HSK 1 Character List — 248 Characters with Pinyin
This reference lists all 248 characters from the HSK Level 1 vocabulary, organized by semantic category. Each entry shows the simplified Chinese character, its pinyin pronunciation with tone marks, and the English meaning. Use this alongside our Chinese character practice tool to learn stroke order and handwriting.
Numbers, Time & Grammar (54 characters)
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 一 | yī | one |
| 二 | èr | two |
| 三 | sān | three |
| 四 | sì | four |
| 五 | wǔ | five |
| 六 | liù | six |
| 七 | qī | seven |
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 九 | jiǔ | nine |
| 十 | shí | ten |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred |
| 千 | qiān | thousand |
| 万 | wàn | ten thousand |
| 零 | líng | zero |
| 两 | liǎng | two (of a kind) |
| 半 | bàn | half |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 月 | yuè | month / moon |
| 日 | rì | day / sun |
| 天 | tiān | day / sky |
| 周 | zhōu | week |
| 时 | shí | time / hour |
| 分 | fēn | minute / part |
| 秒 | miǎo | second (time) |
| 点 | diǎn | o\ |
| 早 | zǎo | early / morning |
| 晚 | wǎn | late / evening |
| 午 | wǔ | noon |
| 今 | jīn | today / now |
| 明 | míng | bright / tomorrow |
| 昨 | zuó | yesterday |
| 以 | yǐ | by / since |
| 现 | xiàn | present |
| 刚 | gāng | just now |
| 已 | yǐ | already |
| 经 | jīng | pass through |
| 常 | cháng | often |
| 每 | měi | every |
| 的 | de | possessive |
| 了 | le | completion marker |
| 吗 | ma | question particle |
| 呢 | ne | question particle |
| 吧 | ba | suggestion particle |
| 很 | hěn | very |
| 太 | tài | too / extremely |
| 真 | zhēn | real / truly |
| 非 | fēi | non- / not |
| 都 | dōu | all / both |
| 也 | yě | also / too |
| 还 | hái | still / also |
| 就 | jiù | then / exactly |
| 只 | zhǐ | only |
| 不 | bù | not / no |
| 没 | méi | not have |
People & Pronouns (43 characters)
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 人 | rén | person |
| 男 | nán | male |
| 女 | nǚ | female |
| 儿 | ér | child / son |
| 子 | zǐ | child |
| 孩 | hái | child |
| 爸 | bà | dad |
| 妈 | mā | mom |
| 父 | fù | father |
| 母 | mǔ | mother |
| 哥 | gē | older brother |
| 弟 | dì | younger brother |
| 姐 | jiě | older sister |
| 妹 | mèi | younger sister |
| 夫 | fū | husband |
| 妻 | qī | wife |
| 祖 | zǔ | ancestor |
| 爷 | yé | grandfather |
| 奶 | nǎi | grandmother / milk |
| 我 | wǒ | I / me |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 您 | nín | you (polite) |
| 他 | tā | he / him |
| 她 | tā | she / her |
| 它 | tā | it |
| 们 | men | plural marker |
| 这 | zhè | this |
| 那 | nà | that |
| 哪 | nǎ | which |
| 谁 | shuí | who |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 朋 | péng | friend |
| 友 | yǒu | friend |
| 老 | lǎo | old |
| 师 | shī | teacher |
| 同 | tóng | same |
| 医 | yī | medicine |
| 客 | kè | guest |
| 服 | fú | clothes / serve |
| 员 | yuán | member / staff |
| 工 | gōng | work |
| 作 | zuò | do / make |
| 和 | hé | and / with |
Places, Nature & Objects (45 characters)
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 中 | zhōng | middle / China |
| 里 | lǐ | inside |
| 上 | shàng | up / on |
| 下 | xià | down / below |
| 左 | zuǒ | left |
| 右 | yòu | right |
| 东 | dōng | east |
| 西 | xī | west |
| 南 | nán | south |
| 北 | běi | north |
| 边 | biān | side |
| 外 | wài | outside |
| 旁 | páng | beside |
| 前 | qián | front / before |
| 后 | hòu | back / after |
| 家 | jiā | home / family |
| 国 | guó | country |
| 京 | jīng | capital |
| 校 | xiào | school |
| 院 | yuàn | institution |
| 店 | diàn | shop |
| 室 | shì | room |
| 馆 | guǎn | hall / building |
| 场 | chǎng | field / place |
| 路 | lù | road |
| 街 | jiē | street |
| 山 | shān | mountain |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 河 | hé | river |
| 海 | hǎi | sea |
| 地 | dì | ground / earth |
| 云 | yún | cloud |
| 风 | fēng | wind |
| 雨 | yǔ | rain |
| 雪 | xuě | snow |
| 花 | huā | flower |
| 树 | shù | tree |
| 草 | cǎo | grass |
| 动 | dòng | move |
| 物 | wù | thing / creature |
| 猫 | māo | cat |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog |
| 鸟 | niǎo | bird |
| 鱼 | yú | fish |
| 牛 | niú | cow / ox |
Actions & Verbs (47 characters)
