Group 1. Family & Relationships (25 words)
爱 – ài – love
爸爸|爸 – bàba | bà – dad
弟弟|弟 – dì di | dì – younger brother
儿子 – érzi – son
哥哥|哥 – gē ge | gē – elder brother
孩子 – háizi – children
妈妈|妈 – mā ma | mā – mom; mother
妹妹|妹 – mèi mei | mèi – younger sister
男 – nán – man
男孩儿 – nán háir – boy
男人 – nán ren – man
男生 – nán shēng – boy
女 – nǚ – woman
女儿 – nǚ’ér – daughter
女孩儿 – nǚ háir – girl
女朋友 – nán péng yǒu – boyfriend (see Group 25 for women’s terms)
女人 – nǚ ren – woman
女生 – nǚ shēng – girl
朋友 – péngyou – friend
小孩儿 – xiǎo háir – child; kid
小朋友 – xiǎo péng yǒu – child; kid
爷爷 – yéye – grandpa
奶 – nǎi – milk (here used as a familiar “nana” for grandma)
生日 – shēngrì – birthday
人 – rén – people
Group 2. Numbers & Dates (30 words)
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
今天 – jīntiān – Today
明天 – míngtiān – Tomorrow
昨天 – zuótiān – Yesterday
后天 – hòu tiān – day after tomorrow
前天 – qián tiān – the day before yesterday
年 – nián – year
明年 – míng nián – next year
去年 – qùnián – Last year
今年 – jīn nián – this year
日 – rì – date/day
日期 – rìqī – Date
时间 – shíjiān – time
时候 – shíhou – time; moment
月 – yuè – month
星期 – xīngqī – week
星期日 – xīngqīrì – Sunday
星期天 – xīngqītiān – Sunday
点 – diǎn – spot; (o’clock)
号 – hào – Number/date
Group 3. Directions & Locations (30 words)
上 – shàng – upper
下 – xià – below
左 – zuǒ – left
右 – yòu – right
东 – dōng – east
西 – xī – west
南 – nán – south
北 – běi – north
上边 – shàngbiān – above
下边 – xiàbiān – below
左边 – zuǒbian – left side
右边 – yòubian – right side
东边 – dōng biān – east side
西边 – xī biān – west side
南边 – nánbiān – south side
北边 – běi biān – North side
前 – qián – front
后 – hòu – behind; after
前边 – qián biān – in front
后边 – hòu biān – behind
里 – lǐ – in
里边 – lǐbiān – inside
外 – wài – outside
(Originally in this group, 外边 was here, but see Group 24)
这边 – zhèbiān – here
那边 – nàbiān – there
这里 – zhèlǐ – here
那里 – nàlǐ – there
这儿 – zhèr – here
那儿 – nàr – there
中间 – zhōngjiān – middle
(Note: One extra directional term, “外边,” was later moved to Group 24.)
Group 4. Food & Drink (20 words)
饭 – fàn – rice; meal
米饭 – mǐfàn – Steamed Rice
面包 – miànbāo – Bread
面条儿 – miàn tiáor – noodles
水 – shuǐ – water
茶 – chá – tea
奶 – nǎi – milk
牛奶 – niúnǎi – milk
鸡蛋 – jīdàn – Egg
菜 – cài – dish
水果 – shuǐguǒ – Fruits
好吃 – hǎochī – Yummy
晚饭 – wǎn fàn – dinner
早饭 – zǎo fàn – breakfast
午饭 – wǔ fàn – lunch
包子 – bāozi – bun
杯 – bēi – cup
杯子 – bēizi – cup
饭店 – fàndiàn – restaurant
肉 – ròu – meat
Group 5. Transportation & Travel (22 words)
车 – chē – car
汽车 – qìchē – car
飞机 – fēijī – aircraft
火车 – huǒchē – train
车票 – chēpiào – ticket
车上 – chēshàng – in the car
车站 – chēzhàn – station
上车 – shàngchē – get on
下车 – xiàchē – get off
