Top 500 Chinese Words

最常用五百个词

The 500 most common Chinese words carry most of what a Chinese learner needs for everyday conversation and casual reading in Mandarin. This Chinese word frequency list is ranked by real usage — each row shows the word, its pinyin with tone marks, its part of speech and a plain-English definition, so you can work through it front to back with confidence.

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500 most common Chinese words, in frequency order

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#	Word	Pinyin	POS	Meaning
1	我们	wǒmen	pron	we, us
2	他们	tāmen	pron	they, them
3	自己	zìjǐ	pron	self
4	什么	shénme	pron	what
5	这个	zhège	pron	this
6	可以	kěyǐ	v	may, can
7	问题	wèntí	n	question, problem, issue
8	没有	méiyǒu	v	have not, there be not
9	这样	zhèyàng	pron	this (kind of, sort of); so
10	知道	zhīdào	v	know
11	现在	xiànzài	time	now
12	工作	gōngzuò	v	work, do a job
13	因为	yīn wèi	conj	because
14	已经	yǐjīng	adv	already
15	时候	shíhou	n	when, time when…
16	这些	zhèxiē	pron	these
17	发展	fāzhǎn	v	develop
18	社会	shèhuì	n	society
19	一些	yìxiē	num	some
20	如果	rúguǒ	conj	if
21	世界	shìjiè	n	world
22	生活	shēnghuó	v	live
23	怎么	zěnme	pron	how
24	国家	guójiā	n	country
25	开始	kāishǐ	v	begin, start
26	时间	shíjiān	n	time
27	起来	qǐlái	v	get up, rise; [following a verb to indicate the beginning of a situation] start to; [following a verb to indicate completedeness or effectiveness]
28	今天	jīntiān	time	today
29	可能	kěnéng	v	might (happen)
30	孩子	háizi	n	child, children
31	地方	dìfang	n	place, space, room; locality (in relation to central administration)
32	但是	dànshì	conj	but
33	所以	suǒyǐ	conj	so, therefore
34	认为	rènwéi	v	think, believe
35	经济	jīngjì	n	economy
36	公司	gōngsī	n	(business) company
37	文化	wénhuà	n	culture
38	关系	guānxì	n	relation, relationship; connections, ties
39	觉得	juéde	v	think, feel
40	出来	chūlái	v	come out
41	进行	jìnxíng	v	go on, last; be under way; carry on, carry out, perform
42	重要	zhòng yào	adj	important, vital
43	这么	zhème	pron	so, such, like this
44	情况	qíngkuàng	n	situation, condition, circumstance
45	这里	zhèlǐ	pron	here
46	你们	nǐmen	pron	[plural] you
47	而且	érqiě	conj	(not only …) but also
48	企业	qǐyè	n	business establishment, enterprise
49	方面	fāngmiàn	n	aspect, respect, side
50	那么	nàme	pron	so, that; in that way
51	应该	yīnggāi	v	ought to, should
52	发现	fāxiàn	v	find
53	大家	dàjiā	pron	all, everyone
54	为了	wèile	prep	for the sake of; in order to
55	东西	dōngxi	n	stuff, thing
56	看到	kàndào	v	see
57	历史	lìshǐ	n	history
58	非常	fēicháng	adv	very, unusually
59	那个	nèige	pron	that one
60	成为	chéngwéi	v	become
61	最后	zuìhòu	adj	final, last
62	人民	rénmín	n	(the) people
63	之后	zhīhòu	loc	after, afterwards
64	研究	yán jiū	v	do research, study
65	政府	zhèngfǔ	n	government
66	先生	xiānsheng	n	Mr; mister, sir
67	人们	rénmen	n	people
68	一直	yìzhí	adv	straight (in a straight line); always, all along
69	特别	tèbié	adv	especially, particularly
70	记者	jìzhě	n	reporter, journalist
71	需要	xūyào	v	need
72	以后	yǐhòu	loc	after; afterwards