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 是 | shì | to be |
| 有 | yǒu | have |
| 在 | zài | at / exist |
| 来 | lái | come |
| 去 | qù | go |
| 回 | huí | return |
| 进 | jìn | enter |
| 出 | chū | exit |
| 走 | zǒu | walk / leave |
| 跑 | pǎo | run |
| 坐 | zuò | sit / ride |
| 站 | zhàn | stand |
| 开 | kāi | open / start |
| 关 | guān | close |
| 说 | shuō | speak |
| 听 | tīng | listen |
| 看 | kàn | look / watch |
| 写 | xiě | write |
| 读 | dú | read |
| 问 | wèn | ask |
| 答 | dá | answer |
| 知 | zhī | know |
| 道 | dào | way / know |
| 想 | xiǎng | think / want |
| 要 | yào | want / need |
| 能 | néng | can |
| 会 | huì | can / know how |
| 可 | kě | can / may |
| 好 | hǎo | good |
| 大 | dà | big |
| 小 | xiǎo | small |
| 多 | duō | many |
| 少 | shǎo | few |
| 高 | gāo | tall / high |
| 长 | cháng | long |
| 新 | xīn | new |
| 快 | kuài | fast |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 热 | rè | hot |
| 冷 | lěng | cold |
| 贵 | guì | expensive |
| 便 | pián | cheap / convenient |
| 忙 | máng | busy |
| 累 | lèi | tired |
| 对 | duì | correct |
| 错 | cuò | wrong |
| 面 | miàn | noodle / face / side |
Daily Life & Activities (59 characters)
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|
| 吃 | chī | eat |
| 喝 | hē | drink |
| 饭 | fàn | rice / meal |
| 米 | mǐ | rice / meter |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 酒 | jiǔ | alcohol |
| 肉 | ròu | meat |
| 菜 | cài | vegetable / dish |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit / result |
| 苹 | píng | apple |
| 鸡 | jī | chicken |
| 蛋 | dàn | egg |
| 钱 | qián | money |
| 买 | mǎi | buy |
| 卖 | mài | sell |
| 用 | yòng | use |
| 拿 | ná | take / hold |
| 放 | fàng | put / release |
| 给 | gěi | give / for |
| 送 | sòng | send / give |
| 带 | dài | bring / belt |
| 找 | zhǎo | look for |
| 见 | jiàn | see / meet |
| 学 | xué | study / learn |
| 习 | xí | practice |
| 教 | jiāo | teach |
| 课 | kè | class / lesson |
| 书 | shū | book |
| 字 | zì | character |
| 语 | yǔ | language |
| 文 | wén | culture / language |
| 汉 | hàn | Han Chinese |
| 英 | yīng | English / hero |
| 头 | tóu | head |
| 手 | shǒu | hand |
| 眼 | yǎn | eye |
| 耳 | ěr | ear |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth |
| 心 | xīn | heart |
| 身 | shēn | body |
| 喜 | xǐ | like / happy |
| 欢 | huān | joyful |
| 爱 | ài | love |
| 谢 | xiè | thank |
| 请 | qǐng | please / invite |
| 红 | hóng | red |
| 白 | bái | white |
| 黑 | hēi | black |
| 蓝 | lán | blue |
| 绿 | lǜ | green |
| 黄 | huáng | yellow |
| 电 | diàn | electricity |
| 话 | huà | speech |
| 视 | shì | vision / TV |
| 脑 | nǎo | brain |
| 车 | chē | vehicle |
| 飞 | fēi | fly |
| 机 | jī | machine |
| 生 | shēng | born / life |
How to Use This Character List
Characters are grouped by semantic category to help you study related words together. Start with numbers and time words, which appear frequently in daily life, then move on to people, actions, and descriptions.
Pinyin shows the pronunciation with tone marks. There are four tones in Mandarin Chinese: first tone (flat, ā), second tone (rising, á), third tone (dipping, ǎ), and fourth tone (falling, à). Mastering tones is essential for clear communication.
For stroke-by-stroke writing practice, try our Chinese character practice tool. To test your recognition, take the Chinese character quiz. For study strategies, read our learning guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many characters are in HSK 1?
HSK Level 1 covers approximately 248 characters and 500 vocabulary words. These are the most frequently used characters in everyday Chinese, covering numbers, time, people, common verbs, and basic descriptions.
How long does it take to learn HSK 1 characters?
With consistent daily study of 5–10 new characters, most learners can complete HSK 1 in 2 to 4 months. Using a combination of
character writing practice,
quizzes, and reading exercises helps reinforce memory and speed up the learning process.
What is the best order to learn HSK 1 characters?
Start with numbers and common words you will use daily (greetings, pronouns, basic verbs). This chart groups characters by semantic category to make studying more efficient. Focus on recognizing and writing the most frequent characters first.