
320	门	mén	door; gate	n
321	窗户	chuāng hu	window	n
322	桌子	zhuō zi	table; desk	n
323	椅子	yǐ zi	chair	n
324	床	chuáng	bed	n
325	杯子	bēi zi	cup; glass	n
326	碗	wǎn	bowl	n
327	筷子	kuài zi	chopsticks	n
328	东	dōng	east	n
329	南	nán	south	n
330	西	xī	west	n
331	北	běi	north	n
332	旁边	páng biān	beside; next to	prep
333	中间	zhōng jiān	middle; between	prep
334	对面	duì miàn	opposite; across from	prep
335	附近	fù jìn	nearby; vicinity	prep
336	左边	zuǒ bian	left side	n
337	右边	yòu bian	right side	n
338	上边	shàng bian	top; above	n
339	下边	xià bian	bottom; below	n
340	里边	lǐ bian	inside	n
341	外边	wài bian	outside	n
342	工人	gōng rén	worker	n
343	医生	yī shēng	doctor	n
344	护士	hù shi	nurse	n
345	司机	sī jī	driver	n
346	服务员	fú wù yuán	waiter; waitress; attendant	n
347	同学	tóng xué	classmate	n
348	同事	tóng shì	colleague; co-worker	n
349	班	bān	class (group of students); shift	n
350	课	kè	class (lesson); course	n
351	上课	shàng kè	to attend class; class begins	v
352	下课	xià kè	class ends; to finish class	v
353	考试	kǎo shì	exam; to take an exam	n
354	问题	wèn tí	question; problem	n
355	意思	yì si	meaning	n
356	东北	dōng běi	northeast	n
357	词	cí	word	n
358	句子	jù zi	sentence	n
359	作业	zuò yè	homework	n
360	本	běn	(measure word) for books and notebooks	measure word
361	张	zhāng	(measure word) for flat things: paper and tables	measure word
362	动物	dòng wù	animal	n
363	条	tiáo	(measure word) for long thin things: fish and trousers	measure word
364	件	jiàn	(measure word) for clothes and matters	measure word
365	杯	bēi	(measure word) cup of; glass of	measure word
366	瓶	píng	(measure word) bottle of	measure word
367	些	xiē	(measure word) some; several	measure word
368	次	cì	(measure word) time; occurrence	measure word
369	位	wèi	(measure word) polite classifier for people	measure word
370	元	yuán	yuan (Chinese currency unit)	measure word
371	毛	máo	(money) ten cents; fur; hair	measure word
372	百	bǎi	hundred	num
373	千	qiān	thousand	num
374	万	wàn	ten thousand	num
375	第一	dì yī	first (number one)	num
376	半	bàn	half	num
377	一点儿	yì diǎnr	a little; a bit	phrase
378	有点儿	yǒu diǎnr	a little (too); somewhat	adv
379	号码	hào mǎ	number (phone or room)	n
380	生日	shēng rì	birthday	n
381	礼物	lǐ wù	gift; present	n
382	新年	xīn nián	New Year	n
383	春节	Chūn jié	Spring Festival; Chinese New Year	n
384	快乐	kuài lè	happy (in wishes); joyful	adj
385	舒服	shū fu	comfortable	adj
386	干净	gān jìng	clean	adj
387	好吃	hǎo chī	tasty; delicious	adj
388	好看	hǎo kàn	good-looking; nice to watch	adj
389	好玩	hǎo wán	fun; amusing	adj
390	难	nán	difficult; hard	adj
391	容易	róng yì	easy	adj
392	重要	zhòng yào	important	adj
393	电	diàn	electricity; electric	n
394	错	cuò	wrong; mistake	adj
395	晴	qíng	sunny; clear (weather)	adj
396	阴	yīn	cloudy; overcast	adj
397	雪	xuě	snow	n
398	雨	yǔ	rain	n
399	伞	sǎn	umbrella	n
400	鸡	jī	chicken	n
401	牛	niú	cow; ox	n
402	羊	yáng	sheep; goat	n
403	马	mǎ	horse	n
404	猪	zhū	pig	n