73	发生	fāshēng	v	happen, take place
74	出现	chūxiàn	v	appear
75	一起	yìqǐ	adv	together
76	国际	guójì	n	international
77	一定	yídìng	adv	certainly
78	许多	xǔduō	num	many, plenty of
79	希望	xīwàng	v	hope, wish for
80	大学	dàxué	n	university
81	然后	ránhòu	adv	afterwards, then
82	必须	bìxū	v	must, have to
83	事情	shìqíng	n	matter, thing
84	为什么	wèishénme	pron	why
85	教育	jiàoyù	v	educate
86	当时	dāngshí	time	then, at that time
87	之间	zhījiān	loc	between
88	当然	dāngrán	adv	of course, naturally, only natural
89	学校	xuéxiào	n	school
90	告诉	gàosù	v	tell
91	所有	suǒyǒu	pron	all
92	活动	huódòng	v	move about for exercise
93	学生	xuésheng	n	student
94	那些	nàxiē	pron	those
95	不同	bùtóng	adj	different
96	通过	tōngguò	prep	by means of, through, via
97	虽然	suīrán	conj	although
98	朋友	péngyǒu	n	friend
99	市场	shìchǎng	n	market
100	得到	dedào	v	get
101	政治	zhèngzhì	n	politics
102	过去	guòqù	time	(in the) past, before
103	地区	dìqū	n	area, region, district
104	思想	sīxiǎng	n	thought, idea
105	很多	hěnduō	num	very many, a large number or amount of
106	精神	jīngshén	n	spirit, mind, mental state; essence; vigour, vitality
107	参加	cānjiā	v	take part in, participate; join
108	就是	jiùshì	v	[emphasising that something is precisely or exactly what is stated] be exactly
109	比较	bǐjiào	adv	comparatively, relatively
110	其他	qítā	pron	other
111	完全	wánquán	adj	complete, whole
112	由于	yóuyú	prep	due to
113	能够	nénggòu	v	be able to, be capable of
114	后来	hòulái	time	afterwards
115	影响	yǐngxiǎng	v	influence
116	领导	lǐngdǎo	n	leader, leadership
117	任何	rènhé	pron	any
118	准备	zhǔnbèi	v	prepare, get ready
119	电话	diànhuà	n	telephone, telephone call
120	其实	qíshí	adv	actually
121	其中	qízhōng	pron	among them, in it
122	城市	chéngshì	n	city
123	办法	bànfǎ	n	method, means
124	管理	guǎnlǐ	v	manage
125	下来	xiàlái	v	come down, descend
126	解决	jiějué	v	solve (a problem), settle (a dispute)
127	技术	jìshù	n	technology
128	学习	xuéxí	v	learn, study
129	喜欢	xǐ huan	v	like, enjoy
130	作为	zuòwéi	v	as, take as, regard as
131	对于	duìyú	prep	regarding, as to, for, about
132	决定	juédìng	v	decide
133	一切	yíqiè	pron	everything, all
134	或者	huòzhě	conj	or
135	同时	tóngshí	conj	at the same time, simultaneously; besides, moreover
136	提出	tíchū	v	raise (an issue), propose, suggest
137	了解	liǎojiě	v	get to know, understand
138	别人	biérén	pron	other people
139	如何	rúhé	pron	how
140	个人	gèrén	n	individual
141	方式	fāngshì	n	way, pattern or style of doing things
142	以及	yǐjí	conj	and, as well as, along with
143	有些	yǒuxiē	pron	some
144	环境	huánjìng	n	environment
145	老师	lǎoshī	n	teacher
146	因此	yīncǐ	conj	as such, so, therefore, as a result
147	结果	jiéguǒ	n	result, outcome
148	有人	yǒurén	pron	someone
149	一般	yìbān	adv	generally, as a rule
150	包括	bāokuò	v	include, comprise
151	继续	jìxù	v	continue
152	回来	huílái	v	return
153	表示	biǎoshì	v	express
154	会议	huìyì	n	meeting
155	成功	chénggōng	adj	successful
156	一样	yíyàng	aux	[usually occurring in 像…一样] like
157	能力	nénglì	n	ability, capability
158	可是	kěshì	conj	but
159	机会	jīhuì	n	opportunity
160	同志	tóngzhì	n	comrade; [more recent usage] someone who is homosexual
