HSK 1: What Level 1 Covers
HSK 1 is the first of the nine HSK 3.0 levels. In the official syllabus it covers 300 words, 246 characters to read and 70 grammar points.
- New words
- 300
- Words in total
- 300
- Characters to read
- 246
- Grammar points
- 70
Step-by-step lessons
HSK 1 Unit 1: Meeting new people · 5 lessons
Five lessons to introduce yourself and understand others: names, countries, what you do, asking back with 呢 and introducing a friend.
HSK 1 Unit 2: Family and age · 5 lessons
Five lessons about the people in your life: brothers and sisters, ages with 岁, what people do, 都 and 一起, and describing a family photo.
HSK 1 Unit 3: Days and routines · 5 lessons
Five lessons about your day: morning to evening, telling the time to the minute, getting up and going to bed, going to work or class, and how you spend the weekend.
HSK 1 Unit 4: Food and drink · 5 lessons
Five lessons about eating and drinking: saying what you would like, counting cups and books, ordering in a restaurant, buying fruit by the jin, and saying what you like and how good it is.
HSK 1 Unit 5: Shopping · 5 lessons
Five lessons for shopping: clothes with 件, this and these, prices into the hundreds, colours, choosing between two things with 还是, and buying online.
HSK 1 Unit 6: Places and directions · 5 lessons
Five lessons to find your way: where things are, places in town, in front, behind, left and right, asking how to get somewhere, and saying where you live.
HSK 1 Unit 7: Free time and getting around · 5 lessons
Five lessons for life outside work: how you get around, films, music and sport, inviting someone and asking permission with 可以, phone calls, and planning a day in the park.
HSK 1 Unit 8: Weather, health and celebrations · 7 lessons
The last seven HSK 1 lessons: the weather, feeling unwell, birthdays and years, asking about words while you learn, a full self-introduction that brings the whole level together, and two lessons with the words you need for the HSK 1 stories.
These lessons follow the HSK 3.0 progression. Up to HSK 1, together with Chinese Foundations, they teach 287 words; the official syllabus counts 300. Mythic Mandarin is an HSK-aligned learning path and does not reproduce the complete official word list.
Learn HSK 1 step by step
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Elementary stage (levels 1–3)
HSK 1 is where Chinese starts to make sense. You learn how Mandarin sounds are built, hear and say the four tones, meet your first characters and put short, correct sentences together about yourself and everyday life.
Goal: In this HSK 1-aligned track you learn to introduce yourself, ask and answer simple questions about people, numbers, days and places, and read short sentences made of very common words.
What you will learn
- How a Mandarin syllable works: an initial, a final and a tone, written in pinyin
- The four tones and the light neutral tone, and why they change meaning
- Your first characters, and the difference between a character and a word
- Sentences with 是, 很, 不 and 吗, and questions with 什么 and 谁
- Word order for time and place: who, when, where, then what happens
- Counting people and things with 个
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Foundations: sounds, tones and characters
Before grammar, get the sound system right. It is much easier to learn a word with the right tone the first time than to fix it later. Read the Chinese tones guide alongside this module.
New A syllable is an initial, a final and a tone
Almost every Chinese character is read as one syllable. Pinyin writes that syllable in Latin letters: an initial consonant (n, h, zh …), a final (i, ao, ong …) and a tone mark above the vowel. Pinyin is a guide to pronunciation, not a Chinese alphabet: Chinese itself is written in characters.
你好
nǐ hǎo
hello
Two syllables: n + ǐ and h + ǎo. Both have the third tone; spoken together the first one rises (see the tones guide).
中国
Zhōngguó
China
zh + ōng, g + uó. Pinyin joins the syllables of one word.
New Four tones that change meaning
Mandarin uses pitch to tell words apart. The same syllable with a different tone is a different word, so a tone is part of the word, just like its consonants. First tone is high and level, second rises, third dips low, fourth falls sharply.
买
mǎi
to buy
Third tone: low and dipping.
卖
mài
to sell
Fourth tone: a short, sharp fall. Mixing up these two tones swaps buying and selling.
New The neutral tone: short and light
Some syllables lose their tone and are said quickly and lightly. Pinyin writes them without a mark. Many are grammar words such as 吗 and 的, or the second syllable of words like 爸爸.
爸爸
bàba
dad
The second 爸 is light and short.
你是学生吗？
Nǐ shì xuésheng ma?
Are you a student?
吗 is a neutral-tone question word.
New Characters and words are not the same thing
A character is one written unit and usually one syllable. A word can be one character (人, person) or several (中国, China). Many everyday Mandarin words have two characters, so learn words as whole units and notice the characters inside them.
人
rén
person
One character, one word.
中国人
Zhōngguórén
Chinese person
Three characters: middle + country + person.
Vocabulary: your first useful words
These are Mythic Mandarin starter words for this level: the everyday words you need for the sentences on this page and in the HSK 1 stories. They are not the official HSK 1 word list. Tap a word in any story to look it up, or search the dictionary.