405	大家	dà jiā	everyone; everybody	pron
406	别人	bié rén	other people; others	pron
407	自己	zì jǐ	oneself; self	pron
408	它	tā	it	pron
409	它们	tā men	they (things or animals)	pron
410	姓	xìng	surname; to be surnamed	v
411	介绍	jiè shào	to introduce	v
412	欢迎	huān yíng	to welcome	v
413	见	jiàn	to see; to meet	v
414	见面	jiàn miàn	to meet (face to face)	v
415	聊天	liáo tiān	to chat	v
416	准备	zhǔn bèi	to prepare; to plan to	v
417	开始	kāi shǐ	to begin; to start	v
418	完	wán	to finish; (after a verb) done	v
419	结束	jié shù	to end; to finish	v
420	休息	xiū xi	to rest	v
421	旅游	lǚ yóu	to travel; tourism	v
422	旅行	lǚ xíng	to travel; trip	v
423	唱	chàng	to sing	v
424	歌	gē	song	n
425	音乐	yīn yuè	music	n
426	画	huà	to paint; painting	v
427	照片	zhào piàn	photo; picture	n
428	照相	zhào xiàng	to take a photo	v
429	游戏	yóu xì	game	n
430	故事	gù shi	story	n
431	报纸	bào zhǐ	newspaper	n
432	杂志	zá zhì	magazine	n
433	地图	dì tú	map	n
434	世界	shì jiè	world	n
435	国家	guó jiā	country; nation	n
436	城市	chéng shì	city	n
437	地方	dì fang	place	n
438	公园	gōng yuán	park	n
439	超市	chāo shì	supermarket	n
440	银行	yín háng	bank	n
441	公司	gōng sī	company; firm	n
442	办公室	bàn gōng shì	office	n
443	机场	jī chǎng	airport	n
444	地铁	dì tiě	metro; subway	n
445	自行车	zì xíng chē	bicycle	n
446	船	chuán	boat; ship	n
447	站	zhàn	station; stop; to stand	n
448	骑	qí	to ride (a bike or horse)	v
449	开车	kāi chē	to drive a car	v
450	上班	shàng bān	to go to work; to be at work	v
451	下班	xià bān	to get off work	v
452	迟到	chí dào	to be late	v
453	早	zǎo	early	adj
454	晚	wǎn	late	adj
455	久	jiǔ	long (time)	adj
456	刻	kè	quarter of an hour	measure word
457	差	chà	to lack; (time) before the hour	v
458	零钱	líng qián	small change (money)	n
459	花钱	huā qián	to spend money	phrase
460	付钱	fù qián	to pay (money)	phrase
461	店	diàn	shop; store	n
462	菜单	cài dān	menu	n
463	点菜	diǎn cài	to order food	v
464	好喝	hǎo hē	tasty (to drink)	adj
465	甜	tián	sweet	adj
466	酸	suān	sour	adj
467	辣	là	spicy; hot (taste)	adj
468	咸	xián	salty	adj
469	汤	tāng	soup	n
470	糖	táng	sugar; sweets	n
471	盐	yán	salt	n
472	油	yóu	oil	n
473	饺子	jiǎo zi	dumpling	n
474	包子	bāo zi	steamed stuffed bun	n
475	粥	zhōu	porridge; congee	n
476	啤酒	pí jiǔ	beer	n
477	果汁	guǒ zhī	fruit juice	n
478	饮料	yǐn liào	drink; beverage	n
479	早饭	zǎo fàn	breakfast	n
480	午饭	wǔ fàn	lunch	n
481	晚饭	wǎn fàn	dinner; supper	n
482	做饭	zuò fàn	to cook (a meal)	v
483	厨房	chú fáng	kitchen	n
484	洗手间	xǐ shǒu jiān	bathroom; restroom	n
485	厕所	cè suǒ	toilet	n
486	楼	lóu	building; floor (storey)	n
487	楼上	lóu shàng	upstairs	n
488	楼下	lóu xià	downstairs	n
489	电梯	diàn tī	lift; elevator	n
490	层	céng	(measure word) floor; layer	measure word
491	睡	shuì	to sleep	v
492	醒	xǐng	to wake up	v
493	刷牙	shuā yá	to brush one's teeth	phrase
494	洗澡	xǐ zǎo	to take a shower or bath	v
495	脸	liǎn	face	n
496	头发	tóu fa	hair (on the head)	n
497	牙	yá	tooth	n
498	肚子	dù zi	belly; stomach	n
499	生病	shēng bìng	to get sick	v