161	有的	yǒude	pron	some
162	民族	mínzú	n	nationality
163	多少	duōshǎo	pron	how many, how much; an unspecified number or amount
164	整个	zhěnggè	adj	whole, entire, all
165	过程	guòchéng	n	process, course of actions
166	改革	gǎigé	v	reform
167	家庭	jiātíng	n	family
168	条件	tiáojiàn	n	condition
169	认识	rèn shi	v	know, understand; recognise
170	目前	mùqián	time	currently, at the present time
171	人员	rényuán	n	staff, personnel
172	要求	yāoqiú	v	ask for, request, demand
173	进入	jìnrù	v	enter, get into
174	作用	zuòyòng	n	action, effect; role, function
175	甚至	shènzhì	adv	even
176	人类	rénlèi	n	human being, mankind, man
177	表现	biǎoxiàn	v	manifest, show; behave
178	原因	yuányīn	n	cause, reason
179	建设	jiànshè	v	build, construct
180	感到	gǎndào	v	feel
181	感觉	gǎnjué	n	feeling
182	不要	bù yào	adv	[negative imperative] don’t
183	十分	shífēn	adv	very, fully
184	部队	bùduì	n	army, troops
185	有关	yǒuguān	v	have something to do with
186	父亲	fùqīn	n	father
187	不断	búduàn	adv	unceasingly, always
188	儿子	érzi	n	son
189	接受	jiēshòu	v	accept
190	注意	zhùyì	v	pay attention to; take notice of, note
191	年代	niándài	n	a decade of a century; years, time
192	世纪	shìjì	n	century
193	不过	búguò	conj	only; but
194	主要	zhǔyào	adj	main, major
195	存在	cúnzài	v	exist
196	建立	jiànlì	v	establish, set up
197	努力	nǔlì	v	strive to, try one’s best to; make efforts to
198	相信	xiāngxìn	v	believe, trust, be convinced
199	组织	zǔzhī	n	organisation
200	介绍	jièshào	v	introduce
201	清楚	qīngchǔ	adj	clear
202	母亲	mǔqīn	n	mother
203	代表	dàibiǎo	n	representative, delegate
204	只要	zhǐyào	conj	if
205	于是	yúshì	conj	thereupon, and so, then
206	来说	láishuō	aux	[equivalent of 来讲, interpreting a topic from a particular viewpoint]
207	内容	nèi róng	n	content
208	艺术	yìshù	n	art
209	产生	chǎnshēng	v	arise, generate
210	女人	nǚrén	n	woman
211	干部	gànbù	n	cadre
212	主席	zhǔxí	n	chairman, chairperson
213	生产	shēngchǎn	v	produce
214	对方	duìfāng	n	the opposite side or party, counterpart
215	生命	shēngmìng	n	life
216	具有	jùyǒu	v	possess, have
217	基本	jīběn	adj	basic
218	那样	nàyàng	pron	like that, in that way
219	传统	chuántǒng	n	tradition
220	提高	tígāo	v	raise, improve
221	农民	nóngmín	n	peasant, farmer
222	时代	shídài	n	age, times; a period in one’s life
223	男人	nánrén	n	man
224	意义	yìyì	n	meaning, significance
225	单位	dānwèi	n	(working or administrative) unit, institution; unit (of measurement)
226	今年	jīnnián	time	this year
227	直接	zhíjiē	adj	direct
228	心里	xīnli	place	in one’s heart (mind)
229	水平	shuǐpíng	n	level (of achievement, etc.)
230	关于	guānyú	prep	about, regarding, pertaining to
231	行为	xíngwéi	n	action, behaviour
232	经过	jīngguò	prep	through, by; via; as a result of
233	部门	bùmén	n	department
234	它们	tāmen	pron	[for inanimate objects] they, them
235	保护	bǎohù	v	protect
236	支持	zhīchí	v	support
237	咱们	zánmen	pron	[including the addressee(s)] we
238	中央	zhōngyāng	n	middle, centre; central authorities
239	提供	tí gōng	v	provide, supply
240	受到	shòudào	v	come in for
241	根据	gēnjù	prep	according to
242	下去	xiàqù	v	go down, descend
