New HSK 1 word list (2026): all 300 words

By Andreu Puy · 10 October 2026 · 6 min read

The new HSK 1 exam has 300 words, set by the HSK 3.0 exam syllabus: published in November 2025, in force from July 2026, with the exam running worldwide from 13 December 2026, according to its organiser. That is twice the old HSK 1 (150) and fewer than the 2021 standard’s 500. All 300 are below, with pinyin and meaning.

Disclosure: we make Hanzio, a Chinese app whose HSK 1 deck holds these 300 words. The list and its order come from the official syllabus.

How many words are in each HSK level?

HSK level	New words	Total by this level	Old HSK (2.0), total
1	300	300	150
2	200	500	300
3	500	1,000	600
4	1,000	2,000	1,200
5	1,600	3,600	2,500
6	1,800	5,400	5,000
7–9	5,520	10,920	–

HSK 7, 8 and 9 share one list, and the old exam stopped at HSK 6. The 2021 standard that the new HSK is built on uses the same nine levels with bigger lists at the bottom: 500 words at level 1 and 1,272 by level 2. The exam starts smaller and catches up: by HSK 6 it asks for 5,400 words, against 5,456 in the standard.

What changed in HSK 1

Against the old exam (HSK 2.0), the new list mostly adds: 143 of the old HSK 1’s 150 words are still here. Of the seven that left, 前面, 后面 and 饭馆 are now HSK 2 and 小姐 is HSK 5, while 北京, 没 and 火车站 are no longer listed on their own.

Against the 2021 standard, 266 of the 300 were already level-1 words. 26 come down from its level 2, among them 可以, 大家, 它, 超市, 公司, 便宜 and 漂亮; two from level 3, 苹果 and the measure word 只 zhī (the standard has 只 zhǐ, “only”, at level 2); and 女士 and 些 from level 4. Four, 你好, 这个, 那个 and 哪个, are listed as words of their own for the first time. Going the other way, 234 of the standard’s 500 level-1 words are no longer HSK 1: 93 moved to HSK 2 (考试, 生日, 爷爷), 77 to HSK 3 (饿, 山, 地图), 11 to HSK 4 and 5, and 53, mostly phrases such as 回家 and 上边, are no longer listed on their own.

All 300 HSK 1 words

In the syllabus’s own order, alphabetical by pinyin, and numbered as it numbers them, so you can check any entry against the official list. The type is the part of speech the syllabus gives at HSK 1; where it adds one for a higher level, only the HSK 1 ones are shown.

n. noun · v. verb · adj. adjective · adv. adverb · pron. pronoun · num. number · m.w. measure word · prep. preposition · conj. conjunction · part. particle · interj. interjection · phrase: a set phrase with no part of speech

Jump to: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · J · K · L · M · N · P · Q · R · S · T · W · X · Y · Z

A

#	Word	Type	Meaning
1	爱 ài	v.	to love

B

#	Word	Type	Meaning
2	八 bā	num.	eight
3	爸爸 bàba	n.	dad
4	吧 ba	part.	(particle for suggestions: let's…, …right?)
5	白天 báitiān	n.	daytime
6	百 bǎi	num.	hundred
7	半 bàn	num.	half
8	包子 bāozi	n.	steamed bun
9	杯子 bēizi	n.	cup, glass
10	本 běn	m.w.	(measure word for books)
11	边 biān	n., suffix	side; -side (as in 这边)
12	病 bìng	n., v.	illness; to be ill
13	不 bù	adv.	not, no
14	不客气 bú kèqi	phrase	you're welcome
15	不要 búyào	adv.	don't

C

#	Word	Type	Meaning
16	菜 cài	n.	dish (of food); vegetable
17	茶 chá	n.	tea
18	唱 chàng	v.	to sing
19	超市 chāoshì	n.	supermarket
20	车 chē	n.	car, vehicle
21	吃 chī	v.	to eat
22	出租车 chūzūchē	n.	taxi
23	穿 chuān	v.	to wear, to put on

