🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese vocabulary
The 300 most common Mandarin Chinese words
Learn these first: they make up a big share of everything you'll read. Ranked by frequency, with meanings, romanization and examples for the top 50.
| # | Mandarin Chinese | Romanization | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 的 我的书 — my book | de | (possessive/attributive particle) 's, of | particle |
| 2 | 我 我是学生。 — I am a student. | wǒ | I, me | pronoun |
| 3 | 你 你叫什么名字？ — What's your name? | nǐ | you | pronoun |
| 4 | 了 我吃饭了。 — I've eaten. | le | (particle: completed action, change of state) | particle |
| 5 | 是 他是老师。 — He is a teacher. | shì | to be; yes | verb |
| 6 | 在 我在家。 — I'm at home. | zài | at, in; to be (located); (in progress) | preposition |
| 7 | 他 他是我哥哥。 — He's my older brother. | tā | he, him | pronoun |
| 8 | 我们 我们是好朋友。 — We are good friends. | wǒmen | we, us | pronoun |
| 9 | 不 我不知道。 — I don't know. | bù | not, no | adverb |
| 10 | 吗 你好吗？ — How are you? | ma | (yes/no question particle) | particle |
| 11 | 好 这个主意很好。 — This is a good idea. | hǎo | good, well; OK | adjective |
| 12 | 什么 你在说什么？ — What are you saying? | shénme | what | pronoun |
| 13 | 有 我有一个妹妹。 — I have a younger sister. | yǒu | to have; there is/are | verb |
| 14 | 就 我马上就来。 — I'll be right there. | jiù | just, right away; then; only | adverb |
| 15 | 吧 我们走吧。 — Let's go. | ba | (particle) let's; ...right? | particle |
| 16 | 她 她很聪明。 — She is very smart. | tā | she, her | pronoun |
| 17 | 这 这是我的车。 — This is my car. | zhè | this | pronoun |
| 18 | 知道 我知道他的名字。 — I know his name. | zhīdào | to know | verb |
| 19 | 说 他说他累了。 — He said he was tired. | shuō | to say, to speak | verb |
| 20 | 都 我们都喜欢猫。 — We all like cats. | dōu | all, both; already | adverb |
| 21 | 去 我明天去北京。 — I'm going to Beijing tomorrow. | qù | to go | verb |
| 22 | 很 今天很热。 — It's very hot today. | hěn | very | adverb |
| 23 | 啊 好啊！ — Sure! | a | ah, oh (sentence-final particle) | particle |
| 24 | 要 我要一杯咖啡。 — I'd like a cup of coffee. | yào | to want; will, going to; to need | verb |
| 25 | 也 我也喜欢。 — I like it too. | yě | also, too | adverb |
| 26 | 他们 他们在哪儿？ — Where are they? | tāmen | they, them | pronoun |
| 27 | 和 我和他是同学。 — He and I are classmates. | hé | and, with | conjunction |
| 28 | 那 那是谁？ — Who is that? | nà | that; then, in that case | pronoun |
| 29 | 想 我想回家。 — I want to go home. | xiǎng | to think; to want to; to miss | verb |
| 30 | 人 这里人很多。 — There are lots of people here. | rén | person, people | noun |
| 31 | 会 你会说中文吗？ — Can you speak Chinese? | huì | can, know how to; will | verb |
| 32 | 一个 我有一个问题。 — I have a question. | yí gè | one, a (with measure word) | number |
| 33 | 来 你什么时候来？ — When are you coming? | lái | to come | verb |
| 34 | 把 请把门关上。 — Please close the door. | bǎ | (particle that moves the object before the verb); to hold | preposition |
| 35 | 对 你说得对。 — You're right. | duì | right, correct; to, towards | adjective |
| 36 | 没有 我没有钱。 — I don't have any money. | méiyǒu | not have; there isn't; didn't | verb |
| 37 | 做 妈妈在做饭。 — Mom is cooking. | zuò | to do, to make | verb |
| 38 | 不是 这不是我的。 — This isn't mine. | bú shì | is not; no | verb |
| 39 | 让 让我想想。 — Let me think. | ràng | to let, to allow; to make (someone do) | verb |
| 40 | 给 请给我一杯水。 — Please give me a glass of water. | gěi | to give; for, to | verb |
| 41 | 可以 我可以进来吗？ — May I come in? | kěyǐ | can, may | verb |
