Most Common Chinese Characters & Words
常用汉字和词语
Explore the most common Chinese characters and words, ranked by frequency in real Chinese text. Browse Chinese character frequency lists, learn the most frequently used Mandarin vocabulary, and download free printable PDFs and handwriting worksheets for Chinese learners.
Most common Chinese characters
The characters that carry the written language, from 的 and 一 down. Each list opens with the full table and a printable PDF.
Most common Chinese words
Whole words with pinyin, part of speech and English meanings — the vocabulary that makes up everyday Mandarin.
The twelve most frequent characters
Together these account for a striking share of everything written in Mandarin. Each tile opens a page with the stroke order animated.
Questions about frequency lists
What is a Chinese frequency list?
It is a ranking of characters or words by how often they actually appear in real Chinese text, counted over a large corpus rather than chosen by a textbook author. The top of the list is the vocabulary you will meet most often, wherever you read.
Are these Chinese frequency PDFs free?
Yes. Every list on this page can be downloaded as a printable PDF at no cost and with no account. The four short lists (top 50 and top 100, for both characters and words) also ship a handwriting worksheet; the longer lists hand you to the worksheet generator instead, because a practice sheet for a 200- or 500-entry list would run to dozens of pages.
Should I study frequency order or HSK order?
Both, for different reasons. HSK order matches your exam and your course; frequency order tells you what actually shows up in text. Studying the top of a frequency list alongside your course material is usually the fastest way to make a course feel useful.
Where does the ranking come from?
The rankings are derived from a corpus-based frequency dictionary of Mandarin Chinese covering about 5,000 words. Character ranks are aggregated from the frequency of the words each character appears in.
Can I print the PDFs?
Yes — both PDFs are vector, so they stay sharp at any size and print cleanly on US Letter, including at 300 DPI. The practice sheets use Tianzige grids sized for a normal pen.
Related study tools
Learn the characters that matter first
Frequency order tells you what to study. The worksheet generator gives you the paper to practise it on — Tianzige grids, tone-marked pinyin, stroke-order breakdowns, free.