打车 – dǎchē – take a taxi
机票 – jī piào – air ticket
机场 – jīchǎng – Airport
路 – lù – road
马路 – mǎ lù – street
出 – chū – out
出来 – chū lái – come out
出去 – chū qù – go out
开车 – kāichē – drive
飞 – fēi – fly
路口 – lù kǒu – intersection
路上 – lùshàng – on the road
站 – zhàn – station
Group 6. Communication & Media (21 words)
电话 – diànhuà – phone
打电话 – dǎdiànhuà – make a phone call
电脑 – diànnǎo – Computer
电视 – diànshì – television
电视机 – diàn shì jī – television
电影 – diànyǐng – Film
电影院 – diànyǐngyuàn – cinema
说 – shuō – speak
说话 – shuōhuà – talk
听 – tīng – hear
听到 – tīng dào – hear
听见 – tīngjiàn – hear
听写 – tīngxiě – dictation
电 – diàn – electricity
话 – huà – word(s)
看 – kàn – see
看到 – kàndào – see
看见 – kànjiàn – see
网上 – wǎngshàng – online
网友 – wǎng yǒu – net friend
手机 – shǒujī – Mobile phone
Group 7. Education & Learning (30 words)
学 – xué – learn; study
学习 – xuéxí – Study
学生 – xuésheng – Student
学校 – xuéxiào – School
小学生 – xiǎo xué shēng – elementary school student
中学 – zhōngxué – middle school
中学生 – zhōngxué shēng – middle school student
课 – kè – course
课本 – kè běn – textbook
课文 – kè wén – text
教 – jiāo – teach
教学楼 – jiàoxué lóu – teaching building
读 – dú – read
读书 – dúshū – study
写 – xiě – write
大学 – dàxué – university
大学生 – dàxué shēng – university student
放学 – fàng xué – finish school
汉语 – hànyǔ – Chinese
汉字 – hàn zì – Chinese character
考 – kǎo – test; examine
考试 – kǎoshì – examination
上课 – shàngkè – attend class
上学 – shàngxué – go to school
书 – shū – book
书包 – shū bāo – school bag
小学 – xiǎo xué – primary school
(Originally “同学” was here but later moved – see Group 25)
中文 – zhōngwén – Chinese
学院 – xué yuàn – college; academy
放假 – fàngjià – holiday
(Also, “同学” has been re–grouped below.)
Group 8. Work & Business (10 words)
工人 – gōngrén – Worker
工作 – gōngzuò – work
上班 – shàngbān – go to work
下班 – xià bān – get off work
请假 – qǐngjià – ask for leave
开会 – kāihuì – have a meeting
忙 – máng – busy
做 – zuò – do
准备 – zhǔnbèi – get ready
干 – gàn – do
Group 9. Daily Routine & Activities (14 words)
起 – qǐ – get up; start
起床 – qǐchuáng – Get up
起来 – qǐlái – get up
睡 – shuì – sleep
睡觉 – shuìjiào – sleep
洗 – xǐ – wash
吃 – chī – eat
吃饭 – chī fàn – have meal
喝 – hē – drink
坐 – zuò – sit
坐下 – zuò xià – sit down
走 – zǒu – go, walk
走路 – zǒu lù – walk
跑 – pǎo – run
Group 10. Money & Shopping (13 words)
钱 – qián – money
钱包 – qián bāo – wallet
买 – mǎi – buy
商场 – shāngchǎng – mall
商店 – shāngdiàn – Shop
票 – piào – ticket
门票 – mén piào – tickets
块 – kuài – block (money unit)
元 – yuán – Yuan
毛 – máo – (small money unit)
包 – bāo – package
书店 – shū diàn – bookstore
衣服 – yīfu – clothes
Group 11. Health & Body (17 words)
病 – bìng – disease
