你好 nǐ hǎo hello
你好，很高兴认识你。 Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. Hello, nice to meet you.
- 你 nǐ — 亻 “person” + 尔 (sound: ěr)
- 好 hǎo — 女 “woman” + 子 “child”. A woman beside her child.
Mandarin word list: 80 beginner words
Every word below has its pinyin, its tone pattern, an example sentence, and a breakdown of what each character is made of — including which part carries the meaning and which is only there for the sound. That last distinction matters: most Chinese characters are semantic-phonetic compounds, so a “picture story” for a component that is purely phonetic teaches you something false.
Practise these with audio →Free, no account needed. Words are taught with audio, a five-level pitch staff for the
tones, flashcards and spaced repetition, so each word comes back just before you would forget it.
The tones
Tone 1
high and flat — Hold one steady note, like humming a single pitch.
Tone 2
rising — Slide upward, like a surprised “huh?”
Tone 3
dips, then rises — Drop low and scoop back up, like a doubtful “weeeell…”
Tone 4
falls sharply — Drop hard and fast, like a firm “no!”
Neutral
light and quick — No pitch of its own — say it fast and let it lean on the syllable before.
Contents
- First words 8
- Café & food 8
- Getting around 8
- Numbers & money 8
- Shopping 8
- Time & days 8
- People 8
- Being understood 8
- Directions 8
- How you feel 8
First words
谢谢 xièxie thank you
谢谢你的帮助。 Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù. Thanks for your help.
- 谢 xiè — 讠 “speech” + 射 (sound: shè)
再见 zàijiàn goodbye
明天见，再见！ Míngtiān jiàn, zàijiàn! See you tomorrow, bye!
- 再 zài — one whole shape
- 见 jiàn — 目 “eye” + 儿 “legs”. An eye up on a pair of legs.
对不起 duìbuqǐ sorry
对不起，我来晚了。 Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le. Sorry, I'm late.
- 对 duì — 又 “a hand” + 寸 “an inch”. Two hands measured against each other.
- 不 bù — one whole shape
- 起 qǐ — 走 “to walk” + 己 (sound: jǐ)
没关系 méi guānxi it's fine
没关系，别担心。 Méi guānxi, bié dānxīn. It's fine, don't worry.
- 没 méi — 氵 “water” + 殳 (sound: shū)
- 关 guān — one whole shape
- 系 xì — one whole shape
请 qǐng please
请给我菜单。 Qǐng gěi wǒ càidān. Please give me the menu.
- 请 qǐng — 讠 “speech” + 青 (sound: qīng)
是 shì to be
我是学生。 Wǒ shì xuésheng. I'm a student.
- 是 shì — 日 “sun, day” + 正 “upright”. The sun, and what is upright.
不 bù not
我不喝酒。 Wǒ bù hē jiǔ. I don't drink.
- 不 bù — one whole shape
Café & food
咖啡 kāfēi coffee
我喜欢喝咖啡。 Wǒ xǐhuān hē kāfēi. I like drinking coffee.
- 咖 kā — 口 “mouth” + 加 (sound: jiā). Built only to spell a foreign word.
- 啡 fēi — 口 “mouth” + 非 (sound: fēi)
茶 chá tea
你想喝茶吗？ Nǐ xiǎng hē chá ma? Would you like some tea?
- 茶 chá — 艹 “a plant” + 余 (sound: yú)
水 shuǐ water
我要一杯水。 Wǒ yào yì bēi shuǐ. I'd like a glass of water.
- 水 shuǐ — one whole shape. The centre stroke is the current, the sides spray.
米饭 mǐfàn rice
我想要一碗米饭。 Wǒ xiǎng yào yì wǎn mǐfàn. I'd like a bowl of rice.
- 米 mǐ — one whole shape. Grains scattered around a stalk.
- 饭 fàn — 饣 “food” + 反 (sound: fǎn)
好吃 hǎochī tasty
这个很好吃。 Zhège hěn hǎochī. This is delicious.
- 好 hǎo — 女 “woman” + 子 “child”. A woman beside her child.
- 吃 chī — 口 “mouth” + 乞 (sound: qǐ)
菜单 càidān menu
菜单上有什么？ Càidān shang yǒu shénme? What's on the menu?
- 菜 cài — 艹 “a plant” + 采 (sound: cǎi)
- 单 dān — one whole shape
买单 mǎidān the bill
服务员，买单！ Fúwùyuán, mǎidān! Excuse me — the bill!
- 买 mǎi — one whole shape. From 買 — a net closing over cowrie shells.
- 单 dān — one whole shape
辣 là spicy
我不要太辣。 Wǒ bú yào tài là. I don't want it too spicy.
- 辣 là — 辛 “pungent, bitter” + 束 (sound: shù). 辛 marks anything pungent.
