The 100 Most Common Chinese Words

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How this list is ranked

This is the Flashcardly Chinese course in order: by frequency and everyday usefulness, with input from language teachers. It is not a raw corpus count, which is why words like “the” and “of” are not padding the top of the list, while “man” comes in at #13.

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  1. 你好 — Hello
    你好 nǐ hǎo Hello

    你好,你好吗? Nǐ hǎo, nǐ hǎo ma? Hello, how are you?

  2. 欢迎 — Welcome
    欢迎 huānyíng Welcome

    欢迎来到我们家。 Huānyíng lái dào wǒmen jiā. Welcome to our home.

  3. 早上好 — Good morning
    早上好 zǎoshang hǎo Good morning

    早上好! Zǎoshang hǎo! Good morning!

  4. 是的 — yes
    是的 shì de yes

    是的,我明白了。 Shì de,wǒ míngbai le。 Yes, I understand.

  5. 晚上好 — Good evening
    晚上好 wǎnshang hǎo Good evening

    晚上好! Wǎnshang hǎo! Good evening!

  6. 不 — no
    不 bù no

    她说不。 Tā shuō bù。 She said no.

  7. 再见 — Goodbye
    再见 zàijiàn Goodbye

    再见,安娜! Zàijiàn,Ānnà! Goodbye, Anna!

  8. 下午好 — Good afternoon
    下午好 xiàwǔ hǎo Good afternoon

    下午好! Xiàwǔ hǎo! Good afternoon!

  9. 一会儿见 — See you soon
    一会儿见 yīhuìr jiàn See you soon

    一会儿见,米娅! Yīhuìr jiàn, Mǐyà! See you soon, Mia!

  10. 明天见 — See you tomorrow
    明天见 míngtiān jiàn See you tomorrow

    明天见! Míngtiān jiàn! See you tomorrow!

  11. 很高兴认识你 — Nice to meet you
    很高兴认识你 Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ Nice to meet you

    我也很高兴认识你! Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ! Nice to meet you too!

  12. 你好吗 — How are you?
    你好吗 nǐ hǎo ma How are you?

    今天你好吗? Jīntiān nǐ hǎo ma? How are you today?

  13. 男人 — man
    男人 nánrén man

    那个男人看那本书。 Nà ge nánrén kàn nà běn shū。 The man reads the book.

  14. 女人 — woman
    女人 nǚrén woman

    那个女人戴着一顶帽子。 Nà ge nǚrén dài zhe yī dǐng màozi。 The woman wears a hat.

  15. 男孩 — boy
    男孩 nánhái boy

    这个男孩在玩玩具。 Zhè ge nánhái zài wán wánjù。 The boy plays with toys.

  16. 女孩 — girl
    女孩 nǚhái girl

    这个女孩有一个球。 Zhège nǚhái yǒu yī ge qiú。 The girl has a ball.

  17. 人 — person
    人 rén person

    他是一个好人。 Tā shì yī ge hǎo rén。 He is a nice person.

  18. 人们 — people
    人们 rénmen people

    人们很高兴。 Rénmen hěn gāoxìng. The people are very happy.

  19. 成年人 — adult
    成年人 chéngniánrén adult

    我是一个成年人。 Wǒ shì yī ge chéngniánrén。 I am an adult.

  20. 宝宝 — baby
    宝宝 bǎobao baby

    宝宝需要牛奶。 Bǎobao xūyào niúnǎi。 The baby needs milk.

  21. 先生 — Mr
    先生 xiānsheng Mr

    史密斯先生喜欢看书。 Shǐmìsī xiānsheng xǐhuan kàn shū. Mr. Smith likes to read books.

  22. 太太 — Mrs
    太太 tàitai Mrs

    史密斯太太是老师。 Shǐmìsī tàitai shì lǎoshī. Mrs. Smith is a teacher.

  23. 邻居 — neighbor
    邻居 línjū neighbor

    我的邻居很友好。 Wǒ de línjū hěn yǒuhǎo. My neighbor is very friendly.

  24. 朋友 — friend
    朋友 péngyou friend

    我的朋友喜欢看书。 Wǒ de péngyou xǐhuan kàn shū。 My friend likes to read books.

  25. 今天 — today
    今天 jīntiān today

    今天是一个好日子。 Jīntiān shì yī ge hǎo rìzi。 Today is a good day.