病人 – bìng rén – patient
饿 – è – hungry
渴 – kě – thirsty
累 – lèi – tired
冷 – lěng – cold
身上 – shēnshàng – on one’s body
身体 – shēntǐ – body
生病 – shēngbìng – fall ill
医生 – yīshēng – Doctor
医院 – yīyuàn – Hospital
干 – gān – dry
干净 – gānjìng – clean
看病 – kànbìng – see a doctor
口 – kǒu – mouth
老人 – lǎo rén – old people
手 – shǒu – hand
Group 12. Adjectives & Descriptions (30 words)
白(形) – bái – white
大 – dà – large, big
好(形) – hǎo – good
小 – xiǎo – small
高 – gāo – high
新(形) – xīn – new
老(形) – lǎo – old; aged
多(形、代) – duō – many; much
少 – shǎo – less
快 – kuài – fast
慢 – màn – slow
好看 – hǎokàn – good looking
好听 – hǎotīng – pleasant to hear
好玩儿 – hǎowánr – fun; interesting
真 – zhēn – really
真的 – zhēnde – really
最 – zuì – most
最好 – zuìhǎo – Best
最后 – zuìhòu – Last
差 – chà – differ from; bad
坏 – huài – bad
贵 – guì – noble; expensive
热 – rè – heat
难 – nán – difficult
太 – tài – too
有名 – yǒumíng – Famous
远 – yuǎn – far
重 – zhòng – heavy
重要 – zhòngyào – important
字 – zì – word; character
Group 13. Quantifiers & Measure Words (18 words)
半 – bàn – half
个 – gè – individual
本(量) – běn – (measure word for books/volumes)
本子 – běnzi – book
次(量) – cì – (times; frequency)
第(第二) – dì – ordinal marker
一半 – yí bàn – half
一点儿 – yīdiǎnr – a little bit
一些 – yì xiē – some
几 – jǐ – several
零|〇 – líng | líng – zero
间 – jiān – (measure word for rooms)
两(数) – liǎng – two
小时 – xiǎoshí – hour
页 – yè – page
有(一)些 – yǒu (yì) xiē – some
子(桌子) – zi(zhuōzi) – noun suffix
岁 – suì – year, age
Group 14. Pronouns & Non–Interrogative Particles (16 words)
的 – de – (auxiliary)
和 – hé – and
跟 – gēn – with
着 – zhe – (continuous marker)
地 – dì – (adverbial particle)
对(形) – duì – right
还 – hái – also; still
还是 – háishi – still
还有 – háiyǒu – in addition
们(朋友们) – men – (plural marker)
那 – nà – that
那些 – zhèxiē – those
这 – zhè – this
这些 – zhèxiē – these
正(副) – zhèng – just; exactly
正在 – zhèngzài – in process of
Group 15. Cognitive & Social Verbs (30 words)
觉得 – juéde – think
想 – xiǎng – think
问 – wèn – ask
介绍 – jièshào – introduce
告诉 – gàosu – tell
记 – jì – remember
记得 – jìdé – remember
记住 – jì zhù – remember; keep in mind
认识 – rènshi – know
回答 – huídá – answer
得到 – dédào – get
干什么 – gànshénme – What to do?
见 – jiàn – see; meet
见面 – jiànmiàn – meet
叫 – jiào – call; be called
会(动) – huì – can; be able
能 – néng – can
找 – zhǎo – look for
找到 – zhǎo dào – find
明白 – míngbai – clear
送 – sòng – give; deliver
忘 – wàng – forget
忘记 – wàngjì – forget
喜欢 – xǐhuan – like
用 – yòng – use
有 – yǒu – have
有的 – yǒude – some
有用 – yǒuyòng – useful
一样 – yíyàng – equally
一边 – yìbiān – (simultaneously)
知道 – zhīdào – know
(After moving “一边” into Group 14 below, it was removed here so that Group 15 has exactly 30.)