Getting around
机场 jīchǎng airport
机场离这里很远。 Jīchǎng lí zhèli hěn yuǎn. The airport is a long way from here.
- 机 jī — 木 “tree, wood” + 几 (sound: jǐ). The oldest machines were wooden.
- 场 chǎng — 土 “earth”
火车站 huǒchēzhàn train station
火车站怎么走？ Huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu? How do I get to the train station?
- 火 huǒ — one whole shape. Flames licking upward.
- 车 chē — one whole shape. From 車 — a cart seen from above.
- 站 zhàn — 立 “to stand” + 占 (sound: zhàn)
出租车 chūzūchē taxi
我要坐出租车。 Wǒ yào zuò chūzūchē. I want to take a taxi.
- 出 chū — one whole shape
- 租 zū — 禾 “grain” + 且 (sound: qiě). Rent used to be paid in grain.
- 车 chē — one whole shape. From 車 — a cart seen from above.
地铁 dìtiě subway
坐地铁很快。 Zuò dìtiě hěn kuài. The subway is quick.
- 地 dì — 土 “earth” + 也 (sound: yě)
- 铁 tiě — 钅 “metal” + 失 (sound: shī)
票 piào ticket
我买两张票。 Wǒ mǎi liǎng zhāng piào. I'll buy two tickets.
- 票 piào — one whole shape
护照 hùzhào passport
请带上你的护照。 Qǐng dài shang nǐ de hùzhào. Please bring your passport.
- 护 hù — 扌 “hand” + 户 (sound: hù)
- 照 zhào — 日 “sun, day” + 召 (sound: zhào)
酒店 jiǔdiàn hotel
酒店在火车站前面。 Jiǔdiàn zài huǒchēzhàn qiánmiàn. The hotel is just in front of the station.
- 酒 jiǔ — 氵 “water” + 酉 “a wine jar”. Liquid poured from a wine jar.
- 店 diàn — 广 “a shelter” + 占 (sound: zhàn)
行李 xíngli luggage
我的行李很重。 Wǒ de xíngli hěn zhòng. My luggage is heavy.
- 行 xíng — one whole shape. A crossroads.
- 李 lǐ — 木 “tree, wood” + 子 (sound: zǐ). Means “plum”; borrowed here for its sound.
Numbers & money
一 yī one
我要一杯茶。 Wǒ yào yì bēi chá. I'd like a cup of tea.
- 一 yī — one whole shape
二 èr two
我住在二楼。 Wǒ zhù zài èr lóu. I live on the second floor.
- 二 èr — one whole shape
三 sān three
三点见。 Sān diǎn jiàn. See you at three.
- 三 sān — one whole shape
十 shí ten
这个十块钱。 Zhège shí kuài qián. This one is ten yuan.
- 十 shí — one whole shape
百 bǎi hundred
一百块太贵了。 Yìbǎi kuài tài guì le. A hundred yuan is too much.
- 百 bǎi — 一 “one” + 白 (sound: bái)
钱 qián money
这个多少钱？ Zhège duōshao qián? How much is this?
- 钱 qián — 钅 “metal” + 戋 (sound: jiān)
多少 duōshao how much
你要多少？ Nǐ yào duōshao? How many do you want?
- 多 duō — 夕 “evening” + 夕 “evening”. One evening after another: many.
- 少 shǎo — one whole shape. 小 with a stroke sliced off.
块 kuài yuan
三十块，可以吗？ Sānshí kuài, kěyǐ ma? Thirty yuan — all right?
- 块 kuài — 土 “earth” + 夬 (sound: guài). A lump of earth — a piece, and so the yuan.
Shopping
买 mǎi to buy
我想买这个。 Wǒ xiǎng mǎi zhège. I'd like to buy this one.
- 买 mǎi — one whole shape. From 買 — a net closing over cowrie shells.
贵 guì expensive
太贵了！ Tài guì le! That's too expensive!
- 贵 guì — 贝 “a cowrie shell — money”. 贝 is old money — it marks value.
便宜 piányi cheap
有便宜一点的吗？ Yǒu piányi yìdiǎn de ma? Do you have a cheaper one?
- 便 pián — 亻 “person” + 更 (sound: gēng). Read biàn elsewhere; pián only here.
- 宜 yí — 宀 “a roof”. Under a roof, all as it should be.
要 yào to want, to ask for
我要这个，谢谢。 Wǒ yào zhège, xièxie. I'll take this one, thanks.
- 要 yào — one whole shape. It first meant “waist”.
有 yǒu to have
你有热水吗？ Nǐ yǒu rè shuǐ ma? Do you have hot water?
- 有 yǒu — 又 “a hand” + 月 “moon / meat”. A hand holding a slab of meat.