| 42 | 你们 你们好！ — Hello, everyone! | nǐmen | you (plural) | pronoun |
| 43 | 呢 我很好，你呢？ — I'm fine, and you? | ne | (particle) and...?; (ongoing action) | particle |
| 44 | 但 他很累，但很开心。 — He's tired but happy. | dàn | but | conjunction |
| 45 | 到 我到家了。 — I'm home. | dào | to arrive; to, until | verb |
| 46 | 还 他还在睡觉。 — He's still sleeping. | hái | still; also; yet | adverb |
| 47 | 现在 现在几点？ — What time is it now? | xiànzài | now | noun |
| 48 | 这个 这个多少钱？ — How much is this? | zhège | this, this one | pronoun |
| 49 | 能 你能帮我吗？ — Can you help me? | néng | can, be able to | verb |
| 50 | 怎么 这个字怎么读？ — How do you read this character? | zěnme | how; why | pronoun |
| 51 | 就是 | jiùshì | exactly, precisely; that is | adverb |
| 52 | 跟 | gēn | with, and; to follow | preposition |
| 53 | 如果 | rúguǒ | if | conjunction |
| 54 | 没 | méi | not (have); didn't | adverb |
| 55 | 它 | tā | it | pronoun |
| 56 | 走 | zǒu | to walk; to leave | verb |
| 57 | 上 | shàng | on, above; to go up; last, previous | noun |
| 58 | 得 | de | (complement particle); must, have to | particle |
| 59 | 被 | bèi | by (passive marker) | preposition |
| 60 | 这里 | zhèlǐ | here | pronoun |
| 61 | 这样 | zhèyàng | like this, this way | pronoun |
| 62 | 个 | gè | (general measure word) | particle |
| 63 | 看 | kàn | to look, to watch; to read; to visit | verb |
| 64 | 事 | shì | matter, thing, affair | noun |
| 65 | 自己 | zìjǐ | oneself | pronoun |
| 66 | 着 | zhe | (particle: continuing action/state) | particle |
| 67 | 谁 | shéi | who | pronoun |
| 68 | 过 | guò | (particle: past experience); to pass, to cross | particle |
| 69 | 告诉 | gàosu | to tell | verb |
| 70 | 为什么 | wèishénme | why | adverb |
| 71 | 真的 | zhēn de | really, truly | adverb |
| 72 | 先生 | xiānsheng | Mr.; sir; husband | noun |
| 73 | 只是 | zhǐshì | merely, just; but | adverb |
| 74 | 不要 | búyào | don't; to not want | adverb |
| 75 | 已经 | yǐjīng | already | adverb |
| 76 | 再 | zài | again; then | adverb |
| 77 | 哦 | ò | oh | interjection |
| 78 | 需要 | xūyào | to need; need | verb |
| 79 | 因为 | yīnwèi | because | conjunction |
| 80 | 谢谢 | xièxie | thank you, thanks | verb |
| 81 | 像 | xiàng | to resemble; like, as | verb |
| 82 | 这么 | zhème | so, such, this (much) | adverb |
| 83 | 可能 | kěnéng | possible; maybe | adverb |
| 84 | 但是 | dànshì | but, however | conjunction |
| 85 | 那个 | nàge | that, that one | pronoun |
| 86 | 所以 | suǒyǐ | so, therefore | conjunction |
| 87 | 喜欢 | xǐhuan | to like | verb |
| 88 | 又 | yòu | again; both... and | adverb |
| 89 | 叫 | jiào | to call; to be called; to shout | verb |
| 90 | 快 | kuài | fast, quick; soon | adjective |
| 91 | 觉得 | juéde | to feel, to think | verb |
| 92 | 别 | bié | don't; other | adverb |
| 93 | 听 | tīng | to listen, to hear | verb |
| 94 | 找 | zhǎo | to look for; to find | verb |
| 95 | 里 | lǐ | inside, in | noun |
| 96 | 还有 | hái yǒu | and also; there is still | conjunction |
| 97 | 时候 | shíhou | time, moment, when | noun |
| 98 | 东西 | dōngxi | thing, stuff | noun |
| 99 | 等 | děng | to wait; etc. | verb |
| 100 | 死 | sǐ | to die; dead | verb |
| 101 | 多 | duō | many, much; more | adjective |
| 102 | 从 | cóng | from | preposition |
| 103 | 一起 | yìqǐ | together | adverb |
| 104 | 应该 | yīnggāi | should, ought to | verb |
| 105 | 这些 | zhèxiē | these | pronoun |
| 106 | 请 | qǐng | please; to invite; to treat (to a meal) | verb |
| 107 | 孩子 | háizi | child, kid | noun |
| 108 | 看到 | kàndào | to see | verb |