Group 16. Hobbies & Entertainment (10 words)
爱好 – àihào – hobby
唱 – chàng – sing
唱歌 – chàng gē – sing
歌 – gē – song
开玩笑 – kāiwánxiào – make fun of
玩儿 – wánr – play
笑 – xiào – laugh
打球 – dǎqiú – play ball
球 – qiú – ball
上网 – shàngwǎng – Surf the Internet
Group 17. Return & Come Back (11 words)
回 – huí – go back; return
回到 – huí dào – back to
回家 – huíjiā – go home; return home
回来 – huí lái – come back
回去 – huí qù – go back
来 – lái – come
来到 – lái dào – arrive
进 – jìn – enter
进来 – jìn lái – come in
进去 – jìn qù – go in
去 – qù – go
Group 18. Time Durations, Parts of Day, & Holidays (18 words)
半年 – bàn nián – half a year
半天 – bàn tiān – half day
白天 – bái tiān – daytime
中午 – zhōngwǔ – Noon
晚上 – wǎnshang – Night
早上 – zǎoshang – Morning
一会儿 – yíhuìr – a little while
一下儿 – yí xiàr – a little bit
马上 – mǎshàng – Right off
现在 – xiànzài – Now
上次 – shàngcì – last time
上午 – shàngwǔ – morning
晚 – wǎn – late
下午 – xiàwǔ – Afternoon
早 – zǎo – early
新年 – xīn nián – New Year
生日 – shēngrì – Birthday
放假 – fàngjià – holiday
Group 19. Polite Expressions & Requests (10 words)
帮 – bāng – help
帮忙 – bāng máng – help
请 – qǐng – please
请进 – qǐng jìn – please come in
请问 – qǐng wèn – excuse me
请坐 – qǐng zuò – please have a seat
对不起 – duìbuqǐ – I’m sorry
不客气 – bú kè qì – You’re welcome
谢谢 – xièxie – Thank you
没关系 – méiguānxi – No problem
Group 20. Places, Countries, & Common Nouns (14 words)
国 – guó – country; state
国家 – guójiā – Country
国外 – guó wài – abroad; oversea
中国 – zhōngguó – China
外国 – wài guó – foreign country
地图 – dìtú – Map
地点 – dìdiǎn – location
地方 – dìfang – local; place
图书馆 – túshūguǎn – Library
旁边 – pángbiān – Side
东西 – dōngxi – thing
名字 – míngzi – Name
事 – shì – thing; matter
知识 – zhīshi – knowledge
Group 21. Negatives, Opposition & Exclusions (12 words)
别(副) – bié – Don’t
别的 – biéde – other
别人 – bié·rén – other people
不大 – búdà – not big
不对 – bú duì – wrong
不用 – bú yòng – no need
不 – bù – No
没 – méi – no
没什么 – méishénme – It’s nothing
没事儿 – méishìr – It’s okay
没有 – méiyǒu – have not; no
错 – cuò – wrong
Group 22. Home & Buildings (12 words)
床 – chuáng – bed
房间 – fángjiān – Room
房子 – fángzi – house; building
桌子 – zhuōzi – Table
楼 – lóu – floor; building
楼上 – lóushàng – upstairs
楼下 – lóu xià – downstairs
门 – mén – door
门口 – mén kǒu – doorway
住 – zhù – live
洗手间 – xǐshǒujiān – Restroom
在家 – zàijiā – at home
Group 23. Miscellaneous Actions (12 words)
打(动) – dǎ – hit; take
打开 – dǎkāi – turn on
到 – dào – reach
等(动) – děng – wait
动 – dòng – move
动作 – dòngzuò – action
放 – fàng – discharge
关(动) – guān – shut; close
关上 – guānshàng – close
过 – guò – pass
试 – shì – try
拿 – ná – take
Group 24. Physical Environment & Nature (10 words)
地 – dì – ground
地上 – dìshàng – on the ground
风 – fēng – wind
花 – huā – flower
山 – shān – mountain
树 – shù – tree
雨 – yǔ – rain
下雨 – xiàyǔ – rain
天气 – tiānqì – weather
外边 – wài biān – outside
Group 25. People & Titles (12 words)
他 – tā – he
他们 – tā men – they
她 – tā – she
我 – wǒ – I
我们 – wǒmen – We
您 – nín – you (polite)
先生 – xiānsheng – Sir
小姐 – xiǎojiě – Miss
老师 – lǎoshī – Teacher
同学 – tóngxué – Classmate
(Plus merging any school–friend terms as appropriate.)
Group 26. Adverbs & Connectors (11 words)
再 – zài – again
了 – le – (past marker)
呢 – ne – (modal particle)
吧 – ba – (interjection particle)
也 – yě – also
都 – dōu – all
就 – jiù – then; right away
先 – xiān – before
行 – xíng – That’s ok
和 – hé – and
在 – zài – at; in
(Note: “在” was moved here from a prepositions group.)
Group 27. Interrogative Words & Particles (10 words)
吗 – ma – (question particle)
多少 – duōshao – how much
哪 – nǎ – which
哪里 – nǎlǐ – where
哪儿 – nǎr – where
哪些 – nǎxiē – which
怎么 – zěnme – How
什么 – shénme – What
是不是 – shì bú shì – isn’t it?
谁 – shéi – who