大 dà big
有大一点的吗？ Yǒu dà yìdiǎn de ma? Do you have a bigger one?
- 大 dà — one whole shape. Arms and legs thrown wide.
小 xiǎo small
这个太小了。 Zhège tài xiǎo le. This one is too small.
- 小 xiǎo — one whole shape. Three small strokes.
颜色 yánsè colour
有别的颜色吗？ Yǒu biéde yánsè ma? Do you have another colour?
- 颜 yán — 彦 (sound: yàn) + 页 “a head”. 页 is a face — the colour of a face.
- 色 sè — one whole shape
Time & days
今天 jīntiān today
今天天气很好。 Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo. The weather's lovely today.
- 今 jīn — one whole shape. This present one: today, this year.
- 天 tiān — 一 “one” + 大 “big”. A line above a person's head.
明天 míngtiān tomorrow
明天我很忙。 Míngtiān wǒ hěn máng. I'm busy tomorrow.
- 明 míng — 日 “sun, day” + 月 “moon / meat”. Sun and moon together: bright.
- 天 tiān — 一 “one” + 大 “big”. A line above a person's head.
昨天 zuótiān yesterday
昨天我去了机场。 Zuótiān wǒ qù le jīchǎng. I went to the airport yesterday.
- 昨 zuó — 日 “sun, day” + 乍 (sound: zhà)
- 天 tiān — 一 “one” + 大 “big”. A line above a person's head.
现在 xiànzài now
现在几点？ Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? What time is it?
- 现 xiàn — 王 “jade” + 见 (sound: jiàn)
- 在 zài — 土 “earth” + 才 (sound: cái)
点 diǎn o'clock
我们八点吃饭。 Wǒmen bā diǎn chīfàn. We eat at eight.
- 点 diǎn — 占 (sound: zhàn) + 灬 “fire”. The four dots at the foot are fire.
分钟 fēnzhōng minute
请等五分钟。 Qǐng děng wǔ fēnzhōng. Please wait five minutes.
- 分 fēn — 八 “split in two” + 刀 “a knife”. A knife splitting something in two.
- 钟 zhōng — 钅 “metal” + 中 (sound: zhōng)
星期 xīngqī week
下个星期见。 Xià ge xīngqī jiàn. See you next week.
- 星 xīng — 日 “sun, day” + 生 (sound: shēng)
- 期 qī — 其 (sound: qí) + 月 “moon / meat”
早上 zǎoshang morning
早上好！ Zǎoshang hǎo! Good morning!
- 早 zǎo — 日 “sun, day” + 十 “ten”. The sun already up above the line.
- 上 shàng — one whole shape. A mark above a line.
People
我 wǒ I, me
我叫安娜。 Wǒ jiào Ānnà. My name is Anna.
- 我 wǒ — one whole shape
你 nǐ you
你叫什么名字？ Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? What's your name?
- 你 nǐ — 亻 “person” + 尔 (sound: ěr)
他 tā he, him
他是我的朋友。 Tā shì wǒ de péngyou. He's a friend of mine.
- 他 tā — 亻 “person” + 也 (sound: yě)
朋友 péngyou friend
这是我的中国朋友。 Zhè shì wǒ de Zhōngguó péngyou. This is my Chinese friend.
- 朋 péng — 月 “moon / meat” + 月 “moon / meat”. Two matching halves side by side.
- 友 yǒu — one whole shape. Two hands reaching the same way.
家 jiā home
我在家工作。 Wǒ zài jiā gōngzuò. I work from home.
- 家 jiā — 宀 “a roof” + 豕 “a pig”. A pig under a roof was a household.
妈妈 māma mum
我妈妈会说中文。 Wǒ māma huì shuō Zhōngwén. My mum speaks Chinese.
- 妈 mā — 女 “woman” + 马 (sound: mǎ). The horse is only the sound.
孩子 háizi child
他有两个孩子。 Tā yǒu liǎng ge háizi. He has two children.
- 孩 hái — 子 “child” + 亥 (sound: hài)
- 子 zǐ — one whole shape. A swaddled baby, arms free.
名字 míngzi name
你的名字很好听。 Nǐ de míngzi hěn hǎotīng. Your name has a lovely sound.
- 名 míng — 夕 “evening” + 口 “mouth”. In the evening you call out your name.
- 字 zì — 宀 “a roof” + 子 (sound: zǐ)
Being understood
什么 shénme what
这是什么？ Zhè shì shénme? What's this?
- 什 shén — 亻 “person” + 十 (sound: shí)
- 么 me — one whole shape. Only ever a grammatical tail.
哪里 nǎli where
洗手间在哪里？ Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎli? Where's the toilet?
- 哪 nǎ — 口 “mouth” + 那 (sound: nà)
- 里 lǐ — 田 “a field” + 土 “earth”. A field and the soil — a settlement.
