The 1000 most common Mandarin Chinese words

Ranked by spoken frequency · with native audio

Not all words are worth the same effort. A small core of high-frequency words accounts for most of everyday Mandarin, so learning them first buys you the most comprehension for the least time. This list ranks the top 1000 words by how often they actually appear in spoken Chinese — start at #1 and work down.

Every word shows tone-coloured pinyin and its English meaning, and you can tap the character to hear native audio — no sign-up needed. Words in the top 1,500 link to a full page with a per-syllable tone breakdown and an example sentence.

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

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Words 1–100

(possessive particle)

can; to know how to; will

dào

to arrive; to reach

yào

to want; to need; will

country; nation; state

aspect particle indicating an ongoing state

possessive particle; him/her/it

-ly (adverb particle)

not; to not have; there is no

Words 101–250

to believe; to think; to consider; to feel

121

chéng wéi

to become; to turn into

circumstances; state of affairs; situation

to happen; to occur; to take place; to break out

to pass through; to get through

for; for the purpose of; in order to

to notice; to become aware of

to think that ...; to feel that ...

company; firm; enterprise; corporation

to request; to require

technology; technique; skill

to see; to catch sight of

to bring; to take; to carry

226

suī rán

although; even though

thus; consequently; as a result

Words 251–500

to obtain; to receive; to get

regarding; as far as is concerned; with regard to

way; manner; style; mode; pattern

to be absent; to be out

someone; anyone; people

to build; to construct; to establish; to develop…

to produce; to manufacture

overall; total; always

ordinary; general; generally

to receive; to accept; to suffer

time (for an action); occurrence

378

yīxià

(after a verb) briefly; a bit

to do; to make; to write

polite classifier for people; position

to save; to economize; to be frugal

to pass through; undergo

to stipulate; to specify; to prescribe; to fix ;…

mission; assignment; task; duty; role

to solve; to resolve; to settle

feeling; impression; sensation

to handle; to deal with

actually; in fact; really

to arise; to come into being; to come about

base; foundation; basis

arrived; by the time that

as long as; provided that

media, esp. news media

to reach; to achieve; to attain

to withdraw the mandate of heaven

a decade of a century

Words 501–1000

Long thin item (classifier)

particle combining le and a

to oppose; to be against; to object to

to belong to; to fall under

is or isn't (yes/no question)

standard; norm; criterion

condition; circumstance; term; factor

to propose; to suggest; to recommend

other people; others; other person

551

bù jǐn

not just; not limited to

person; personage; figure

to discuss; to talk over

to part; to leave each other

to mistakenly believe

for example; for instance; such as

601

mín zú

nationality; ethnic group

venue; field; classifier for events

easy; straightforward

key point, main point

equipment; facilities; installations

almost; nearly; practically

certain; definite; definitely; to affirm

really; indeed; honestly

to unify; to integrate

purpose; aim; goal; target; objective

to give rise to; to lead to; to cause; to arouse

678

chóng xīn

again; once more; re-

occupation; profession; vocation

all right; enough; done

strong; powerful; better

classifier for flat objects (paper)

to comprehend; to understand

trade; profession; industry; business

to lessen; to decrease; to reduce; to lower

mistaken; false; wrong

condition; state; state of affairs

frequently; constantly; regularly; often

still; as before; yet

767

cǎi qǔ

to adopt or carry out

to engage in ; to run; to operate

to deal; to trade; to transact

especially; particularly

no matter what or how

to bring forth new ideas; to blaze new trails

to set up; to establish

sudden; abrupt; unexpected

816

fāng xiàng

direction; orientation

to make; to manufacture

unable to; cannot (after a verb)

correct; sound; right; proper

832

zhì zào

to manufacture; to make

modal particle indicating something is obvious

heavy; important; serious

degree; level; extent

condition; state; situation

to refuse; to decline; to reject

to draw up a plan; to map out a program

903

jiān dū

to supervise; to oversee

yourself; you yourself

ah; oh (sentence-final particle)

to renounce; to abandon; to give up

it seems; seemingly; as if

to be concerned about

to thank; to be grateful

952

yú shì

thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence

to set; to decide; fixed

grade; result; achievement

to criticize; criticism

967

tíng zhǐ

to stop; to halt; to cease

to hold a governmental office or post

to make better; to improve

to replace the old with new

to threaten; to menace

to set up; to install

Frequently asked questions

How many words do you need to understand Mandarin?+

Word frequency in any language follows a steep curve: a small core of words covers most of everyday speech. Learning the 1000 most common Mandarin words first gives you the highest comprehension for the least effort, because these are the words you actually hear and read most often.

What are the most common words in Chinese?+

The very top of the list is dominated by function words and basic verbs — 的, 是, 不, 我, 你 and the like. This page ranks the top 1000 by real spoken frequency so you can work down from the most useful.

Should I learn Chinese words by frequency or by HSK level?+

Both help. HSK groups words by exam level, while a frequency list orders them by how often they actually come up in speech. Many learners use frequency order to decide what to drill first, then use the HSK lists to track formal progress. Every word here links to its HSK level where one applies.

How do I learn these words so they stick?+

Hearing and saying a word beats silently reading pinyin. Tap any character above to hear native audio. ToneDeck pairs this frequency list with spaced-repetition review and a pronunciation check so the words — and their tones — stay with you.

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Keep going

Words by tone

First, second, third and fourth-tone word lists with audio.

HSK vocabulary lists

Every word, grouped by official HSK level 1–6.

Mandarin tones explained

The four tones (and the neutral) that every word above uses.

Train your ear

Hear a tone, guess it, and watch your accuracy climb.

Back to the Mandarin vocabulary hub.