50 Must-Know Chinese Words for Beginners

Learning Chinese can seem intimidating at first, but starting with essential vocabulary makes it much easier. Whether you’re traveling, making friends, or just curious, these 50 must-know words will give you a solid foundation.

Each word comes with example sentences in Chinese, pinyin, and English to help you practice naturally.

Greetings and Basic Expressions

1. Hello (你好, nǐ hǎo) – A simple greeting used any time of the day.
   • 你好！很高兴见到你。
   • Nǐ hǎo! Hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ.
   • Hello! Nice to meet you.
2. Goodbye (再见, zài jiàn) – Use when parting ways.
   • 我们明天再见。
   • Wǒmen míngtiān zài jiàn.
   • We will see each other tomorrow.
3. Thank you (谢谢, xièxie) – Shows gratitude.
   • 谢谢你的帮助。
   • Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù.
   • Thank you for your help.
4. Sorry (对不起, duìbuqǐ) – Used to apologize.
   • 对不起，我迟到了。
   • Duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le.
   • Sorry, I am late.
5. Please (请, qǐng) – Polite way to ask for something.
   • 请坐。
   • Qǐng zuò.
   • Please sit down.

People and Family Words

6. Mother (妈妈, māma) –
   • 我妈妈很善良。
   • Wǒ māma hěn shànliáng.
   • My mother is very kind.
7. Father (爸爸, bàba) –
   • 我爸爸喜欢打篮球。
   • Wǒ bàba xǐhuan dǎ lánqiú.
   • My father likes playing basketball.
8. Friend (朋友, péngyǒu) –
   • 她是我的好朋友。
   • Tā shì wǒ de hǎo péngyǒu.
   • She is my good friend.
9. Teacher (老师, lǎoshī) –
   • 老师今天很开心。
   • Lǎoshī jīntiān hěn kāixīn.
   • The teacher is happy today.
10. Student (学生, xuésheng) –
    • 我是学生。
    • Wǒ shì xuésheng.
    • I am a student.

Numbers and Counting

11. One (一, yī) –
    • 我有一个苹果。
    • Wǒ yǒu yī gè píngguǒ.
    • I have one apple.
12. Two (二, èr) –
    • 桌子上有两本书。
    • Zhuōzi shàng yǒu liǎng běn shū.
    • There are two books on the table.
13. Three (三, sān) –
    • 我有三个兄弟。
    • Wǒ yǒu sān gè xiōngdì.
    • I have three brothers.
14. Ten (十, shí) –
    • 今天是十月十日。
    • Jīntiān shì shí yuè shí rì.
    • Today is October 10th.
15. Hundred (百, bǎi) –
    • 这本书有一百页。
    • Zhè běn shū yǒu yī bǎi yè.
    • This book has one hundred pages.

Daily Life Essentials

16. Eat (吃, chī) –
    • 我想吃米饭。
    • Wǒ xiǎng chī mǐfàn.
    • I want to eat rice.
17. Drink (喝, hē) –
    • 我喝水。
    • Wǒ hē shuǐ.
    • I drink water.
18. Go (去, qù) –
    • 我去学校。
    • Wǒ qù xuéxiào.
    • I go to school.
19. Come (来, lái) –
    • 他来了。
    • Tā lái le.
    • He came.
20. See (看, kàn) –
    • 我看电影。
    • Wǒ kàn diànyǐng.
    • I watch a movie.

Places and Locations

21. Home (家, jiā) –
    • 我回家了。
    • Wǒ huí jiā le.
    • I am going home.
22. School (学校, xuéxiào) –
    • 学校很大。
    • Xuéxiào hěn dà.
    • The school is very big.
23. Airport (机场, jī chǎng) –
    • 我们去机场。
    • Wǒmen qù jī chǎng.
    • We are going to the airport.
24. Market (市场, shìchǎng) –
    • 我在市场买水果。
    • Wǒ zài shìchǎng mǎi shuǐguǒ.
    • I buy fruits at the market.
25. Restaurant (餐厅, cāntīng) –
    • 餐厅很热闹。
    • Cāntīng hěn rènào.
    • The restaurant is lively.