500	病	bìng	illness; disease	n
501	感冒	gǎn mào	to catch a cold; a cold	v
502	发烧	fā shāo	to have a fever	v
503	咳嗽	ké sou	to cough	v
504	疼	téng	to hurt; painful; sore	adj
505	药	yào	medicine; drug	n
506	吃药	chī yào	to take medicine	phrase
507	看病	kàn bìng	to see a doctor	phrase
508	健康	jiàn kāng	healthy; health	adj
509	锻炼	duàn liàn	to exercise; to train	v
510	散步	sàn bù	to take a walk	v
511	爬山	pá shān	to climb a mountain; hiking	v
512	球	qiú	ball	n
513	足球	zú qiú	football; soccer	n
514	篮球	lán qiú	basketball	n
515	乒乓球	pīng pāng qiú	table tennis; ping-pong	n
516	比赛	bǐ sài	match; competition	n
517	赢	yíng	to win	v
518	输	shū	to lose (a game)	v
519	队	duì	team	n
520	爱好	ài hào	hobby; interest	n
521	礼拜	lǐ bài	week (colloquial)	n
522	周末	zhōu mò	weekend	n
523	放假	fàng jià	to have a holiday; to be on break	v
524	假期	jià qī	holiday; vacation	n
525	暑假	shǔ jià	summer holiday	n
526	寒假	hán jià	winter holiday	n
527	春天	chūn tiān	spring (season)	n
528	夏天	xià tiān	summer	n
529	秋天	qiū tiān	autumn; fall	n
530	冬天	dōng tiān	winter	n
531	季节	jì jié	season	n
532	月份	yuè fèn	month (of the year)	n
533	历史	lì shǐ	history	n
534	数学	shù xué	mathematics	n
535	科学	kē xué	science	n
536	艺术	yì shù	art	n
537	文化	wén huà	culture	n
538	语言	yǔ yán	language	n
539	拼音	pīn yīn	pinyin (Chinese romanisation)	n
540	汉字	Hàn zì	Chinese character	n
541	声调	shēng diào	tone (of a syllable)	n
542	发音	fā yīn	pronunciation	n
543	练习	liàn xí	to practise; exercise	v
544	复习	fù xí	to review (lessons)	v
545	预习	yù xí	to preview (lessons)	v
546	懂	dǒng	to understand	v
547	明白	míng bai	to understand; clear	v
548	记得	jì de	to remember	v
549	忘记	wàng jì	to forget	v
550	教	jiāo	to teach	v
551	教室	jiào shì	classroom	n
552	图书馆	tú shū guǎn	library	n
553	词典	cí diǎn	dictionary	n
554	黑板	hēi bǎn	blackboard	n
555	铅笔	qiān bǐ	pencil	n
556	笔	bǐ	pen; writing tool	n
557	纸	zhǐ	paper	n
558	本子	běn zi	notebook	n
559	书包	shū bāo	school bag	n
560	桌	zhuō	table; desk	n
561	大学	dà xué	university	n
562	中学	zhōng xué	secondary school	n
563	小学	xiǎo xué	primary school	n
564	年级	nián jí	grade; year (in school)	n
565	毕业	bì yè	to graduate	v
566	努力	nǔ lì	hard-working; to try hard	adj
567	认真	rèn zhēn	serious; conscientious	adj
568	聪明	cōng ming	clever; smart	adj
569	笨	bèn	stupid; clumsy	adj
570	有名	yǒu míng	famous; well-known	adj
571	有意思	yǒu yì si	interesting	adj
572	没意思	méi yì si	boring; dull	adj
573	奇怪	qí guài	strange; odd	adj
574	一样	yí yàng	the same; alike	adj
575	不同	bù tóng	different	adj
576	比	bǐ	than; to compare	prep
577	像	xiàng	to be like; to resemble	v
578	年纪	nián jì	age (of a person)	n
579	座位	zuò wèi	seat	n
580	越来越	yuè lái yuè	more and more	adv
581	身高	shēn gāo	height (of a person)	n
582	米	mǐ	metre; (uncooked) rice	n
583	公斤	gōng jīn	kilogram	n
584	斤	jīn	jin (half a kilogram)	measure word
585	重	zhòng	heavy	adj
586	轻	qīng	light (in weight)	adj
587	胖	pàng	fat; plump	adj
