Home / Flashcard library / Languages / HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) / Core Words, Part 1

Languages

Mandarin HSK 1 — Core Words, Part 1 flashcards

10 of 100 cards free to study here · 11 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys

100 words for HSK 1 (饭馆 is level 2) under HSK 3.0, the HSK exam syllabus of November 2025: pronouns, numbers, family, time words, core verbs, adjectives, question words and particles, each with tone-marked pinyin and an original example sentence, with some measure words on the back.

Get the app All HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) decks

Learn deck · part of HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) · written against: Every word of HSK 1–3 under HSK 3.0, the HSK exam syllabus published in November 2025 (988 words, levels 1–3), with grammar patterns and in-context cloze; headword levels checked against its word list. Updated 2026-10-10.

In the app every card is read aloud: the Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish or other language side in its own native voice and the English side in yours, with a hands-free Listen mode for whole decks.

Study the free sample

10 cards from the deck as they are. Flip, rate yourself, filter by topic; your progress stays in this browser.

The 10 sample cards as a list
  1. 我 (wǒ) (pron.)
    我是学生。 (Wǒ shì xuésheng.)
    I; me

    I'm a student.
    People & Pronouns
  2. 一 (yī) (num.)
    我们班有一个美国学生。 (Wǒmen bān yǒu yī ge Měiguó xuésheng.)
    one

    There's one American student in our class.

    Tone change: Before a 4th tone (including 个) it is said yí: 一个 yí ge; before 1st, 2nd and 3rd tones it is said yì: 一本 yì běn. Alone or at the end of a word, as in 第一, it keeps yī.
    Numbers & Measure Words
  3. 今天 (jīntiān) (n.)
    今天很热。 (Jīntiān hěn rè.)
    today

    It's hot today.
    Time
  4. 是 (shì) (v.)
    我是美国人。 (Wǒ shì Měiguórén.)
    to be (A is B)

    I'm American.

    Watch out: Does not link a subject to an adjective: 我很高兴, not 我是高兴.
    Verbs
  5. 大 (dà) (adj.)
    他家的电视很大。 (Tā jiā de diànshì hěn dà.)
    big; old (in age)

    The TV at his place is big.

    Note: 你多大？ (Nǐ duō dà?) asks the age of someone over ten.
    Adjectives
  6. 中国 (中國) (Zhōngguó) (n.)
    明年我要去中国看朋友。 (Míngnián wǒ yào qù Zhōngguó kàn péngyou.)
    China

    Next year I'm going to China to visit friends.
    Places & Directions
  7. 米饭 (米飯) (mǐfàn) (n.)
    我要一碗米饭。 (Wǒ yào yī wǎn mǐfàn.)
    cooked rice

    Measure word: 碗 (wǎn), bowl: 一碗米饭

    I'd like a bowl of rice.
    Food & Drink
  8. 书 (書) (shū) (n.)
    她的书很多，有三百多本。 (Tā de shū hěn duō, yǒu sānbǎi duō běn.)
    book

    Measure word: 本 (běn): 一本书

    She has a lot of books, more than three hundred.
    Things & Objects
  9. 的 (de) (part.)
    这是老师的书。 (Zhè shì lǎoshī de shū.)
    possessive / linking particle ('s; of)

    This is the teacher's book.
    Particles & Adverbs
  10. 谢谢 (謝謝) (xièxie) (v.)
    谢谢你的帮助。 (Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù.)
    thank you; to thank

    Thank you for your help.

    Note: The usual reply is 不客气 (bù kèqi), 'you're welcome' — pronounced bú kèqi.
    Expressions

Unlock the whole deck

You are studying a free 10-card sample. All 100 cards of Mandarin HSK 1 — Core Words, Part 1, the other 16 HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) decks, and spaced-repetition scheduling are built into Willys. 14-day free trial, then $14.99 a year.

Get the app

In Willys, tap Exam Library at the top of your Decks (or Browse Exam Library… under the + button), find the exam on its shelf or by search, tick it and tap Add.

More HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) decks

Core Words, Part 2Core Words, Part 3Core Words, Part 1Core Words, Part 2Core Words, Part 3In Context: Core WordsCore Words, Part 1Core Words, Part 2Core Words, Part 3Core Words, Part 4Core Words, Part 5Core Words, Part 6Grammar PatternsIn Context: Core Words, Part 1In Context: Core Words, Part 2Practice Questions

← All HSK 1–3 (Mandarin) decks, with the study guide and topic outline.

About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • Pinyin, tones, measure words and meanings checked against CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0) and the Taiwan Ministry of Education's dictionaries (the Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary and the Cross-Strait Dictionary 兩岸常用詞典, via moedict.tw) (reference only). Levels follow HSK 3.0: the HSK examination syllabus (HSK 考试大纲) published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation in November 2025, a separate document from the 2021 standard GF 0025-2021, which it cites among its references. Of the 100 headwords, 99 are level 1 (没 is listed as 没有) and 饭馆 is level 2, as its card notes. Headword levels checked against two transcriptions of the syllabus word list (harukicoder/hsk30, drkameleon/complete-hsk-vocabulary). All example sentences are original.

These are independent study notes written for Willys. They are not official exam material, may contain mistakes, and are no substitute for your course, your teacher or the exam owner's own publications. Found an error? Tell us — corrections ship as a new version of the deck.

HSK is administered by Chinese Testing International, which is not affiliated with or endorsing this product.

Use of these pages is covered by our Terms of Use.