D

#	Word	Type	Meaning
24	打电话 dǎ diànhuà	phrase	to make a phone call
25	大 dà	adj.	big
26	大家 dàjiā	pron.	everyone
27	大学 dàxué	n.	university
28	大学生 dàxuéshēng	n.	university student
29	到 dào	v.	to arrive, to reach
30	的 de	part.	(particle: 's, of)
31	第 dì	prefix	(prefix for ordinals: 第一 first)
32	弟弟 dìdi	n.	younger brother
33	点 diǎn	m.w.	o'clock
34	店 diàn	n.	shop
35	电话 diànhuà	n.	telephone; phone call
36	电脑 diànnǎo	n.	computer
37	电视 diànshì	n.	television
38	电影 diànyǐng	n.	film, movie
39	电影院 diànyǐngyuàn	n.	cinema
40	东西 dōngxi	n.	thing, stuff
41	都 dōu	adv.	all, both
42	读 dú	v.	to read; to study
43	读书 dúshū	v.	to read; to study
44	对 duì	adj., prep.	right, correct; to, towards
45	对不起 duìbuqǐ	v.	sorry
46	多 duō	adj., v., pron.	many, much; how (多大 how old)
47	多少 duōshao	pron.	how many, how much

E

#	Word	Type	Meaning
48	儿子 érzi	n.	son
49	二 èr	num.	two

F

#	Word	Type	Meaning
50	饭 fàn	n.	meal; cooked rice
51	饭店 fàndiàn	n.	restaurant; hotel
52	房间 fángjiān	n.	room
53	非常 fēicháng	adv.	very, extremely
54	飞机 fēijī	n.	plane
55	分 fēn	m.w.	minute; cent (0.01 yuan)
56	分钟 fēnzhōng	m.w.	minute

G

#	Word	Type	Meaning
57	高兴 gāoxìng	adj.	happy, glad
58	歌 gē	n.	song
59	哥哥 gēge	n.	older brother
60	个 gè	m.w.	(general measure word)
61	给 gěi	v.	to give
62	公司 gōngsī	n.	company
63	工作 gōngzuò	v., n.	to work; job
64	狗 gǒu	n.	dog
65	贵 guì	adj.	expensive
66	国 guó	n.	country

H

#	Word	Type	Meaning
67	还 hái	adv.	still; also
68	孩子 háizi	n.	child
69	汉语 Hànyǔ	n.	Chinese (language)
70	汉字 Hànzì	n.	Chinese character
71	好 hǎo	adj.	good, fine
72	好吃 hǎochī	adj.	tasty, delicious
73	好看 hǎokàn	adj.	good-looking; (of a film or book) good
74	好听 hǎotīng	adj.	nice to listen to
75	好玩儿 hǎowánr	adj.	fun
76	号 hào	n., m.w.	day of the month; number
77	喝 hē	v.	to drink
78	和 hé	prep., conj.	and; with
79	很 hěn	adv.	very
80	后 hòu	n.	after; behind
81	回 huí	v.	to return, to go back
82	会 huì	v.	can, to know how to; will
83	火车 huǒchē	n.	train

J

#	Word	Type	Meaning
84	鸡蛋 jīdàn	n.	egg
85	几 jǐ	pron., num.	how many; a few
86	家 jiā	n., m.w.	home, family; (measure word for shops and companies)
87	家人 jiārén	n.	family (members)
88	见 jiàn	v.	to see; to meet
89	件 jiàn	m.w.	(measure word for clothes and matters)
90	饺子 jiǎozi	n.	dumpling
91	叫 jiào	v.	to be called; to call
92	姐姐 jiějie	n.	older sister
93	今年 jīnnián	n.	this year
94	今天 jīntiān	n.	today
95	九 jiǔ	num.	nine
96	觉得 juéde	v.	to think, to feel

K

#	Word	Type	Meaning
97	开 kāi	v.	to open; to drive
98	开车 kāichē	v.	to drive (a car)
99	看 kàn	v.	to look, to watch; to read
100	看病 kànbìng	v.	to see a doctor
101	看见 kànjiàn	v.	to see
102	可以 kěyǐ	v., adj.	can, may
103	课 kè	n.	class, lesson
104	口 kǒu	n., m.w.	mouth; (measure word for family members)
105	块 kuài	m.w.	kuai (yuan, spoken); piece