588	瘦	shòu	thin; slim	adj
589	可爱	kě ài	cute; lovely	adj
590	帅	shuài	handsome	adj
591	美	měi	beautiful	adj
592	丑	chǒu	ugly	adj
593	声音	shēng yīn	sound; voice	n
594	大声	dà shēng	loud; loudly	adv
595	小声	xiǎo shēng	quiet; in a low voice	adv
596	安静	ān jìng	quiet; calm	adj
597	热闹	rè nao	lively; bustling	adj
598	方便	fāng biàn	convenient	adj
599	干	gàn	to do (work)	v
600	试	shì	to try; to test	v
601	借	jiè	to borrow; to lend	v
602	还给	huán gěi	to give back to	phrase
603	换	huàn	to change; to exchange	v
604	带	dài	to bring; to carry; belt	v
605	拿走	ná zǒu	to take away	phrase
606	搬	bān	to move (heavy things); to relocate	v
607	搬家	bān jiā	to move house	v
608	住在	zhù zài	to live in (a place)	phrase
609	地址	dì zhǐ	address	n
610	房东	fáng dōng	landlord	n
611	邻居	lín jū	neighbour	n
612	客人	kè rén	guest; customer	n
613	主人	zhǔ rén	host; owner	n
614	门口	mén kǒu	doorway; entrance	n
615	钥匙	yào shi	key	n
616	包	bāo	bag; to wrap	n
617	钱包	qián bāo	wallet; purse	n
618	东南	dōng nán	southeast	n
619	西北	xī běi	northwest	n
620	西南	xī nán	southwest	n
621	信	xìn	letter (mail); to believe	n
622	信用卡	xìn yòng kǎ	credit card	n
623	卡	kǎ	card	n
624	邮件	yóu jiàn	mail; email	n
625	发	fā	to send (a message); to emit	v
626	收	shōu	to receive; to accept	v
627	短信	duǎn xìn	text message	n
628	网	wǎng	net; network	n
629	上网	shàng wǎng	to go online	v
630	网站	wǎng zhàn	website	n
631	新闻	xīn wén	news	n
632	消息	xiāo xi	news; message	n
633	电影院	diàn yǐng yuàn	cinema; movie theatre	n
634	注意	zhù yì	to pay attention to	v
635	小心	xiǎo xīn	to be careful; careful	v
636	危险	wēi xiǎn	dangerous; danger	adj
637	安全	ān quán	safe; safety	adj
638	红绿灯	hóng lǜ dēng	traffic light	n
639	过马路	guò mǎ lù	to cross the road	phrase
640	街	jiē	street	n
641	街道	jiē dào	street; neighbourhood	n
642	桥	qiáo	bridge	n
643	灯	dēng	lamp; light	n
644	拐	guǎi	to turn (a corner)	v
645	直走	zhí zǒu	to go straight ahead	phrase
646	右拐	yòu guǎi	to turn right	phrase
647	左拐	zuǒ guǎi	to turn left	phrase
648	迷路	mí lù	to get lost	v
649	问路	wèn lù	to ask for directions	phrase
650	方向	fāng xiàng	direction	n
651	旁	páng	side	n
652	饭馆	fàn guǎn	restaurant	n
653	菜市场	cài shì chǎng	food market	n
654	市场	shì chǎng	market	n
655	价格	jià gé	price	n
656	打折	dǎ zhé	to give a discount	v
657	试试	shì shi	to have a try	phrase
658	合适	hé shì	suitable; fitting	adj
659	大小	dà xiǎo	size	n
660	商场	shāng chǎng	shopping mall	n
661	双	shuāng	(measure word) pair of	measure word
662	袜子	wà zi	socks	n
663	裙子	qún zi	skirt; dress	n
664	衬衫	chèn shān	shirt	n
665	外套	wài tào	coat; jacket	n
666	毛衣	máo yī	sweater; jumper	n
667	眼镜	yǎn jìng	glasses; spectacles	n
668	手表	shǒu biǎo	wristwatch	n
669	戴	dài	to wear (glasses and hats)	v
670	镜子	jìng zi	mirror	n
671	饱	bǎo	full (after eating)	adj
672	够	gòu	enough	adj
673	一共	yí gòng	altogether; in total	adv
674	一直	yì zhí	all along; straight	adv
675	一定	yí dìng	definitely; certainly	adv
676	可能	kě néng	maybe; possible	adv