为什么 wèishénme why
你为什么学中文？ Nǐ wèishénme xué Zhōngwén? Why are you learning Chinese?
- 为 wèi — one whole shape
- 什 shén — 亻 “person” + 十 (sound: shí)
- 么 me — one whole shape. Only ever a grammatical tail.
会 huì can, to know how
我不会说中文。 Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén. I can't speak Chinese.
- 会 huì — one whole shape. A gathering; also “can, know how”.
说 shuō to speak
请说慢一点。 Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn. Please speak more slowly.
- 说 shuō — 讠 “speech” + 兑 (sound: duì)
一点儿 yìdiǎnr a little
我会说一点儿中文。 Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Zhōngwén. I speak a little Chinese.
- 一 yī — one whole shape
- 点 diǎn — 占 (sound: zhàn) + 灬 “fire”. The four dots at the foot are fire.
- 儿 ér — one whole shape. Two legs. At a word's end, just an -r.
中文 Zhōngwén Chinese
中文很有意思。 Zhōngwén hěn yǒu yìsi. Chinese is fascinating.
- 中 zhōng — one whole shape. A line through the middle of a frame.
- 文 wén — one whole shape. Crossed strokes, like a woven pattern.
慢 màn slow
你可以说慢一点吗？ Nǐ kěyǐ shuō màn yìdiǎn ma? Could you speak more slowly?
- 慢 màn — 忄 “heart” + 曼 (sound: màn)
Directions
这里 zhèli here
这里有咖啡吗？ Zhèli yǒu kāfēi ma? Is there coffee here?
- 这 zhè — 辶 “movement”
- 里 lǐ — 田 “a field” + 土 “earth”. A field and the soil — a settlement.
那里 nàli there
那里是火车站。 Nàli shì huǒchēzhàn. That over there is the station.
- 那 nà — one whole shape
- 里 lǐ — 田 “a field” + 土 “earth”. A field and the soil — a settlement.
左 zuǒ left
往左走。 Wǎng zuǒ zǒu. Go left.
- 左 zuǒ — 工 “work, a tool”. A hand holding a tool.
右 yòu right
在右边。 Zài yòubiān. It's on the right.
- 右 yòu — 口 “mouth”. A hand at the mouth.
前面 qiánmiàn ahead
就在前面。 Jiù zài qiánmiàn. It's just ahead.
- 前 qián — one whole shape
- 面 miàn — one whole shape. A face inside its own outline.
远 yuǎn far
离这里远吗？ Lí zhèli yuǎn ma? Is it far from here?
- 远 yuǎn — 辶 “movement” + 元 (sound: yuán)
近 jìn near
酒店很近。 Jiǔdiàn hěn jìn. The hotel is close by.
- 近 jìn — 辶 “movement” + 斤 (sound: jīn)
洗手间 xǐshǒujiān toilet
请问，洗手间怎么走？ Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zěnme zǒu? Excuse me, where's the toilet?
- 洗 xǐ — 氵 “water” + 先 (sound: xiān)
- 手 shǒu — one whole shape. A palm with the fingers spread.
- 间 jiān — 门 “a gate” + 日 “sun, day”. Daylight through a gateway.
How you feel
好 hǎo good
好，我们走吧。 Hǎo, wǒmen zǒu ba. Right, let's go.
- 好 hǎo — 女 “woman” + 子 “child”. A woman beside her child.
累 lèi tired
我今天很累。 Wǒ jīntiān hěn lèi. I'm tired today.
- 累 lèi — 田 “a field” + 糸 “silk”. Threads piling up under a field.
饿 è hungry
我有点饿。 Wǒ yǒudiǎn è. I'm a bit hungry.
- 饿 è — 饣 “food” + 我 (sound: wǒ)
忙 máng busy
你忙吗？ Nǐ máng ma? Are you busy?
- 忙 máng — 忄 “heart” + 亡 (sound: wáng)
高兴 gāoxìng glad
认识你很高兴。 Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng. I'm glad to meet you.
- 高 gāo — one whole shape. A tall building with a gate at its foot.
- 兴 xìng — one whole shape. Also read xīng, “to rise”.
喜欢 xǐhuān to like
我喜欢中国菜。 Wǒ xǐhuān Zhōngguó cài. I like Chinese food.
- 喜 xǐ — 壴 “a drum” + 口 “mouth”. A drum above an open mouth.
- 欢 huān — 又 “a hand” + 欠 “to yawn”
想 xiǎng would like to
我想去中国。 Wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó. I want to go to China.
- 想 xiǎng — 相 (sound: xiāng) + 心 “heart”. Thinking is done with the heart.
冷 lěng cold
今天很冷。 Jīntiān hěn lěng. It's cold today.
- 冷 lěng — 冫 “ice” + 令 (sound: lìng)