Vocabulary · Starter reference
50 essential Chinese words to start noticing.
This list mixes visual characters with useful beginner words. Learn a small group at a time, then retrieve them in a game instead of rereading the list.
Study tip: choose five words, say each one aloud, cover the English column, and test yourself again tomorrow.
| # | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 2 | 火 | huǒ | fire |
| 3 | 山 | shān | mountain |
| 4 | 日 | rì | sun |
| 5 | 月 | yuè | moon |
| 6 | 木 | mù | tree |
| 7 | 土 | tǔ | soil |
| 8 | 天 | tiān | sky |
| 9 | 雨 | yǔ | rain |
| 10 | 田 | tián | field |
| 11 | 人 | rén | person |
| 12 | 女 | nǚ | woman |
| 13 | 子 | zǐ | child |
| 14 | 妈 | mā | mom |
| 15 | 爸 | bà | dad |
| 16 | 口 | kǒu | mouth |
| 17 | 手 | shǒu | hand |
| 18 | 目 | mù | eye |
| 19 | 心 | xīn | heart |
| 20 | 家 | jiā | home |
| 21 | 门 | mén | door |
| 22 | 书 | shū | book |
| 23 | 车 | chē | car |
| 24 | 大 | dà | big |
| 25 | 小 | xiǎo | small |
| 26 | 好 | hǎo | good |
| 27 | 多 | duō | many |
| 28 | 少 | shǎo | few |
| 29 | 上 | shàng | up |
| 30 | 下 | xià | down |
| 31 | 中 | zhōng | middle |
| 32 | 一 | yī | one |
| 33 | 二 | èr | two |
| 34 | 三 | sān | three |
| 35 | 四 | sì | four |
| 36 | 五 | wǔ | five |
| 37 | 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello |
| 38 | 谢谢 | xièxie | thanks |
| 39 | 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
| 40 | 早上好 | zǎo shang hǎo | good morning |
| 41 | 爸爸 | bàba | dad |
| 42 | 爸妈 | bà mā | mom and dad |
| 43 | 好人 | hǎo rén | good person |
| 44 | 上学 | shàng xué | to go to school |
| 45 | 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 46 | 学生 | xuésheng | student |
| 47 | 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 48 | 朋友 | péngyou | friend |
| 49 | 医生 | yīshēng | doctor |
| 50 | 名字 | míngzi | name |
Turn recognition into recall
Word lists are useful maps, but retrieval builds memory. Use these words in Character Match, then return to the list and notice which items now feel automatic.