677	应该	yīng gāi	should; ought to	v
678	必须	bì xū	must; have to	adv
679	需要	xū yào	to need	v
680	决定	jué dìng	to decide; decision	v
681	选择	xuǎn zé	to choose; choice	v
682	希望	xī wàng	to hope; hope	v
683	打算	dǎ suàn	to plan; plan	v
684	同意	tóng yì	to agree	v
685	反对	fǎn duì	to oppose; to be against	v
686	相信	xiāng xìn	to believe; to trust	v
687	担心	dān xīn	to worry	v
688	害怕	hài pà	to be afraid	v
689	怕	pà	to fear; to be afraid of	v
690	生气	shēng qì	to get angry; angry	v
691	难过	nán guò	sad; upset	adj
692	伤心	shāng xīn	heartbroken; sad	adj
693	开心	kāi xīn	happy; delighted	adj
694	心	xīn	heart	n
695	心情	xīn qíng	mood	n
696	感觉	gǎn jué	to feel; feeling	v
697	哦	ò	oh (I see)	interj
698	喂	wéi	hello (on the phone); hey	interj
699	啊	a	ah; (softening particle)	interj
700	好的	hǎo de	OK; all right	phrase
701	行	xíng	OK; that works	v
702	没问题	méi wèn tí	no problem	phrase
703	没关系	méi guān xi	it doesn't matter; never mind	phrase
704	不客气	bú kè qi	you're welcome	phrase
705	欢迎光临	huān yíng guāng lín	welcome (to a shop)	phrase
706	慢走	màn zǒu	take care (said to a leaving guest)	phrase
707	加油	jiā yóu	keep going!; good luck!	phrase
708	辛苦	xīn kǔ	hard (toilsome); to work hard	adj
709	厉害	lì hai	amazing; impressive; fierce	adj
710	棒	bàng	great; excellent	adj
711	差不多	chà bu duō	almost; about the same	adv
712	大概	dà gài	probably; roughly	adv
713	左右	zuǒ yòu	around; approximately	adv
714	刚才	gāng cái	just now	time word
715	后来	hòu lái	afterwards; later on	time word
716	最近	zuì jìn	recently; lately	time word
717	将来	jiāng lái	the future	time word
718	突然	tū rán	suddenly	adv
719	马路	mǎ lù	road; avenue	n
720	汽车	qì chē	car; automobile	n
721	摩托车	mó tuō chē	motorbike	n
722	骑车	qí chē	to ride a bike	phrase
723	堵车	dǔ chē	traffic jam	v
724	加	jiā	to add	v
725	减	jiǎn	to subtract; to reduce	v
726	数	shù	number; to count	n
727	数字	shù zì	digit; number	n
728	一半	yí bàn	half (of something)	n
729	几乎	jī hū	almost; nearly	adv
730	特别	tè bié	especially; special	adv
731	主要	zhǔ yào	main; mainly	adj
732	一般	yì bān	ordinary; usually	adj
733	普通	pǔ tōng	common; ordinary	adj
734	普通话	pǔ tōng huà	Mandarin (standard Chinese)	n
735	方言	fāng yán	dialect	n
736	声	shēng	sound; (measure word) for cries and shouts	n
737	遍	biàn	(measure word) time through; once over	measure word
738	段	duàn	(measure word) section; paragraph; period	measure word
739	篇	piān	(measure word) for articles and essays	measure word
740	封	fēng	(measure word) for letters	measure word
741	顿	dùn	(measure word) for meals	measure word
742	场	chǎng	(measure word) for games and shows	measure word
743	间	jiān	(measure word) for rooms	measure word
744	座	zuò	(measure word) for mountains and buildings	measure word
745	辆	liàng	(measure word) for vehicles	measure word
746	支	zhī	(measure word) for pens and stick-like things	measure word
747	准时	zhǔn shí	on time; punctual	adj
748	着急	zháo jí	anxious; in a hurry	adj