243	形成	xíngchéng	v	form, make
244	基础	jīchǔ	n	base, basis
245	愿意	yuànyì	v	be willing to
246	知识	zhī shi	n	knowledge
247	合作	hézuò	v	cooperate, collaborate
248	首先	shǒuxiān	adv	first, first of all
249	政策	zhèngcè	n	policy
250	晚上	wǎnshang	time	(in the) evening
251	那里	nàli	pron	there
252	几乎	jīhū	adv	almost, nearly
253	小时	xiǎoshí	n	hour
254	变化	biànhuà	v	change
255	她们	tāmen	pron	[for female] they, them
256	之一	zhīyī	pron	one of
257	容易	róngyì	adj	easy
258	而是	érshì	conj	but, rather
259	经验	jīngyàn	n	experience
260	身体	shēntǐ	n	(human) body, health
261	妈妈	māma	n	mama, mum
262	计划	jì huà	n	plan
263	不仅	bùjǐn	conj	not only
264	方法	fāngfǎ	n	method, way
265	制度	zhìdù	n	(political or administrative) system, institution
266	选择	xuǎnzé	v	choose, select
267	中心	zhōngxīn	n	centre
268	改变	gǎibiàn	v	change, alter
269	考虑	kǎolǜ	v	think over, consider
270	高兴	gāoxìng	adj	happy, joyous
271	家里	jiāli	place	home
272	同学	tóngxué	n	(fellow) classmate, student
273	作品	zuòpǐn	n	work (of art)
274	时期	shíqī	n	a particular period of time (especially in history)
275	实现	shíxiàn	v	realise, fulfil, achieve
276	以前	yǐqián	time	before
277	法律	falǜ	n	law
278	每天	měi tiān	time	every day
279	战争	zhànzhēng	n	war
280	利益	lìyì	n	benefit
281	获得	huòdé	v	obtain
282	越来越	yuèláiyuè	adv	more and more
283	力量	lìliàng	n	strength, power
284	如此	rúcǐ	pron	such, like this, in this way
285	处理	chǔlǐ	v	handle, deal with; take disciplinary action against; dispose of, sell at a reduced price
286	项目	xiàngmù	n	project, item
287	全部	quánbù	adj	all, whole, full, entire, total
288	完成	wánchéng	v	complete, accomplish
289	目标	mùbiāo	n	target, goal
290	意思	yìsi	n	meaning, idea, opinion; trace, hint; gift, token of gratitude, etc.
291	群众	qúnzhòng	n	the masses
292	变成	biànchéng	v	become, turn into
293	结束	jiéshù	v	be over, end, terminate
294	故事	gùshì	n	story
295	理解	lǐjiě	v	understand, apprehend
296	意见	yìjiàn	n	opinion, comment; objection, complaint
297	不少	bùshǎo	adj	a good few
298	出去	chūqù	v	go out
299	帮助	bāngzhù	v	help, assist
300	医院	yīyuàn	n	hospital
301	地位	dìwèi	n	status, position
302	说话	shuōhuà	v	speak, talk
303	达到	dádào	v	reach, attain, be up to
304	尤其	yóuqí	adv	especially
305	投资	tóuzī	v	invest
306	突然	tūrán	adj	sudden
307	报告	bàogào	n	report
308	也许	yěxǔ	adv	perhaps
309	产品	chǎnpǐn	n	product
310	事业	shìyè	n	cause, career, undertaking
311	报道	bàodào	v	report
312	青年	qīngnián	n	youth, young people
313	服务	fúwù	v	serve
314	之前	zhīqián	loc	before
315	责任	zérèn	n	responsibility
316	造成	zàochéng	v	cause, result in
317	态度	tàidu	n	attitude
318	电影	diànyǐng	n	movie
319	过来	guòlái	v	come over; manage to do something
320	使用	shǐyòng	v	use
321	以上	yǐshàng	loc	above; more than
322	文学	wénxué	n	literature
323	信息	xìnxī	n	information
324	离开	líkāi	v	leave, depart
325	妇女	fùnǚ	n	woman
326	严重	yánzhòng	adj	severe, serious
327	人物	rénwù	n	personage, distinguished individual; characters in literary works
328	无法	wúfǎ	v	be unable to, can’t
329	终于	zhōngyú	adv	finally, at last
330	理论	lǐlùn	n	theory
331	革命	gémìng	n	(political) revolution