  26. 明天 — tomorrow
    明天 míngtiān tomorrow

    明天是新的一天。 Míngtiān shì xīn de yī tiān。 Tomorrow is a new day.

  27. 昨天 — yesterday
    昨天 zuótiān yesterday

    我昨天看见她了。 Wǒ zuótiān kànjiàn tā le。 I saw her yesterday.

  28. 现在 — now
    现在 xiànzài now

    他现在就要。 Tā xiànzài jiù yào。 He wants it now.

  29. 下午 — afternoon
    下午 xiàwǔ afternoon

    我喜欢下午。 Wǒ xǐhuan xiàwǔ。 I like the afternoon.

  30. 晚上 — evening
    晚上 wǎnshang evening

    晚上很安静。 Wǎnshang hěn ānjìng。 The evening is quiet.

  31. 分钟 — minute
    分钟 fēnzhōng minute

    我们需要五分钟。 Wǒmen xūyào wǔ fēnzhōng。 We need five minutes.

  32. 早上 — morning
    早上 zǎoshang morning

    我早上吃早饭。 Wǒ zǎoshang chī zǎofàn. I eat breakfast in the morning.

  33. 以后 — later
    以后 yǐhòu later

    我以后再做。 Wǒ yǐhòu zài zuò. I will do it later.

  34. 早 — early
    早 zǎo early

    她起得很早。 Tā qǐ de hěn zǎo。 She wakes up early.

  35. 迟到 — late
    迟到 chídào late

    他经常迟到。 Tā jīngcháng chídào。 He is often late.

  36. 小时 — hour
    小时 xiǎoshí hour

    这节课要一个小时。 Zhè jié kè yào yī ge xiǎoshí. The class lasts one hour.

  37. 你叫什么名字? — What's your name?
    你叫什么名字? Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? What's your name?

    你叫什么名字? Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? What's your name?

  38. 我叫 — My name is
    我叫 wǒ jiào My name is

    我叫艾米丽。 Wǒ jiào Àimǐlì。 My name is Emily.

  39. 你是哪里人? — Where are you from?
    你是哪里人? Nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén? Where are you from?

    你是哪里人? Nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén? Where are you from?

  40. 我来自 — I'm from
    我来自 wǒ láizì I'm from

    我来自德国。 Wǒ láizì Déguó。 I'm from Germany.

  41. 你住在哪儿? — Where do you live?
    你住在哪儿? Nǐ zhù zài nǎr? Where do you live?

    你住在哪儿? Nǐ zhù zài nǎr? Where do you live?

  42. 我住在 — I live in
    我住在 wǒ zhù zài I live in

    我住在日本。 Wǒ zhù zài Rìběn。 I live in Japan.

  43. 你会说什么语言? — What languages do you speak?
    你会说什么语言? Nǐ huì shuō shénme yǔyán? What languages do you speak?

    你会说什么语言? Nǐ huì shuō shénme yǔyán? What languages do you speak?

  44. 我说 — I speak
    我说 wǒ shuō I speak

    我说英语说得很好。 Wǒ shuō yīngyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo。 I speak English well.

  45. 我会说一点 — I speak a little
    我会说一点 wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎn I speak a little

    我会说一点法语。 Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎn Fǎyǔ. I speak a little French.

  46. 你在哪里出生 — Where were you born
    你在哪里出生 nǐ zài nǎlǐ chūshēng Where were you born

    你在哪里出生? Nǐ zài nǎlǐ chūshēng? Where were you born?

  47. 你姓什么? — What's your surname?
    你姓什么? Nǐ xìng shénme? What's your surname?

    你姓什么? Nǐ xìng shénme? What's your surname?

  48. 这是我的朋友 — This is my friend
    这是我的朋友 zhè shì wǒ de péngyou This is my friend

    这是我的朋友丽莎。 Zhè shì wǒ de péngyou Lìshā。 This is my friend Lisa.

  49. 做 — make
    做 zuò make

    我做的咖啡很好喝。 Wǒ zuò de kāfēi hěn hǎohē. I make good coffee.

  50. 得到 — get
    得到 dédào get

    他得到了一个礼物。 Tā dédào le yī ge lǐwù。 He got a present.