749	慢慢	màn màn	slowly	adv
750	终于	zhōng yú	finally; at last	adv
751	总是	zǒng shì	always	adv
752	经常	jīng cháng	often; frequently	adv
753	从来	cóng lái	(never) ever; always (in the past)	adv
754	当然	dāng rán	of course; certainly	adv
755	其实	qí shí	actually; in fact	adv
756	比如	bǐ rú	for example	conj
757	虽然	suī rán	although	conj
758	不过	bú guò	but; however	conj
759	而且	ér qiě	moreover; and also	conj
760	不但	bú dàn	not only	conj
761	一边	yì biān	(doing two things) at the same time	conj
762	除了	chú le	except; besides	prep
763	为了	wèi le	in order to; for the sake of	prep
764	关于	guān yú	about; concerning	prep
765	遇到	yù dào	to run into; to encounter	v
766	碰到	pèng dào	to bump into; to come across	v
767	发现	fā xiàn	to discover; to find out	v
768	发生	fā shēng	to happen; to occur	v
769	变	biàn	to change; to become	v
770	变化	biàn huà	change	n
771	长大	zhǎng dà	to grow up	v
772	提高	tí gāo	to improve; to raise	v
773	水平	shuǐ píng	level; standard	n
774	成绩	chéng jì	grades; results	n
775	分	fēn	point; minute; to divide	n
776	分数	fēn shù	score; mark	n
777	及格	jí gé	to pass (a test)	v
778	通过	tōng guò	to pass (an exam); through	v
779	参加	cān jiā	to take part in; to attend	v
780	活动	huó dòng	activity; event	n
781	会议	huì yì	meeting; conference	n
782	开会	kāi huì	to have a meeting	v
783	迟	chí	late; delayed	adj
784	请假	qǐng jià	to ask for leave	v
785	加班	jiā bān	to work overtime	v
786	工资	gōng zī	wages; salary	n
787	挣钱	zhèng qián	to earn money	phrase
788	赚	zhuàn	to earn; to make a profit	v
789	老板	lǎo bǎn	boss	n
790	经理	jīng lǐ	manager	n
791	秘书	mì shū	secretary	n
792	警察	jǐng chá	police officer	n
793	律师	lǜ shī	lawyer	n
794	厨师	chú shī	cook; chef	n
795	演员	yǎn yuán	actor; actress	n
796	歌手	gē shǒu	singer	n
797	作家	zuò jiā	writer; author	n
798	记者	jì zhě	journalist; reporter	n
799	职业	zhí yè	profession; occupation	n
800	梦想	mèng xiǎng	dream (aspiration)	n
801	梦	mèng	dream (while sleeping)	n
802	做梦	zuò mèng	to dream	v
803	睡着	shuì zháo	to fall asleep	v
804	起来	qǐ lái	to get up; (after a verb) upward	v
805	躺	tǎng	to lie down	v
806	坐下	zuò xià	to sit down	phrase
807	站起来	zhàn qǐ lái	to stand up	phrase
808	抱	bào	to hug; to hold in one's arms	v
809	亲	qīn	to kiss; dear	v
810	握手	wò shǒu	to shake hands	v
811	点头	diǎn tóu	to nod	v
812	摇头	yáo tóu	to shake one's head	v
813	打	dǎ	to hit; to play (some sports)	v
814	推	tuī	to push	v
815	拉	lā	to pull	v
816	扔	rēng	to throw	v
817	捡	jiǎn	to pick up (from the ground)	v
818	丢	diū	to lose (something); to throw away	v
819	忘	wàng	to forget	v
820	记	jì	to remember; to note down	v
821	检查	jiǎn chá	to check; to examine	v
822	修	xiū	to repair; to fix	v
823	修理	xiū lǐ	to repair	v
824	坏	huài	broken; bad	adj
825	坏了	huài le	broken (stopped working)	phrase
826	声响	shēng xiǎng	noise; sound	n
827	吵	chǎo	noisy; to quarrel	adj
828	吵架	chǎo jià	to quarrel; to argue	v
829	打架	dǎ jià	to fight (physically)	v
830	骂	mà	to scold; to curse	v