| 109 | 一下 | yíxià | (for) a moment, a bit | adverb |
| 110 | 那么 | nàme | so, like that; then | adverb |
| 111 | 为 | wèi | for, for the sake of | preposition |
| 112 | 而 | ér | and, but, while | conjunction |
| 113 | 您 | nín | you (polite) | pronoun |
| 114 | 才 | cái | only then; just; only | adverb |
| 115 | 用 | yòng | to use; with | verb |
| 116 | 还是 | háishi | or (in questions); still; had better | conjunction |
| 117 | 嗯 | ńg | uh-huh, hmm | interjection |
| 118 | 问题 | wèntí | question, problem | noun |
| 119 | 工作 | gōngzuò | work, job; to work | noun |
| 120 | 一样 | yíyàng | the same | adjective |
| 121 | 呀 | ya | (exclamation particle) | particle |
| 122 | 开始 | kāishǐ | to begin, to start | verb |
| 123 | 吃 | chī | to eat | verb |
| 124 | 嘿 | hēi | hey | interjection |
| 125 | 当 | dāng | when; to serve as | preposition |
| 126 | 真 | zhēn | real, true; really | adverb |
| 127 | 中 | zhōng | middle; in, among | noun |
| 128 | 然后 | ránhòu | then, afterwards | adverb |
| 129 | 地方 | dìfang | place | noun |
| 130 | 一定 | yídìng | certainly, definitely; must | adverb |
| 131 | 将 | jiāng | will, shall | adverb |
| 132 | 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; hope | verb |
| 133 | 朋友 | péngyou | friend | noun |
| 134 | 今天 | jīntiān | today | noun |
| 135 | 拿 | ná | to take, to hold | verb |
| 136 | 一 | yī | one | number |
| 137 | 啦 | la | (exclamation particle) | particle |
| 138 | 事情 | shìqing | matter, thing, affair | noun |
| 139 | 一直 | yìzhí | always, all along; straight | adverb |
| 140 | 所有 | suǒyǒu | all | determiner |
| 141 | 找到 | zhǎodào | to find | verb |
| 142 | 哪 | nǎ | which | pronoun |
| 143 | 当然 | dāngrán | of course | adverb |
| 144 | 们 | men | (plural suffix for people) | particle |
| 145 | 回来 | huílai | to come back | verb |
| 146 | 更 | gèng | more, even more | adverb |
| 147 | 最 | zuì | most | adverb |
| 148 | 帮 | bāng | to help | verb |
| 149 | 没事 | méi shì | it's nothing; it's OK | interjection |
| 150 | 只 | zhǐ | only | adverb |
| 151 | 那些 | nàxiē | those | pronoun |
| 152 | 可 | kě | but; can, may | conjunction |
| 153 | 明白 | míngbai | to understand; clear | verb |
| 154 | 的话 | dehuà | if (used at the end of a clause) | particle |
| 155 | 爸爸 | bàba | dad, father | noun |
| 156 | 下 | xià | under, below; to go down; next | noun |
| 157 | 太 | tài | too, extremely | adverb |
| 158 | 离开 | líkāi | to leave | verb |
| 159 | 一切 | yíqiè | everything, all | pronoun |
| 160 | 时间 | shíjiān | time | noun |
| 161 | 相信 | xiāngxìn | to believe, to trust | verb |
| 162 | 妈妈 | māma | mom, mother | noun |
| 163 | 想要 | xiǎng yào | to want | verb |
| 164 | 爱 | ài | to love; love | verb |
| 165 | 发生 | fāshēng | to happen | verb |
| 166 | 打 | dǎ | to hit; to play (a sport); to make (a call) | verb |
| 167 | 点 | diǎn | o'clock; point, dot; a little | noun |
| 168 | 钱 | qián | money | noun |
| 169 | 大 | dà | big, large; old (age) | adjective |
| 170 | 起来 | qǐlai | to get up; (start of an action) | verb |
| 171 | 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello | interjection |
| 172 | 抱歉 | bàoqiàn | sorry | adjective |
| 173 | 必须 | bìxū | must, have to | adverb |
| 174 | 认为 | rènwéi | to think, to consider | verb |
| 175 | 一点 | yìdiǎn | a little, a bit | adverb |
| 176 | 非常 | fēicháng | very, extremely | adverb |
| 177 | 那里 | nàlǐ | there | pronoun |
| 178 | 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | sorry, excuse me | interjection |
