Reference Guide • 5 min read • September 29, 2026

The HSK 1 Vocabulary List, Explained

Q: What topics does the HSK 1 vocabulary list cover?

HSK 1 focuses on the highest-frequency, most practical Mandarin words: greetings, numbers, family terms, telling time, food and common objects, and basic everyday verbs like 是 (to be), 有 (to have), and 去 (to go).

Q: Why do different sources give different HSK 1 word counts?

Because there are two HSK standards in circulation: the original 2010 standard and the 2021 revision (often called HSK 3.0), which restructured the levels. Word counts per level differ between the two, so a number quoted from one standard won't match a number quoted from the other.

Q: Is HSK 1 enough to hold a basic conversation?

HSK 1 covers greetings, introductions, numbers, and simple everyday exchanges. It's a genuine first step toward basic conversation, not full conversational fluency — HSK 2 and beyond build on it with more vocabulary and grammar patterns.

HSK 1 is the entry level of the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), the standardized Mandarin proficiency test administered by China's Center for Language Education and Cooperation. It's built around a small set of the most frequently used Mandarin words — not a random beginner word list, but a curated one, chosen for practical, everyday usefulness.

What's Actually In the List

HSK 1 vocabulary clusters into a handful of practical topics rather than being organized alphabetically or by grammar rule:

Topic	Example Words
Greetings & courtesy	你好 (nǐ hǎo), 谢谢 (xiè xiè), 再见 (zài jiàn)
Numbers & time	一, 二, 三 (yī, èr, sān), 天 (tiān), 点 (diǎn)
People & family	我 (wǒ), 你 (nǐ), 他 (tā), 爸爸 (bà ba), 妈妈 (mā ma)
Food & daily objects	水 (shuǐ), 米饭 (mǐ fàn), 钱 (qián), 书 (shū)
Everyday verbs	是 (shì), 有 (yǒu), 去 (qù), 来 (lái), 看 (kàn)

The pattern is deliberate: nearly every word on the list is something a beginner will actually say or hear within their first real conversations, not a word chosen for grammatical completeness.

Why HSK 1 Word Counts Vary Between Sources

            There are two HSK standards in circulation. The original HSK, standardized in 2010, and a 2021 revision — commonly called "HSK 3.0" — that restructured the level system. If you see two different word counts quoted for "HSK 1" online, they're likely drawn from these two different standards rather than one source being wrong.
        

This is also why apps and study guides don't always agree on exactly which words belong to HSK 1: some follow the original 2010 list, some follow the 2021 revision, and some — like Chinese 101 — teach a curated 300-word set built around the practical core that's stable across both.

How to Actually Learn the List

Because HSK 1 is grouped by everyday topic rather than difficulty, it's well suited to learning in small daily batches rather than one long memorization push. Pairing each word with its pinyin, tone, and native audio — and letting spaced review resurface it right before you'd forget it — tends to outperform straight repetition through the full list on a fixed schedule.

Common Questions

What topics does the HSK 1 vocabulary list cover?

Greetings, numbers, family, time, food and common objects, and basic everyday verbs.

Why do different sources give different HSK 1 word counts?

Because two HSK standards exist — the original 2010 version and the 2021 revision — and they don't use identical level definitions.

Is HSK 1 enough to hold a basic conversation?

It's a genuine first step — greetings, introductions, numbers, simple exchanges — not full fluency.

Sources

Center for Language Education and Cooperation (China), Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) test overview.

Study the HSK 1 list the practical way.

Chinese 101 teaches all 300 HSK 1 words in daily lessons, grouped by topic, with pinyin, tones, and native audio built in.

Try Free on the App Store

New to Mandarin? Start with our beginner's guide to learning Mandarin, or see how Chinese 101 compares to other apps.