831	批评	pī píng	to criticise	v
832	表扬	biǎo yáng	to praise	v
833	夸	kuā	to praise; to compliment	v
834	礼貌	lǐ mào	polite; manners	n
835	客气	kè qi	polite; courteous	adj
836	热情	rè qíng	warm-hearted; enthusiastic	adj
837	友好	yǒu hǎo	friendly	adj
838	可怜	kě lián	pitiful; poor (deserving sympathy)	adj
839	倒霉	dǎo méi	unlucky	adj
840	幸运	xìng yùn	lucky; fortunate	adj
841	运气	yùn qi	luck	n
842	机会	jī huì	opportunity; chance	n
843	办法	bàn fǎ	way (to do something); method	n
844	方法	fāng fǎ	method; way	n
845	主意	zhǔ yi	idea; plan	n
846	建议	jiàn yì	to suggest; suggestion	v
847	意见	yì jiàn	opinion; view	n
848	讨论	tǎo lùn	to discuss	v
849	商量	shāng liang	to talk over; to discuss	v
850	解决	jiě jué	to solve; to resolve	v
851	解释	jiě shì	to explain	v
852	原因	yuán yīn	reason; cause	n
853	结果	jié guǒ	result; in the end	n
854	影响	yǐng xiǎng	to influence; influence	v
855	情况	qíng kuàng	situation; circumstances	n
856	事情	shì qing	matter; affair; thing (to do)	n
857	事	shì	matter; thing (to do)	n
858	没事	méi shì	it's nothing; free (not busy)	phrase
859	有事	yǒu shì	to be busy; to have something on	phrase
860	重点	zhòng diǎn	key point; emphasis	n
861	内容	nèi róng	content	n
862	题	tí	question (on a test); topic	n
863	答案	dá àn	answer (to a question)	n
864	例子	lì zi	example	n
865	页	yè	page	n
866	课文	kè wén	text (of a lesson)	n
867	单词	dān cí	(vocabulary) word	n
868	语法	yǔ fǎ	grammar	n
869	翻译	fān yì	to translate; translator	v
870	水果店	shuǐ guǒ diàn	fruit shop	n
871	书店	shū diàn	bookshop	n
872	花园	huā yuán	garden	n
873	动物园	dòng wù yuán	zoo	n
874	植物	zhí wù	plant	n
875	熊猫	xióng māo	panda	n
876	老虎	lǎo hǔ	tiger	n
877	狮子	shī zi	lion	n
878	大象	dà xiàng	elephant	n
879	猴子	hóu zi	monkey	n
880	兔子	tù zi	rabbit	n
881	老鼠	lǎo shǔ	mouse; rat	n
882	蛇	shé	snake	n
883	龙	lóng	dragon	n
884	虫子	chóng zi	insect; bug	n
885	蚊子	wén zi	mosquito	n
886	叶子	yè zi	leaf	n
887	天空	tiān kōng	sky	n
888	森林	sēn lín	forest	n
889	湖	hú	lake	n
890	岛	dǎo	island	n
891	石头	shí tou	stone; rock	n
892	土	tǔ	earth; soil	n
893	火	huǒ	fire	n
894	光	guāng	light; only; bare	n
895	空气	kōng qì	air	n
896	环境	huán jìng	environment; surroundings	n
897	地球	dì qiú	the Earth	n
898	星星	xīng xing	star	n
899	云	yún	cloud	n
900	雾	wù	fog; mist	n
901	温度	wēn dù	temperature	n
902	度	dù	degree	measure word
903	零下	líng xià	below zero	phrase
904	刮风	guā fēng	to be windy	v
905	暖和	nuǎn huo	warm	adj
906	凉快	liáng kuai	pleasantly cool	adj
907	干燥	gān zào	dry	adj
908	潮湿	cháo shī	damp; humid	adj
909	季	jì	season; quarter	n
910	国	guó	country (short form)	n
911	美国	Měi guó	the United States; America	n
912	英国	Yīng guó	the United Kingdom; Britain	n
913	法国	Fǎ guó	France	n
914	德国	Dé guó	Germany	n
915	日本	Rì běn	Japan	n
916	外国	wài guó	foreign country	n
917	外国人	wài guó rén	foreigner	n
918	外语	wài yǔ	foreign language	n
919	首都	shǒu dū	capital city	n
920	上海	Shàng hǎi	Shanghai	n
921	护照	hù zhào	passport	n
922	签证	qiān zhèng	visa	n