| 179 | 天 | tiān | day; sky | noun |
| 180 | 也许 | yěxǔ | perhaps, maybe | adverb |
| 181 | 大家 | dàjiā | everyone | pronoun |
| 182 | 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where | pronoun |
| 183 | 有人 | yǒu rén | someone, somebody | pronoun |
| 184 | 该 | gāi | should, ought to | verb |
| 185 | 意思 | yìsi | meaning; idea | noun |
| 186 | 杀 | shā | to kill | verb |
| 187 | 准备 | zhǔnbèi | to prepare; to plan to | verb |
| 188 | 出来 | chūlai | to come out | verb |
| 189 | 与 | yǔ | and, with | conjunction |
| 190 | 时 | shí | time; when | noun |
| 191 | 不过 | búguò | but, however; only | conjunction |
| 192 | 一些 | yìxiē | some, a few | determiner |
| 193 | 为了 | wèile | in order to, for | preposition |
| 194 | 带 | dài | to bring, to take; belt | verb |
| 195 | 女人 | nǚrén | woman | noun |
| 196 | 这儿 | zhèr | here | pronoun |
| 197 | 后 | hòu | after; behind | noun |
| 198 | 只有 | zhǐyǒu | only | adverb |
| 199 | 过来 | guòlai | to come over | verb |
| 200 | 比 | bǐ | than; to compare | preposition |
| 201 | 一次 | yí cì | once, one time | adverb |
| 202 | 得到 | dédào | to get, to obtain | verb |
| 203 | 很多 | hěn duō | many, a lot of | adjective |
| 204 | 任何 | rènhé | any | determiner |
| 205 | 这种 | zhè zhǒng | this kind (of) | pronoun |
| 206 | 小 | xiǎo | small, little; young | adjective |
| 207 | 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | how; how about | pronoun |
| 208 | 感觉 | gǎnjué | to feel; feeling | verb |
| 209 | 年 | nián | year | noun |
| 210 | 以为 | yǐwéi | to think (mistakenly), to assume | verb |
| 211 | 而且 | érqiě | moreover, and also | conjunction |
| 212 | 前 | qián | front; before, ago | noun |
| 213 | 生活 | shēnghuó | life; to live | noun |
| 214 | 男人 | nánrén | man | noun |
| 215 | 之前 | zhīqián | before, prior to | noun |
| 216 | 喂 | wéi | hello (on the phone); hey | interjection |
| 217 | 问 | wèn | to ask | verb |
| 218 | 发现 | fāxiàn | to discover, to find | verb |
| 219 | 可是 | kěshì | but | conjunction |
| 220 | 快点 | kuài diǎn | hurry up; a bit faster | adverb |
| 221 | 嗨 | hāi | hi | interjection |
| 222 | 两 | liǎng | two (with measure words) | number |
| 223 | 不用 | búyòng | no need to | adverb |
| 224 | 地 | de | (adverbial particle); ground, earth | particle |
| 225 | 向 | xiàng | towards, to | preposition |
| 226 | 名字 | míngzi | name | noun |
| 227 | 没错 | méi cuò | that's right | interjection |
| 228 | 见 | jiàn | to see, to meet | verb |
| 229 | 世界 | shìjiè | world | noun |
| 230 | 记得 | jìde | to remember | verb |
| 231 | 住 | zhù | to live, to reside; to stay | verb |
| 232 | 新 | xīn | new | adjective |
| 233 | 不错 | búcuò | not bad, pretty good | adjective |
| 234 | 肯定 | kěndìng | surely, definitely; to affirm | adverb |
| 235 | 最好 | zuìhǎo | best; had better | adverb |
| 236 | 不行 | bù xíng | won't do; no way | verb |
| 237 | 等等 | děngděng | wait a moment; etc. | interjection |
| 238 | 嘛 | ma | (particle: obviousness, persuasion) | particle |
| 239 | 出去 | chūqu | to go out | verb |
| 240 | 先 | xiān | first, in advance | adverb |
| 241 | 亲爱的 | qīn'ài de | dear, darling | adjective |
| 242 | 或 | huò | or | conjunction |
| 243 | 如何 | rúhé | how | adverb |
| 244 | 到底 | dàodǐ | after all; on earth (in questions) | adverb |
| 245 | 有点 | yǒudiǎn | a bit, somewhat | adverb |
| 246 | 最后 | zuìhòu | last; finally | adjective |
| 247 | 小姐 | xiǎojiě | miss, young lady | noun |
| 248 | 认识 | rènshi | to know (a person), to recognize | verb |