- 我wǒI, me
- 你nǐyou
- 他tāhe, him
- 她tāshe, her
- 是shìto be (A is B)
- 不bùnot
- 好hǎogood, well
- 很hěnvery
- 人rénperson
- 学生xuéshengstudent
- 老师lǎoshīteacher
- 朋友péngyoufriend
- 家jiāhome, family
- 学校xuéxiàoschool
- 喝hēto drink
- 吃chīto eat
- 茶chátea
- 水shuǐwater
- 今天jīntiāntoday
- 明天míngtiāntomorrow
- 什么shénmewhat
- 谁shéiwho
- 说shuōto say, to speak
- 看kànto look, to read, to watch
- 有yǒuto have; there is
- 想xiǎngto want to, would like
- 来láito come
- 去qùto go
- 在zàito be at; at
- 买mǎito buy
- 问wènto ask
- 坐zuòto sit; to take (a bus, a taxi)
- 喜欢xǐhuanto like
- 谢谢xièxiethank you
- 再见zàijiàngoodbye
- 爸爸bàbadad
- 妈妈māmamum
- 他们tāmenthey, them
- 一起yìqǐtogether
- 书shūbook
- 钱qiánmoney
- 块kuàiyuan (in speech)
- 点diǎno'clock
- 大dàbig
- 多duōmany, much
- 会huìcan (a learned skill)
- 高兴gāoxìnghappy, glad
- 饭fànmeal, cooked rice
- 你们nǐmenyou (plural)
- 她们tāmenthey (women)
- 它tāit
- 里lǐin, inside
- 上shàngon, above
- 小xiǎosmall, little
- 车chēcar, vehicle
- 没有méiyǒuthere is not; not have
- 要yàoto want; to need
- 到dàoto arrive, to reach
- 东西dōngxithing, things
- 中午zhōngwǔnoon
- 下午xiàwǔafternoon
- 晚上wǎnshangevening
- 呢neand …? (asks back)
- 写xiěto write
Characters: reading first, writing optional
Optional character writing practice: a Mythic Mandarin method, not an official HSK requirement. Writing a few simple characters trains your eye for the parts that come back in hundreds of other characters.
New Characters are built from parts
Many characters combine smaller parts. 好 puts 女 (woman) next to 子 (child); 明 puts 日 (sun) next to 月 (moon). A part often hints at meaning or sound. Spotting parts turns strange shapes into familiar pieces.
好
hǎo
good
女 + 子.
明天
míngtiān
tomorrow
明 is 日 + 月: bright.
Optional practice. Watch the strokes, then trace the character; each finished trace counts as one repetition, up to 20. Progress is saved on this device only, and nothing here is needed to continue.
Grammar: short sentences that are always correct
Chinese grammar has no verb endings, no plural forms and no gender. What matters is word order and a handful of small words. These are the patterns you need at HSK 1, in the order most learners find easiest.
New A 是 B: saying what someone is
Subject + 是 + noun
是 links two nouns: 我是学生. It never changes form, whoever the subject is. To say what someone is not, put 不 before 是.
我是学生。
Wǒ shì xuésheng.
I am a student.
他不是老师。
Tā bú shì lǎoshī.
He is not a teacher.
不 is said bú before a fourth tone.
New 很 + adjective, without 是
Subject + 很 + adjective
Adjectives describe the subject directly; you do not use 是 in front of them. A plain adjective sounds like a comparison, so Chinese normally adds 很. Here 很 is often weaker than English "very".
我很好。
Wǒ hěn hǎo.
I'm fine.
今天很冷。
Jīntiān hěn lěng.
It's cold today.
New 不: saying no
Subject + 不 + verb or adjective
不 goes directly before the word it negates. It is used for habits, wishes and states in the present or future.
我不喝咖啡。
Wǒ bù hē kāfēi.
I don't drink coffee.
她今天不忙。
Tā jīntiān bù máng.
She isn't busy today.
New 吗: yes-no questions
Statement + 吗？
Turn any statement into a yes-no question by adding 吗 at the end. The word order stays the same. Answer by repeating the verb: 是 or 不是.
你是老师吗？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
Are you a teacher?
你喝茶吗？
Nǐ hē chá ma?
Do you drink tea?
New Question words stay where the answer goes
Chinese does not move question words to the front. Put 什么, 谁 or 几 where the answer will be, and do not add 吗.
你叫什么名字？
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What's your name?
Answer: 我叫……, in the same position.
他是谁？
Tā shì shéi?
Who is he?
New Who, when, where, then the action
Subject + time + place + verb
Time words and places come before the verb, not at the end of the sentence as in English. Keep this order and most beginner sentences fall into place.
我今天在家。
Wǒ jīntiān zài jiā.
I'm at home today.
我明天去学校。
Wǒ míngtiān qù xuéxiào.
I'm going to school tomorrow.
New Number + 个 + noun
Number + measure word + noun
Chinese cannot put a number straight before a noun. A measure word goes in between. 个 is the most common one and works for people and many things.
一个人
yí ge rén
one person
一 is said yí before 个, which was originally a fourth tone.