L

#	Word	Type	Meaning
106	来 lái	v.	to come
107	老师 lǎoshī	n.	teacher
108	了 le	part.	(particle: completed action, change)
109	冷 lěng	adj.	cold
110	里 lǐ	n.	inside, in
111	两 liǎng	num.	two (before a measure word)
112	零 líng	num.	zero
113	六 liù	num.	six

M

#	Word	Type	Meaning
114	妈妈 māma	n.	mom
115	吗 ma	part.	(question particle)
116	买 mǎi	v.	to buy
117	卖 mài	v.	to sell
118	忙 máng	adj., v.	busy
119	猫 māo	n.	cat
120	没关系 méi guānxi	phrase	it doesn't matter
121	没事 méishì	v.	it's nothing, it's OK
122	没有 méiyǒu	v., adv.	not have; did not
123	妹妹 mèimei	n.	younger sister
124	们 men	suffix	(plural suffix for people)
125	米饭 mǐfàn	n.	(cooked) rice
126	面包 miànbāo	n.	bread
127	面条儿 miàntiáor	n.	noodles
128	明年 míngnián	n.	next year
129	明天 míngtiān	n.	tomorrow
130	名字 míngzi	n.	name

N

#	Word	Type	Meaning
131	哪 nǎ	pron.	which
132	哪个 nǎge	pron.	which one
133	哪里 nǎlǐ	pron.	where
134	哪儿 nǎr	pron.	where
135	哪些 nǎxiē	pron.	which (plural)
136	那 nà	pron.	that
137	那边 nàbiān	pron.	over there
138	那个 nàge	pron.	that one
139	那里 nàlǐ	pron.	there
140	那儿 nàr	pron.	there
141	那些 nàxiē	pron.	those
142	男 nán	adj.	male
143	男朋友 nánpéngyou	n.	boyfriend
144	呢 ne	part.	(particle: and you?; ongoing action)
145	能 néng	v.	can, to be able to
146	你 nǐ	pron.	you
147	你好 nǐ hǎo	phrase	hello
148	你们 nǐmen	pron.	you (plural)
149	年 nián	n., m.w.	year
150	您 nín	pron.	you (polite)
151	牛奶 niúnǎi	n.	milk
152	女 nǚ	adj.	female
153	女儿 nǚ’ér	n.	daughter
154	女朋友 nǚpéngyou	n.	girlfriend
155	女士 nǚshì	n.	Ms., lady

P

#	Word	Type	Meaning
156	朋友 péngyou	n.	friend
157	便宜 piányi	adj.	cheap
158	漂亮 piàoliang	adj.	pretty, beautiful
159	苹果 píngguǒ	n.	apple

Q

#	Word	Type	Meaning
160	七 qī	num.	seven
161	起床 qǐchuáng	v.	to get up
162	千 qiān	num.	thousand
163	前 qián	n.	front; before
164	钱 qián	n.	money
165	请 qǐng	v.	please; to invite
166	请问 qǐngwèn	v.	excuse me, may I ask
167	去 qù	v.	to go
168	去年 qùnián	n.	last year

R

#	Word	Type	Meaning
169	热 rè	adj.	hot
170	人 rén	n.	person, people
171	认识 rènshi	v.	to know (someone), to recognize
172	日 rì	m.w.	day (of the month)

