Mandarin top 100

zhōu

(n.) week | A period of 7 days; e.g. "yì zhōu" = one week

nián

(n.) year | A full calendar year; e.g. "jīnnián" = this year

jīntiān

(n.) today | Refers to the current day; e.g. "Jīntiān jǐ hào?" = What's today's date?

míngtiān

(n.) tomorrow | The day after today; commonly used in scheduling

zuótiān

(n.) yesterday | The day before today; note tonal pair with "míngtiān"

rìlì

(n.) calendar | Used to track dates and events; "rì" = day, "lì" = calendar system

miǎo

(n.) second | The smallest common time unit; 60 miǎo = 1 fēnzhōng (minute)

xiǎoshí

(n.) hour | 60 minutes; different from "diǎn" (o'clock) — xiǎoshí = duration

fēnzhōng

(n.) minute | 60-second unit of time; e.g. "sān fēnzhōng" = three minutes

diǎn

(n.) o'clock | Used to state the time on the hour; e.g. "jiǔ diǎn" = 9 o'clock

zhōngbiǎo

(n.) clock | General word for a timekeeping device on a wall or surface

yí ge xiǎoshí

(n.) one hour | A fixed phrase for a duration of exactly one hour

néng

(v.) can / to be able to | Expresses physical or circumstantial ability; e.g. "néng chī" = can eat

yòng

(v.) to use | Indicates using a tool or resource; e.g. "yòng diànnǎo" = use a computer

zuò

(v.) to do / to make | Versatile action verb covering both "doing" and "making" something

qù

(v.) to go | Movement away from the speaker or toward a destination

lái

(v.) to come | Movement toward the speaker; opposite of "qù" (to go)

xiào

(v.) to laugh / to smile | Can mean laugh, smile, or find something funny depending on context

kàn

(v.) to see / to look / to watch | Covers seeing, reading, and watching; e.g. "kàn shū" = read a book

yuǎn

(adj.) far | Describes physical or metaphorical distance; opposite of "jìn" (near)

xiǎo

(adj.) small | Describes size; also used in names as a term of endearment (e.g., Xiǎo Míng)

hǎo

(adj.) good | One of the most essential adjectives; also used in greetings (Nǐhǎo)

piàoliang

(adj.) beautiful / pretty | Commonly used to describe people, objects, or scenery

chǒu

(adj.) ugly | Opposite of piàoliang; can describe appearance or situations

nán

(adj.) difficult / hard | Used for tasks, problems, or situations; e.g. "nántí" = hard problem

jiǎndān

(adj.) easy / simple | Opposite of nán; also means "plain" or "uncomplicated"

huài

(adj.) bad | Describes a person's character, a broken object, or poor quality

jìn

(adj.) near / close | Describes short distance; opposite of "yuǎn" (far)

Hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ.

(phrase) Nice to meet you. | Used when meeting someone for the first time; formal

Nǐhǎo.

(phrase) Hello. | The standard everyday greeting in Mandarin; lit. "you good"

Zǎoshàng hǎo.

(phrase) Good morning. | Used from waking until around noon

Xiàwǔ hǎo.

(phrase) Good afternoon. | Used from noon to early evening

Wǎnshàng hǎo.

(phrase) Good evening. | Used after dusk as an evening greeting

Wǎn'ān.

(phrase) Good night. | Said before sleeping; not used as a general evening greeting

Nǐhǎo ma?

(phrase) How are you? | Casual check-in; common reply is "Hěn hǎo, xièxiè" (Fine, thanks)

Xièxiè.

(phrase) Thank you! | Core expression of gratitude; often doubled for emphasis

Bù.

(phrase) No. | Basic negation; also a prefix used to negate verbs (e.g. "bù qù" = not going)

Hǎochī!

(phrase) Delicious! | Lit. "good to eat"; exclaim this about food you enjoy

Wǒ shì...

(phrase) I am... | Used to introduce yourself or state your identity/occupation

Zàijiàn.

(phrase) Goodbye. | Lit. "see again"; standard farewell in Mandarin

Shì de.

(phrase) Yes. | Affirmative response; also just "shì" alone is common

xīngqī yī

(n.) Monday | Day 1 of the week; "xīngqī" = week, "yī" = one

xīngqī èr

(n.) Tuesday | Day 2 of the week; "èr" = two

xīngqī sān

(n.) Wednesday | Day 3 of the week; "sān" = three

xīngqī sì

(n.) Thursday | Day 4 of the week; "sì" = four

xīngqī wǔ

(n.) Friday | Day 5 of the week; "wǔ" = five

xīngqī liù

(n.) Saturday | Day 6 of the week; "liù" = six

xīngqītiān

(n.) Sunday | Day 7 of the week; also "xīngqī rì"; "tiān" = sky/day

wǔ yuè

(n.) May | The 5th month; "yuè" = month, used for all months

yī yuè

(n.) January | The 1st month; months are simply "number + yuè"