332	面对	miànduì	v	face, confront
333	行动	xíngdòng	v	act, take action; move about
334	父母	fùmǔ	n	father and mother, parent
335	年轻	niánqīng	adj	young
336	增加	zēngjiā	v	increase
337	坚持	jiānchí	v	insist, persist, stick to
338	然而	rán ér	conj	however
339	电视	diànshì	n	television, TV
340	明白	míngbái	v	realise, understand
341	发表	fābiǎo	v	publish, issue
342	困难	kùnnán	adj	difficult
343	这儿	zhèr	pron	here
344	保持	bǎochí	v	keep, maintain
345	取得	qǔdé	v	acquire, obtain, achieve; reach (an agreement)
346	双方	shuāngfāng	n	both parties, the two sides
347	结构	jiégòu	n	structure
348	好像	hǎoxiàng	v	seem, look like, look as if
349	教授	jiàoshòu	n	professor
350	同意	tóngyì	v	agree
351	举行	jǔxíng	v	hold (meeting, etc.)
352	来到	láidào	v	come to
353	农村	nóngcūn	n	countryside, rural area
354	引起	yǐnqǐ	v	evoke, give rise to, lead to
355	汽车	qìchē	n	automobile, motor vehicle, car
356	曾经	céngjīng	adv	[referring to something that happened previously]
357	和平	hépíng	n	peace
358	规定	guīdìng	n	regulation, stipulation, provision
359	利用	lìyòng	v	make use of, exploit
360	女儿	nǚ'ér	n	daughter
361	目的	mùdì	n	purpose, aim, end
362	共同	gòngtóng	adj	common
363	眼睛	yǎnjīng	n	eye
364	爸爸	bàba	n	dad, father
365	价值	jiàzhí	n	value
366	以来	yǐlái	time	since (a previous event)
367	具体	jùtǐ	adj	concrete, specific
368	比赛	bǐsài	n	competition, contest, match, game
369	部分	bùfen	n	part
370	联系	liánxì	v	contact, get in touch
371	主任	zhǔrèn	n	director
372	怎样	zěnyàng	pron	how
373	银行	yínháng	n	bank
374	分析	fēnxī	v	analyse
375	控制	kòngzhì	v	control
376	带来	dàilái	v	bring
377	简单	jiǎndān	adj	simple, easy
378	经常	jīngcháng	adv	often, frequently
379	国内	guónèi	place	domestic, home
380	下午	xiàwǔ	time	(in the) afternoon
381	调查	diàochá	v	investigate, look into
382	想到	xiǎngdào	v	think of
383	现象	xiànxiàng	n	appearance; phenomenon
384	标准	biāozhǔn	n	standard, criterion
385	安全	ānquán	adj	safe, secure
386	小说	xiǎoshuō	n	novel, story
387	创造	chuàngzào	v	create
388	现代	xiàndài	time	modern times
389	最近	zuìjìn	time	recently
390	似乎	sìhū	adv	apparently
391	安排	ānpái	v	arrange, schedule
392	采取	cǎiqǔ	v	adopt, carry out (policies, course of action, etc.); take (actions, measures)
393	心理	xīnlǐ	n	mentality, psychology
394	回答	huídá	v	reply, answer, respond
395	所谓	suǒwèi	adj	so-called
396	更加	gèngjiā	adv	more, further
397	按照	ànzhào	prep	according to
398	分钟	fēnzhōng	clas	minute
399	文章	wénzhāng	n	article, essay
400	新闻	xīnwén	n	news
401	成立	chénglì	v	establish, set up
402	程度	chéngdù	n	degree, level, extent
403	专家	zhuānjiā	n	expert, specialist
404	健康	jiànkāng	adj	healthy
405	尽管	jǐn guǎn	conj	although, despite
406	人家	rénjia	pron	other people
407	经营	jīngyíng	v	run a business, engage in (a business activity)
408	著名	zhùmíng	adj	famous, well known
409	原则	yuánzé	n	principle
410	当年	dāngnián	time	in those days, past; that very year, current year
411	找到	zhǎodào	v	find
412	声音	shēngyīn	n	sound, noise; voice
413	说明	shuōmíng	v	explain
414	反对	fǎnduì	v	oppose, object to, fight against
415	讨论	tǎolùn	v	discuss
416	系统	xìtǒng	n	system
