HSK 1 vocabulary list

All 150 words · pinyin and English · free, no signup

• HSK 1
• HSK 2
• HSK 3
• HSK 4
• HSK 5
• HSK 6
• HSK 7–9

In the current six-level HSK (HSK 2.0), HSK 1 adds 150 new words, bringing the cumulative total to about 150. That is the level where you can handle the first 150 words: greetings, numbers, family, time. Every word below links to its full dictionary entry — meaning, the characters it is built from, and example sentences.

This is the old six-level list. The new HSK 3.0, first sat officially on 13 December 2026, has a different list at this level: the new HSK 1 vocabulary list.

Know these already? Take the free HSK 1 test: 20 questions, scored on the page, no signup.

A word list is not a syllabus. These 150 words are not independent: most HSK 1 words are built from words and characters you meet below this level, which is why drilling a list from the top stalls so often. The levels build on each other rather than sitting in six equal buckets — and the whole climb takes longer than most guides admit.

Where HSK 1 actually starts

Chinese words hold each other up. 白 (bái, white) is HSK 2, and 明白 (míng bai, to understand) is HSK 3 — most of the way free once 白 is solid. 但是 (dàn shì, but) is HSK 2, and 不但 (bù dàn, not only) sits two levels above it and stays guesswork until 但是 is automatic. Meet them in the wrong order and you are memorising. Meet them in the right one and you are mostly recognising.

So we mapped which words hold up which — that map is the graph in GraphChinese — and it decides what you are handed next. Sorted by pinyin, HSK 1 opens with 爱. Sorted by what you are ready for, it opens like this:

1. 1
   Question Words and Demonstratives 9 words

   什么shén me 谁shéi 哪nǎ 那nà 多少duō shǎo 几jǐ 怎么zěn me 怎么样zěn me yàng 这zhè

2. 2
   Function Words and Adverbs 10 words

   的de 了le 吗ma 呢ne 和hé 都dōu 很hěn 太tài 不bù 没méi

3. 3
   Location Words 6 words

   上shàng 下xià 里lǐ 前面qián miàn 后面hòu mian 在zài

4. 4
   Personal Pronouns 5 words

   我wǒ 你nǐ 他tā 她tā 我们wǒ men

5. 5
   Modal Verbs and Core Predicates 11 words

   天气tiān qì 下雨xià yǔ 睡觉shuì jiào 做zuò 住zhù 认识rèn shi 有yǒu 能néng 会huì 是shì 坐zuò

6. 6
   Time Expressions 14 words

   今天jīn tiān 明天míng tiān 昨天zuó tiān 年nián 月yuè 日rì 星期xīng qī 点diǎn 分钟fēn zhōng 时候shí hou 上午shàng wǔ 下午xià wǔ 中午zhōng wǔ 现在xiàn zài

All 150 HSK 1 words

Sorted by pinyin, the way the official list is published — so you can check yourself against it. Tap any word for its full entry.

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in HSK 1?

HSK 1 introduces 150 new words. Counting everything below it, you are expected to know roughly 150 words by the end of the level.

How long does it take to learn HSK 1 vocabulary?

At fifteen new words a day with spaced review, the 150 new words take about 10 days. The real constraint is rarely how fast you can meet a word — it is whether the material underneath is automatic enough for the new word to attach to anything. That is why learners who skip levels end up re-learning them.

Is this the 2021 nine-band list?

No — this is the six-level HSK 2.0 vocabulary, which is what the exams most learners sit still follow. The HSK levels page explains how the nine-band standard relates to it, and the band 7–9 list is the level above.