  51. 有 — have
    有 yǒu have

    艾玛有一辆车。 Àimǎ yǒu yī liàng chē。 Emma has a car.

  52. 吃 — eat
    吃 chī eat

    他们在吃苹果。 Tāmen zài chī píngguǒ。 They are eating apples.

  53. 喝 — drink
    喝 hē drink

    你喝咖啡吗? Nǐ hē kāfēi ma? Do you drink coffee?

  54. 睡觉 — sleep
    睡觉 shuìjiào sleep

    我现在想睡觉。 Wǒ xiànzài xiǎng shuìjiào。 I want to sleep now.

  55. 看见 — see
    看见 kànjiàn see

    你能看见那个房子吗? Nǐ néng kànjiàn nàge fángzi ma? Can you see the house?

  56. 看 — look at
    看 kàn look at

    亚当喜欢看照片。 Yàdāng xǐhuan kàn zhàopiàn。 Adam likes to look at pictures.

  57. 看 — read
    看 kàn read

    学生看书。 Xuéshēng kàn shū。 The student reads books.

  58. 打开 — open
    打开 dǎkāi open

    她打开窗户。 Tā dǎkāi chuānghu。 She opens the window.

  59. 关 — close
    关 guān close

    我关门。 Wǒ guān mén. I close the door.

  60. 来 — come
    来 lái come

    你每天都来这里。 Nǐ měitiān dōu lái zhèlǐ。 You come here every day.

  61. 请 — Please.
    请 qǐng Please.

    请开门。 Qǐng kāi mén. Please open the door.

  62. 谢谢 — Thank you.
    谢谢 xièxie Thank you.

    谢谢你的帮助。 Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù。 Thank you for your help.

  63. 不客气 — You're welcome.
    不客气 bùkèqi You're welcome.

    不客气。 Bùkèqi。 You're welcome.

  64. 不好意思 — Excuse me.
    不好意思 bùhǎoyìsi Excuse me.

    不好意思,我需要帮助。 Bùhǎoyìsi, wǒ xūyào bāngzhù. Excuse me, I need help.

  65. 对不起 — Sorry.
    对不起 duìbuqǐ Sorry.

    对不起。 Duìbuqǐ。 I am sorry.

  66. 你能帮我吗 — Could you help me?
    你能帮我吗 Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma Could you help me?

    你能帮我吗? Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma? Could you help me?

  67. 请再说一遍 — Could you please repeat?
    请再说一遍 Qǐng zài shuō yī biàn Could you please repeat?

    请再说一遍好吗? Qǐng zài shuō yī biàn hǎo ma? Could you please repeat that?

  68. 您能说得慢一点吗 — Could you speak more slowly?
    您能说得慢一点吗 Nín néng shuō de màn yīdiǎn ma Could you speak more slowly?

    您能说得慢一点吗? Nín néng shuō de màn yīdiǎn ma? Could you speak more slowly?

  69. 请给我 — Could I have ... please?
    请给我 qǐng gěi wǒ Could I have ... please?

    请给我水。 Qǐng gěi wǒ shuǐ。 Could I have water please?

  70. 我想 — I'd like
    我想 wǒ xiǎng I'd like

    我想再来点茶。 Wǒ xiǎng zài lái diǎn chá。 I'd like some more tea.

  71. 我可以 — May I...?
    我可以 wǒ kěyǐ May I...?

    我可以喝点水吗? Wǒ kěyǐ hē diǎn shuǐ ma? May I have some water?

  72. 可以吗 — Is it okay if...?
    可以吗 kěyǐ ma Is it okay if...?

    我坐下可以吗? Wǒ zuòxià kěyǐ ma? Is it okay if I sit?

  73. 零 — zero
    零 líng zero

    零比一小。 Líng bǐ yī xiǎo。 Zero is less than one.

  74. 一 — one
    一 yī one

    我有一个苹果。 Wǒ yǒu yī ge píngguǒ。 I have one apple.

  75. 两 — two
    两 liǎng two

    有两只猫。 Yǒu liǎng zhī māo. There are two cats.

  76. 三 — three
    三 sān three

    不,三个太多了。 Bù,sān ge tài duō le。 No, three is too much.

  77. 四 — four
    四 sì four

    请给我四个。 Qǐng gěi wǒ sì ge。 Give me four, please.