S

#	Word	Type	Meaning
173	三 sān	num.	three
174	商店 shāngdiàn	n.	shop, store
175	上 shàng	n., v.	on, above; to go up, to get on
176	上班 shàngbān	v.	to go to work
177	上课 shàngkè	v.	to go to class
178	上午 shàngwǔ	n.	morning
179	上学 shàngxué	v.	to go to school
180	少 shǎo	adj., v.	few, little
181	谁 shéi/shuí	pron.	who
182	什么 shénme	pron.	what
183	生病 shēngbìng	v.	to get sick
184	十 shí	num.	ten
185	时候 shíhou	n.	time, moment (…的时候 when…)
186	时间 shíjiān	n.	time
187	事 shì	n.	thing, matter
188	是 shì	v.	to be
189	手机 shǒujī	n.	mobile phone
190	书 shū	n.	book
191	书店 shūdiàn	n.	bookshop
192	水 shuǐ	n.	water
193	水果 shuǐguǒ	n.	fruit
194	睡 shuì	v.	to sleep
195	睡觉 shuìjiào	v.	to sleep, to go to bed
196	说 shuō	v.	to say, to speak
197	说话 shuōhuà	v.	to talk
198	四 sì	num.	four
199	岁 suì	m.w.	years old

T

#	Word	Type	Meaning
200	他 tā	pron.	he
201	它 tā	pron.	it
202	她 tā	pron.	she
203	他们 tāmen	pron.	they
204	它们 tāmen	pron.	they (things, animals)
205	她们 tāmen	pron.	they (women)
206	太 tài	adv.	too; very
207	天 tiān	n., m.w.	day; sky
208	天气 tiānqì	n.	weather
209	听 tīng	v.	to listen
210	听见 tīngjiàn	v.	to hear
211	同学 tóngxué	n.	classmate

W

#	Word	Type	Meaning
212	外 wài	n.	outside
213	外边 wàibian	n.	outside
214	玩 wán	v.	to play, to have fun
215	晚 wǎn	adj.	late
216	晚饭 wǎnfàn	n.	dinner
217	晚上 wǎnshang	n.	evening
218	喂 wèi	interj.	hello (on the phone)
219	问 wèn	v.	to ask
220	问题 wèntí	n.	question; problem
221	我 wǒ	pron.	I, me
222	我们 wǒmen	pron.	we, us
223	五 wǔ	num.	five
224	午饭 wǔfàn	n.	lunch

X

#	Word	Type	Meaning
225	喜欢 xǐhuan	v.	to like
226	下 xià	n., v., m.w.	down, under; to go down, to get off
227	下雨 xià yǔ	phrase	to rain
228	下班 xiàbān	v.	to finish work
229	下课 xiàkè	v.	to finish class
230	下午 xiàwǔ	n.	afternoon
231	先生 xiānsheng	n.	Mr.; sir
232	现在 xiànzài	n.	now
233	想 xiǎng	v.	to want to; to think; to miss
234	小 xiǎo	adj., prefix	small, little
235	小朋友 xiǎopéngyǒu	n.	child (said kindly)
236	小时 xiǎoshí	n.	hour
237	小学 xiǎoxué	n.	primary school
238	小学生 xiǎoxuéshēng	n.	primary school pupil
239	些 xiē	m.w.	some (measure word for an amount)
240	写 xiě	v.	to write
241	谢谢 xièxie	v.	thank you
242	新 xīn	adj.	new
243	星期 xīngqī	n.	week
244	星期日 xīngqīrì	n.	Sunday
245	星期天 xīngqītiān	n.	Sunday
246	休息 xiūxi	v.	to rest
247	学 xué	v.	to learn, to study
248	学生 xuéshēng	n.	student
249	学习 xuéxí	v.	to study, to learn
250	学校 xuéxiào	n.	school
251	雪 xuě	n.	snow

Y

#	Word	Type	Meaning
252	要 yào	v.	to want; to need; will
253	也 yě	adv.	also, too
254	一 yī	num.	one
255	衣服 yīfu	n.	clothes
256	医生 yīshēng	n.	doctor
257	医院 yīyuàn	n.	hospital
258	一半 yíbàn	num.	half
259	一下 yíxià	num. + m.w.	(after a verb: a bit, briefly)
260	椅子 yǐzi	n.	chair
261	一点儿 yìdiǎnr	num. + m.w.	a little
262	一些 yìxiē	num. + m.w.	some
263	有 yǒu	v.	to have; there is
264	有的 yǒude	pron.	some
265	有点儿 yǒudiǎnr	adv.	a bit, slightly
266	有些 yǒuxiē	pron.	some
267	雨 yǔ	n.	rain
268	元 yuán	m.w.	yuan
269	月 yuè	n.	month; moon