三个朋友
sān ge péngyou
three friends
New 的: my, your, his
Person + 的 + thing
的 links an owner to what is owned, like an English apostrophe s. With close family and friends it is often left out: 我妈妈.
这是我的书。
Zhè shì wǒ de shū.
This is my book.
他是我的朋友。
Tā shì wǒ de péngyou.
He is my friend.
New 也 and 都 go before the verb
也 (also) and 都 (all, both) are adverbs, and Chinese adverbs sit before the verb, never at the end of the sentence.
我也是学生。
Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.
I'm a student too.
我们都喝茶。
Wǒmen dōu hē chá.
We all drink tea.
New Numbers, age and days of the week
Numbers are regular: 二十 is two tens, 二十一 is two tens and one. Age uses 岁 without a verb, and the days of the week are 星期 plus a number.
我二十岁。
Wǒ èrshí suì.
I'm twenty.
今天星期一。
Jīntiān xīngqīyī.
Today is Monday.
Practice
Answer each question, then read the explanation. Your answers stay on this device only.
Meaning
What does 老师 mean?
学生 (xuésheng) is a student: the person who learns from a 老师.
Show the answer
Answer: A, teacher.
老师 (lǎoshī) is a teacher. A student is 学生 and a friend is 朋友.
Pinyin
Which pinyin is correct for 中国 (China)?
Show the answer
Answer: A, Zhōngguó.
中 is first tone (zhōng, high and level) and 国 is second tone (guó, rising): Zhōngguó.
Characters
Which character is hē, "to drink"?
和 (hé) sounds similar but means "and"; it has the second tone, not the first.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 喝.
喝 (hē) means to drink; its left part 口 is a mouth. 吃 (chī) also has 口 but means to eat.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap: 我＿学生。 (I am a student.)
很 goes before adjectives (我很好), not before a noun like 学生.
吗 goes at the end of a question, never in the middle.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 是.
是 links two nouns: 我是学生.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap: 我很＿。 (I'm fine.)
Adjectives do not take 是: 我很是 is not a sentence.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 好.
很 comes before an adjective: 我很好, "I'm fine".
Grammar
Which sentence asks "Are you a teacher?"
Show the answer
Answer: A, 你是老师吗？.
Keep the statement 你是老师 and add 吗 at the end: 你是老师吗？
Measure word
Fill the gap: 三＿朋友 (three friends)
的 shows possession (我的朋友, my friend); it cannot follow a number.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 个.
A number needs a measure word before the noun: 三个朋友. 个 works for people.
Word order
Put the words in order: "I'm going to school tomorrow."
- 学校
- 我
- 去
- 明天
Show the answer
我明天去学校 Wǒ míngtiān qù xuéxiào.
I'm going to school tomorrow.
Subject, then time, then the verb and where you go: 我 + 明天 + 去 + 学校.
Word order
Put the words in order: "He is not a teacher."
- 老师
- 是
- 他
- 不
Show the answer
他不是老师 Tā bú shì lǎoshī.
He is not a teacher.
不 goes directly before 是: 他不是老师.
Tones
买 (mai, "to buy") has which tone?
买
Show the answer
Answer: A, third tone: low, dipping.
买 is mǎi, third tone. The fourth-tone mài is 卖, "to sell": the tone is the only difference.
Characters
Which character means "person"?
入 (rù, to enter) is the mirror shape: the right stroke is the long one.
八 (bā, eight) has two separate strokes that do not touch.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 人.
人 (rén) has a long stroke to the left and a short one to the right, like a person walking.
Reading
Read: 我叫大卫。我是美国人。我今天去朋友家喝茶。 Where is David going today?
美国人 says where he is from; it is not where he is going.
Show the answer
Answer: A, to a friend's home.
我今天去朋友家喝茶: today he is going to a friend's home (朋友家) to drink tea.
Review: can you do this?
Check yourself before moving on. If one line feels shaky, go back to that part: it will make HSK 2 much easier.
- I can say the four tones and hear the difference between 买 and 卖.
- I can introduce myself with 我叫…… and 我是……人.
- I can ask yes-no questions with 吗 and answer them.
- I can ask what and who with 什么 and 谁.
- I can put time and place before the verb.
- I can count people and things with 个.
HSK 2 builds on these patterns: finished actions with 了, past experiences with 过, comparisons with 比 and more characters to practise writing. Continue to HSK 2
How many words are in HSK 1?
HSK 1 has 300 words. It is the starting point of the official word list, so every word is new at this level.
That is 3% of the 11,000 words in the complete HSK 3.0 list, which runs from HSK 1 to the advanced HSK 7–9 band.
What comes after HSK 1
HSK 2 adds 200 new words, for 500 in total.
Writing Chinese characters at HSK 1
Optional character writing practice: watch the stroke order, then write the character yourself. This is a Mythic Mandarin practice method, not an official HSK requirement.
Look up the stroke order of any character in the Chinese Stroke Order Dictionary
Look up any word, its pinyin and meanings in the Chinese dictionary