923	行李	xíng li	luggage	n
924	箱子	xiāng zi	suitcase; box	n
925	酒店	jiǔ diàn	hotel	n
926	宾馆	bīn guǎn	hotel; guesthouse	n
927	住宿	zhù sù	accommodation; to stay overnight	n
928	预订	yù dìng	to book; to reserve	v
929	订	dìng	to book; to order	v
930	取消	qǔ xiāo	to cancel	v
931	推迟	tuī chí	to postpone	v
932	出发	chū fā	to set off; to depart	v
933	出差	chū chāi	to go on a business trip	v
934	旅客	lǚ kè	traveller; passenger	n
935	乘客	chéng kè	passenger	n
936	导游	dǎo yóu	tour guide	n
937	风景	fēng jǐng	scenery	n
938	景点	jǐng diǎn	tourist spot; sight	n
939	长城	Cháng chéng	the Great Wall	n
940	广场	guǎng chǎng	square (public space)	n
941	博物馆	bó wù guǎn	museum	n
942	教堂	jiào táng	church	n
943	邮局	yóu jú	post office	n
944	寄	jì	to post; to mail	v
945	收到	shōu dào	to receive (get)	phrase
946	礼品	lǐ pǐn	gift (formal)	n
947	特产	tè chǎn	local speciality (product)	n
948	纪念	jì niàn	to commemorate; souvenir	v
949	难忘	nán wàng	unforgettable	adj
950	经历	jīng lì	experience; to go through	n
951	经验	jīng yàn	experience (accumulated)	n
952	习惯	xí guàn	habit; to be used to	n
953	生活	shēng huó	life; to live	n
954	日记	rì jì	diary	n
955	秘密	mì mì	secret	n
956	真的	zhēn de	really; truly	adv
957	假	jiǎ	fake; false; holiday	adj
958	骗	piàn	to deceive; to cheat	v
959	撒谎	sā huǎng	to tell a lie	v
960	诚实	chéng shí	honest	adj
961	老实	lǎo shi	honest; well-behaved	adj
962	勇敢	yǒng gǎn	brave	adj
963	害羞	hài xiū	shy	adj
964	脾气	pí qi	temper	n
965	性格	xìng gé	personality; character	n
966	幽默	yōu mò	humorous	adj
967	开玩笑	kāi wán xiào	to joke; to make fun of	phrase
968	笑话	xiào hua	joke	n
969	故意	gù yì	on purpose; deliberately	adv
970	认为	rèn wéi	to think (believe); to consider	v
971	以为	yǐ wéi	to (mistakenly) think	v
972	记住	jì zhù	to memorise; to keep in mind	v
973	理解	lǐ jiě	to understand (deeply); to comprehend	v
974	考虑	kǎo lǜ	to consider; to think over	v
975	比较	bǐ jiào	fairly; to compare	adv
976	敢	gǎn	to dare	v
977	搞	gǎo	to do; to manage (colloquial)	v
978	弄	nòng	to do; to handle	v
979	变成	biàn chéng	to turn into; to become	v
980	成为	chéng wéi	to become	v
981	成功	chéng gōng	to succeed; success	v
982	失败	shī bài	to fail; failure	v
983	放弃	fàng qì	to give up	v
984	坚持	jiān chí	to persist; to keep doing	v
985	继续	jì xù	to continue	v
986	停	tíng	to stop	v
987	停车	tíng chē	to park (a car)	v
988	停车场	tíng chē chǎng	car park; parking lot	n
989	交通	jiāo tōng	traffic; transport	n
990	规则	guī zé	rule; regulation	n
991	遵守	zūn shǒu	to obey (rules)	v
992	允许	yǔn xǔ	to allow; to permit	v
993	禁止	jìn zhǐ	to forbid; to prohibit	v
994	规定	guī dìng	rule; to stipulate	n
995	法律	fǎ lǜ	law	n
996	政府	zhèng fǔ	government	n
997	社会	shè huì	society	n
998	新闻联播	xīn wén lián bō	news broadcast	n
999	节目	jié mù	programme; show	n
1000	频道	pín dào	channel (TV)	n

The 1000 most common Mandarin Chinese words

Learn them in this order, not alphabetically

The list

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