| 249 | 正在 | zhèngzài | in the middle of (doing), -ing | adverb |
| 250 | 父亲 | fùqīn | father | noun |
| 251 | 高兴 | gāoxìng | happy, glad | adjective |
| 252 | 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | noun |
| 253 | 重要 | zhòngyào | important | adjective |
| 254 | 跑 | pǎo | to run | verb |
| 255 | 警察 | jǐngchá | police, police officer | noun |
| 256 | 只要 | zhǐyào | as long as | conjunction |
| 257 | 好像 | hǎoxiàng | to seem, as if | adverb |
| 258 | 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye | interjection |
| 259 | 月 | yuè | month; moon | noun |
| 260 | 继续 | jìxù | to continue | verb |
| 261 | 出 | chū | to go out, to come out; to produce | verb |
| 262 | 今晚 | jīnwǎn | tonight | noun |
| 263 | 回家 | huí jiā | to go home | verb |
| 264 | 多少 | duōshao | how many, how much | pronoun |
| 265 | 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call | noun |
| 266 | 听到 | tīngdào | to hear | verb |
| 267 | 医生 | yīshēng | doctor | noun |
| 268 | 要是 | yàoshi | if | conjunction |
| 269 | 女孩 | nǚhái | girl | noun |
| 270 | 马上 | mǎshàng | immediately, right away | adverb |
| 271 | 过去 | guòqù | the past; to go over | noun |
| 272 | 以前 | yǐqián | before, formerly | noun |
| 273 | 儿子 | érzi | son | noun |
| 274 | 哪儿 | nǎr | where | pronoun |
| 275 | 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak, to talk | verb |
| 276 | 买 | mǎi | to buy | verb |
| 277 | 看起来 | kàn qǐlai | to look (like), to seem | verb |
| 278 | 完全 | wánquán | completely | adverb |
| 279 | 回去 | huíqu | to go back | verb |
| 280 | 以 | yǐ | with, by means of; in order to | preposition |
| 281 | 却 | què | but, yet | adverb |
| 282 | 其他 | qítā | other | pronoun |
| 283 | 永远 | yǒngyuǎn | forever, always | adverb |
| 284 | 之后 | zhīhòu | after, afterwards | noun |
| 285 | 看见 | kànjiàn | to see | verb |
| 286 | 或者 | huòzhě | or | conjunction |
| 287 | 小心 | xiǎoxīn | careful; be careful | adjective |
| 288 | 行 | xíng | OK, all right; capable | adjective |
| 289 | 别人 | biérén | other people, others | pronoun |
| 290 | 成为 | chéngwéi | to become | verb |
| 291 | 写 | xiě | to write | verb |
| 292 | 情况 | qíngkuàng | situation, circumstances | noun |
| 293 | 送 | sòng | to give (as a gift); to send; to see off | verb |
| 294 | 玩 | wán | to play, to have fun | verb |
| 295 | 见到 | jiàndào | to see, to meet | verb |
| 296 | 放 | fàng | to put, to place; to let go | verb |
| 297 | 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening, night | noun |
| 298 | 喝 | hē | to drink | verb |
| 299 | 总是 | zǒngshì | always | adverb |
| 300 | 家 | jiā | home, family | noun |
Frequency ranking based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords).
Questions
What are the most common Mandarin Chinese words?
The top ten are 的 ((possessive/attributive particle) 's), 我 (I), 你 (you), 了 ((particle: completed action), 是 (to be; yes), 在 (at), 他 (he), 我们 (we), 不 (not), 吗 ((yes/no question particle)).
How many Mandarin Chinese words do I need to know?
The few hundred most frequent words make up a large share of any everyday text, which is why they're the best place to start. To read graded stories comfortably you need roughly 1,000–2,000; for unadapted books, several thousand. Test yourself with the Mandarin Chinese vocabulary size test.
Where does this list come from?
The ranking is based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), cleaned by hand to remove names, fragments and noise, with meanings added for learners.