Time and Days

26. Today (今天, jīntiān) –
    • 今天是星期三。
    • Jīntiān shì xīngqīsān.
    • Today is Wednesday.
27. Tomorrow (明天, míngtiān) –
    • 明天我去北京。
    • Míngtiān wǒ qù Běijīng.
    • I will go to Beijing tomorrow.
28. Yesterday (昨天, zuótiān) –
    • 昨天很冷。
    • Zuótiān hěn lěng.
    • Yesterday was cold.
29. Morning (早上, zǎoshang) –
    • 我早上喝咖啡。
    • Wǒ zǎoshang hē kāfēi.
    • I drink coffee in the morning.
30. Night (晚上, wǎnshang) –
    • 晚上我看书。
    • Wǎnshang wǒ kàn shū.
    • I read books at night.

Common Verbs

31. Write (写, xiě) –
    • 我写信给朋友。
    • Wǒ xiě xìn gěi péngyǒu.
    • I write a letter to my friend.
32. Read (读, dú) –
    • 我喜欢读书。
    • Wǒ xǐhuan dú shū.
    • I like reading books.
33. Sleep (睡觉, shuìjiào) –
    • 我晚上十点睡觉。
    • Wǒ wǎnshang shí diǎn shuìjiào.
    • I sleep at 10 PM.
34. Buy (买, mǎi) –
    • 我买衣服。
    • Wǒ mǎi yīfu.
    • I buy clothes.
35. Sell (卖, mài) –
    • 他在卖水果。
    • Tā zài mài shuǐguǒ.
    • He is selling fruits.

Adjectives and Descriptions

36. Big (大, dà) –
    • 这只狗很大。
    • Zhè zhī gǒu hěn dà.
    • This dog is big.
37. Small (小, xiǎo) –
    • 我有一个小猫。
    • Wǒ yǒu yī gè xiǎo māo.
    • I have a small cat.
38. Good (好, hǎo) –
    • 今天的天气很好。
    • Jīntiān de tiānqì hěn hǎo.
    • The weather is good today.
39. Bad (坏, huài) –
    • 今天的咖啡不好喝。
    • Jīntiān de kāfēi bù hǎo hē.
    • The coffee tastes bad today.
40. Hot (热, rè) –
    • 夏天很热。
    • Xiàtiān hěn rè.
    • Summer is very hot.

Pronouns

41. I / Me (我, wǒ) –
    • 我喜欢中国菜。
    • Wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.
    • I like Chinese food.
42. You (你, nǐ) –
    • 你在做什么？
    • Nǐ zài zuò shénme?
    • What are you doing?
43. He / Him (他, tā) –
    • 他是我的同学。
    • Tā shì wǒ de tóngxué.
    • He is my classmate.
44. She / Her (她, tā) –
    • 她很漂亮。
    • Tā hěn piàoliang.
    • She is beautiful.
45. We / Us (我们, wǒmen) –
    • 我们去公园。
    • Wǒmen qù gōngyuán.
    • We go to the park.

Question Words

46. What (什么, shénme) –
    • 这是什么？
    • Zhè shì shénme?
    • What is this?
47. Where (哪里, nǎlǐ) –
    • 厕所在哪里？
    • Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?
    • Where is the bathroom?
48. Who (谁, shéi) –
    • 他是谁？
    • Tā shì shéi?
    • Who is he?
49. Why (为什么, wèi shénme) –
    • 你为什么迟到？
    • Nǐ wèi shénme chídào?
    • Why are you late?
50. How (怎么, zěnme) –
    • 你怎么去学校？
    • Nǐ zěnme qù xuéxiào?
    • How do you go to school?

New Words from This Blog-Post

1. 你好 (nǐ hǎo) – hello
2. 谢谢 (xièxie) – thank you
3. 爸爸 (bàba) – father
4. 妈妈 (māma) – mother
5. 学生 (xuésheng) – student
6. 去 (qù) – go
7. 来 (lái) – come
8. 吃 (chī) – eat
9. 喝 (hē) – drink
10. 家 (jiā) – home
11. 学校 (xuéxiào) – school
12. 今天 (jīntiān) – today
13. 明天 (míngtiān) – tomorrow
14. 写 (xiě) – write
15. 大 (dà) – big