Z

#	Word	Type	Meaning
270	再 zài	adv.	again
271	在 zài	v., prep., adv.	to be at; at, in; (doing) right now
272	再见 zàijiàn	v.	goodbye
273	早 zǎo	adj.	early
274	早饭 zǎofàn	n.	breakfast
275	早上 zǎoshang	n.	morning
276	怎么 zěnme	pron.	how; why
277	怎么样 zěnmeyàng	pron.	how about; how is it
278	找 zhǎo	v.	to look for
279	这 zhè	pron.	this
280	这边 zhèbiān	pron.	over here
281	这个 zhège	pron.	this one
282	这里 zhèlǐ	pron.	here
283	这儿 zhèr	pron.	here
284	这些 zhèxiē	pron.	these
285	真 zhēn	adv.	really, truly
286	正在 zhèngzài	adv.	(be) in the middle of doing
287	只 zhī	m.w.	(measure word for animals; one of a pair)
288	知道 zhīdào	v.	to know
289	中国 Zhōngguó	n.	China
290	中文 Zhōngwén	n.	Chinese (language)
291	中午 zhōngwǔ	n.	noon
292	中学 zhōngxué	n.	middle school
293	中学生 zhōngxuéshēng	n.	middle school student
294	住 zhù	v.	to live
295	桌子 zhuōzi	n.	table, desk
296	字 zì	n.	character, word
297	昨天 zuótiān	n.	yesterday
298	坐 zuò	v.	to sit; to take (a bus, a plane)
299	做 zuò	v.	to do; to make
300	做饭 zuò fàn	phrase	to cook

HSK 1 characters

The new syllabus also lists characters on their own. HSK 1 asks you to recognise 246, and every one of them appears in the 300 words above, which use just two more, 店 and the 饺 of 饺子. Handwriting starts with a separate list of 100 characters shared by HSK 1 and HSK 2.

How to learn the 300 words

Three hundred words is a month at ten new words a day, but recognising a word once is not knowing it. Three habits help:

Learn words in a phrase, not alone, with the measure word that goes with them: 一杯茶, 三本书.
Review on a schedule. Spaced repetition brings each word back just before you would forget it, which is far less work than rereading a list.
Learn the tone with the word. 买 mǎi (to buy) and 卖 mài (to sell) are both HSK 1, and only the tone tells them apart.

Hanzio’s HSK 1 deck holds exactly these 300 words. Add it and the daily plan hands you a few new words each day, then reviews each one in up to four ways: meaning, pinyin, writing and listening. For the grammar at this level, see our HSK 1 grammar guide, and to compare apps, our guide to the best apps to learn Chinese.

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in HSK 1?

The new HSK 1 exam has 300 words, set by the HSK 3.0 exam syllabus published in November 2025. The old HSK 1 (HSK 2.0) had 150, and the 2021 standard behind the new HSK lists 500 for level 1.

When does the new HSK exam start?

Chinese Testing International, which runs the exam, launches the new HSK worldwide on 13 December 2026. The syllabus itself has been in force since July 2026, and sittings earlier in 2026 are trials, so check with your test centre which version you are taking.

Are the old HSK 1 words still useful?

Yes. 143 of the old HSK 1’s 150 words are still in the new HSK 1. The other seven moved to a higher level or are no longer listed on their own, so nothing you learned is wasted.

How long does it take to learn the HSK 1 words?

At ten new words a day, 300 words is a month of new words. Reviews, tones and grammar take time too, so plan for longer if you are starting from zero.

Source for the list: 中文水平考试 HSK 考试大纲 (Center for Language Education and Cooperation, 2025), vocabulary syllabus, level 1. The launch date is from Chinese Testing International.

Learn all 300 words

Hanzio’s HSK 1 deck has every word on this page, with spaced repetition for meaning, pinyin, writing and listening. The dictionary is free.

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