417	感情	gǎnqíng	n	feeling
418	仍然	réngrán	adv	still
419	土地	tǔdì	n	land
420	任务	rèn wu	n	task, mission
421	认真	rènzhēn	adj	earnest, serious
422	样子	yàngzi	n	look, appearance, manner
423	农业	nóngyè	n	agriculture
424	工程	gōngchéng	n	engineering, project
425	成绩	chéng jì	n	result, academic performance; achievement
426	老人	lǎorén	n	the aged, old people
427	随着	suízhe	prep	along with
428	加强	jiāqiáng	v	reinforce, intensify
429	不行	bùxíng	adj	won’t do, no good, poor
430	节目	jiémù	n	programme; item of performance
431	真正	zhēnzhèng	adv	really, truly, genuinely
432	自由	zìyóu	adj	free
433	来自	láizì	v	come from
434	除了	chúle	prep	besides, in addition to; except
435	人才	réncái	n	talented person, talent, qualified personnel
436	重新	chóngxīn	adv	again; anew, afresh
437	总统	zǒngtǒng	n	president (of a country)
438	军队	jūnduì	n	army, troops
439	并且	bìngqiě	conj	and
440	方向	fāngxiàng	n	direction
441	形式	xíngshì	n	form
442	意识	yìshí	n	consciousness
443	紧张	jǐnzhāng	adj	nervous, strained
444	科技	kējì	n	science and technology
445	社会主义	shèhuìzhǔyì	n	socialism
446	看见	kànjiàn	v	see
447	事实	shìshí	n	fact
448	女性	nǚxìng	n	female, woman
449	巨大	jùdà	adj	huge
450	集团	jítuán	n	group
451	正常	zhèngcháng	adj	normal, regular
452	的话	dehuà	aux	[particle used at the end of a clause (…的话) to express a condition] if
453	积极	jījí	adj	active; positive
454	面前	miànqián	loc	before, in front of
455	以为	yǐwéi	v	think, believe
456	还是	háishì	conj	or
457	消息	xiāoxi	n	news
458	科学	kēxué	adj	scientific
459	机构	jīgòu	n	organisation, institution
460	运动	yùndòng	n	motion, movement; sports, exercise; (political) campaign
461	事件	shìjiàn	n	event, affair
462	采访	cǎifǎng	v	interview
463	正是	zhèngshì	v	be exactly
464	兴趣	xìngqù	n	interest
465	阶段	jiēduàn	n	stage
466	去年	qùnián	time	last year
467	负责	fùzé	v	be in charge of; be responsible for
468	充满	chōngmǎn	v	be full of, be filled with
469	人生	rénshēng	n	(human) life
470	比如	bǐrú	v	take, for example
471	商品	shāngpǐn	n	goods, commodity, article, item
472	等等	děngděng	aux	et cetera, and so on
473	现实	xiànshí	n	reality
474	证明	zhèngmíng	v	prove
475	培养	péiyǎng	v	train, foster, rear, develop, cultivate
476	另外	lìngwài	conj	in addition, by the way
477	不管	bùguǎn	conj	no matter (what, how, etc.)
478	永远	yǒngyuǎn	adv	forever
479	原来	yuánlái	adv	[meaning often implied in the past tense] originally, formerly; so, as a matter of fact
480	总理	zǒnglǐ	n	premier
481	作家	zuòjiā	n	writer
482	西方	xīfāng	place	west; the West
483	保证	bǎozhèng	v	guarantee
484	立即	lìjí	adv	immediately
485	飞机	fēijī	n	airplane
486	总是	zǒngshì	adv	always
487	医生	yīshēng	n	doctor
488	名字	míngzì	n	name
489	开发	kāifā	v	develop, open up, exploit
490	至少	zhìshǎo	adv	at least
491	实际上	shíjìshàng	adv	actually, in fact, as a matter of fact
492	之中	zhīzhōng	loc	in, inside, within
493	里面	lǐmian	loc	inside, in
494	矛盾	máodùn	adj	contradictory
495	人口	rénkǒu	n	population
496	是否	shìfǒu	v	whether (or not)
497	委员会	wěiyuánhuì	n	committee
498	反映	fǎnyìng	v	reflect, mirror; report
499	承认	chéngrèn	v	admit
500	美元	měiyuán	n	US dollar