èr yuè

(n.) February | The 2nd month; leap day is Feb 29 (rùnrì)

sān yuè

(n.) March | The 3rd month; marks start of spring in northern hemisphere

sì yuè

(n.) April | The 4th month

liù yuè

(n.) June | The 6th month

qī yuè

(n.) July | The 7th month

bā yuè

(n.) August | The 8th month

jiǔ yuè

(n.) September | The 9th month

shí yuè

(n.) October | The 10th month; Halloween is Oct 31 (wànshèngjié)

shíyī yuè

(n.) November | The 11th month

shíèr yuè

(n.) December | The 12th month; the last month of the year

líng

(number) zero | Also used to indicate "and a bit" between numbers (e.g., 205 = èr líng wǔ)

yī

(number) one | Tone changes to yí before 4th-tone syllables and yì before others

èr

(number) two | Used in counting and ordinals; "liǎng" is used before measure words

sān

(number) three | Used in counting and ordinals

sì

(number) four | Note: culturally associated with bad luck (sounds like "sǐ" = death)

wǔ

(number) five | Also used in the word for Friday (xīngqī wǔ) and May (wǔ yuè)

liù

(number) six | Also used in Saturday (xīngqī liù) and June (liù yuè)

qī

(number) seven | Also used in July (qī yuè) and Sunday (xīngqī in combo with tiān/rì)

bā

(number) eight | Considered a lucky number in Chinese culture (sounds like "fā" = prosperity)

jiǔ

(number) nine | Sounds like "jiǔ" (long-lasting); considered auspicious

shí

(number) ten | Basis for compound numbers: shíyī = 11, shí'èr = 12, etc.

kāfēi

(n.) coffee | Common loanword from English; popular in modern China

píjiǔ

(n.) beer | "Pí" is a transliteration, "jiǔ" means alcoholic drink; very common beverage

chá

(n.) tea | Deeply culturally significant in China; green tea (lǜchá) is most traditional

pútaojiǔ

(n.) wine | Lit. "grape alcohol"; "pútao" = grape, "jiǔ" = alcohol

shuǐ

(n.) water | Essential daily word; "hē shuǐ" = drink water

niúròu

(n.) beef | "Niú" = cow/ox, "ròu" = meat; common in hot pot and noodle dishes

zhūròu

(n.) pork | "Zhū" = pig; the most consumed meat in China

jīròu

(n.) chicken | "Jī" = chicken (the animal); distinguish from "jī" in other words by context

gāoyáng ròu

(n.) lamb / mutton | "Gāoyáng" = lamb; popular in northern and western Chinese cuisine

yú

(n.) fish | Culturally significant; served whole at New Year as a symbol of abundance

jiǎo

(n.) foot | Lower extremity; "zuǒjiǎo" = left foot, "yòujiǎo" = right foot

tuǐ

(n.) leg | Full leg from hip to ankle; "tuǐ téng" = leg pain

tóu

(n.) head | Also used in compound words: "tóufa" = hair, "tóuténg" = headache

shǒubì

(n.) arm | "Shǒu" = hand, "bì" = arm; the full arm from shoulder to wrist

shǒu

(n.) hand | Very common word; appears in many compounds (shǒujī = mobile phone)

shǒuzhǐ

(n.) finger | "Shǒu" = hand, "zhǐ" = finger/point; "shǒuzhǐ zài liúxiě" = finger is bleeding

shēntǐ

(n.) body | Refers to the physical body; "shēntǐ hǎo" = in good health

wèi

(n.) stomach | The digestive organ; "wèi téng" = stomachache

bèi

(n.) back | The rear of the torso; "bèi téng" = backache

xiōng

(n.) chest | Front of the torso; "xiōng téng" = chest pain (seek medical attention!)

hùshì

(n.) nurse | "Hù" = care/protect, "shì" = soldier/person; hospital nursing staff

yuángōng

(n.) employee / staff | General term for a worker or staff member at a company

jǐngchá

(n.) police officer | Law enforcement; "jǐng" = alert/warn, "chá" = inspect

chúshī

(n.) cook / chef | "Chú" = kitchen, "shī" = master/teacher; professional kitchen worker

gōngchéngshī

(n.) engineer | "Gōngchéng" = engineering project, "shī" = expert; technical professional

yīshēng

(n.) doctor | "Yī" = medicine, "shēng" = person who works in a field; medical doctor

jīnglǐ

(n.) manager | "Jīng" = manage, "lǐ" = reason/logic; supervisor or department head

lǎoshī

(n.) teacher | "Lǎo" = experienced/old (respectful), "shī" = master; used as a title too

chéngxù shèjìyuán

(n.) programmer | "Chéngxù" = program, "shèjì" = design, "yuán" = person; software developer