  78. 五 — five
    五 wǔ five

    我有五只狗。 Wǒ yǒu wǔ zhī gǒu。 I have five dogs.

  79. 六 — six
    六 liù six

    他和六个朋友一起来了。 Tā hé liù gè péngyou yīqǐ lái le. He came with six friends.

  80. 七 — seven
    七 qī seven

    我在跑七公里。 Wǒ zài pǎo qī gōnglǐ。 I am running seven kilometers.

  81. 八 — eight
    八 bā eight

    蜘蛛有八条腿。 Zhīzhū yǒu bā tiáo tuǐ。 A spider has eight legs.

  82. 九 — nine
    九 jiǔ nine

    九是我的幸运数字。 Jiǔ shì wǒ de xìngyùn shùzì。 Nine is my lucky number.

  83. 十 — ten
    十 shí ten

    我们有十个手指。 Wǒmen yǒu shí ge shǒuzhǐ. We have ten fingers.

  84. 加 — plus
    加 jiā plus

    二加二等于四。 Èr jiā èr děngyú sì。 Two plus two is four.

  85. 我不懂 — I don't understand.
    我不懂 Wǒ bù dǒng I don't understand.

    我不懂。 Wǒ bù dǒng。 I don't understand.

  86. 请再说一遍好吗? — Could you repeat that please?
    请再说一遍好吗? Qǐng zài shuō yī biàn hǎo ma? Could you repeat that please?

    请再说一遍好吗? Qǐng zài shuō yī biàn hǎo ma? Could you repeat that please?

  87. 请慢一点儿 — More slowly please.
    请慢一点儿 Qǐng màn yīdiǎnr More slowly please.

    请慢一点儿。 Qǐng màn yīdiǎnr。 More slowly please.

  88. 那是什么意思 — What does that mean?
    那是什么意思 nà shì shénme yìsi What does that mean?

    那是什么意思? Nà shì shénme yìsi? What does that mean?

  89. 那个用......怎么说? — How do you say that in ...?
    那个用......怎么说? Nà ge yòng …… zěnme shuō? How do you say that in ...?

    那个用西班牙语怎么说? Nà ge yòng Xībānyáyǔ zěnme shuō? How do you say that in Spanish?

  90. 那个怎么拼? — How do you spell that?
    那个怎么拼? Nà ge zěnme pīn? How do you spell that?

    那个怎么拼? Nà ge zěnme pīn? How do you spell that?

  91. 你可以把它写下来吗? — Can you write it down?
    你可以把它写下来吗? Nǐ kěyǐ bǎ tā xiě xiàlái ma? Can you write it down?

    请问,你可以把它写下来吗? Qǐngwèn,nǐ kěyǐ bǎ tā xiě xiàlái ma? Can you write it down, please?

  92. 你可以给我看吗? — Can you show me?
    你可以给我看吗? Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ kàn ma? Can you show me?

    你可以给我看那张照片吗? Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ kàn nà zhāng zhàopiàn ma? Can you show me the photo?

  93. 你会说 — Do you speak ...?
    你会说 nǐ huì shuō Do you speak ...?

    你会说英语吗? Nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma? Do you speak English?

  94. 请等一下 — Just a moment please.
    请等一下 qǐng děng yī xià Just a moment please.

    请等一下。 Qǐng děng yī xià。 Just a moment please.

  95. 我觉得是这样 — I think so.
    我觉得是这样 Wǒ juéde shì zhèyàng I think so.

    我也觉得是这样。 Wǒ yě juéde shì zhèyàng。 I think so too.

  96. 我不知道 — I don't know.
    我不知道 wǒ bù zhīdào I don't know.

    我不知道。 Wǒ bù zhīdào。 I don't know.

  97. 这 — this
    这 zhè this

    这是我的红色的车。 Zhè shì wǒ de hóngsè de chē。 This is my red car.

  98. 那 — that
    那 nà that

    那只狗很友好。 Nà zhī gǒu hěn yǒuhǎo。 That dog is very friendly.

  99. 这里 — here
    这里 zhèlǐ here

    我喜欢在这里。 Wǒ xǐhuan zài zhèlǐ。 I like being here.

  100. 那里 — there
    那里 nàlǐ there

    我们下班后在那里见面。 Wǒmen xiàbān hòu zài nàlǐ jiànmiàn. We meet there after work.

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