How to use it

Studying from a frequency list

1. Work front to back

The order is the whole point. Twenty new words from the top of this list are worth more than a hundred from the bottom, because you will meet them far more often.

2. Write them, don't just read them

Handwriting is what makes a character stick. Paste whatever you are working on into the generator — it draws each character stroke by stroke and leaves blank Tianzige cells to write in.

3. Open the entry pages

Every word links to its own page with the stroke order animated, all its readings, and common words built from it — the fastest way to turn a ranked row into something you remember.

4. Read past the list

Use the generator to turn any Chinese text into a worksheet, then check the characters you meet against this ranking.

Frequently asked

Questions about this list

How many Chinese words do I need to know?

1,000 words gets you through everyday conversation and simple reading; 2,000–3,000 is where newspapers and novels open up. Because this list is ranked by corpus frequency, the top of it is the highest-value study time you can spend.

Is the top 500 chinese words list free to download?

Yes — the full list is free to download as a printable PDF, with no account. There is no practice sheet for a list this long (it would run to about 167 pages), so the practice button opens the worksheet generator in Words mode instead; paste any text there and it builds Tianzige grids with pinyin and stroke order.

What order is the list in?

Strict frequency order, taken from a corpus-derived frequency dictionary of Mandarin Chinese. Rank 1 is the most frequent entry in the corpus, not the easiest or the first one a textbook introduces.

How is this word list different from the character lists?

This list only carries words of two or more characters, so it answers a different question from the character lists. Single-character words such as 的, 是 and 一 do sit at the very top of the raw frequency ranking — in Chinese a single character is often a word in its own right — but they are already covered by the character lists and by each character's own page, so repeating them here would just push the vocabulary you came for off the page.

More lists

Other frequency lists

Top 50 Chinese Words50 words · free PDF Top 100 Chinese Words100 words · free PDF Top 200 Chinese Words200 words · free PDF Top 50 Chinese Characters50 characters · free PDF Top 100 Chinese Characters100 characters · free PDF Top 200 Chinese Characters200 characters · free PDF Top 500 Chinese Characters500 characters · free PDF

Turn any Chinese text into a worksheet

Paste a lesson, a poem or a news paragraph and print it as Tianzige practice grids with tone-marked pinyin and stroke-order breakdowns — free vector PDF.

Open the worksheet generator All frequency lists