HSK 3.0 Chinese characters by level

to love; to like

eight

dad; father

爸爸 — dad (informal)

bar (a place serving drinks, internet, etc.); (onomatopoeia) a snap/click/tapping sound — used in the reduplicated 吧嗒 to describe the sound of puffing a pipe, not a standalone verb; (modal particle) softens suggestions/requests or marks supposition

white; clean, pure; free, free of charge; in vain, for nothing

hundred

class (in school); shift (at work); team, group; scheduled trip (measure word for a bus, train, or flight run)

half; half (used after a number); semi-, half- (prefix meaning 'half')

to help; to support, to assist

to wrap; bag, sack; Bao (a surname); pack, packet (measure word)

cup, glass; cup, glass (measure word for cups and glasses)

north

to prepare; completeness, readiness; to guard against

准备 — to prepare

root; basic, main; volume (measure word for books, notebooks, etc.)

to compare; than (used in comparisons); to (in a score/ratio, e.g. three to two)

side; edge; while; at the same time as

other, different; don't (used in commands to forbid something); to leave, to part

to be sick, to be ill; illness, disease

not, no

vegetable; dish, cooked food, cuisine

tea

difference, gap; poor, not good; wrong, mistaken; to be short of, to lack (in quantity or time)

often, frequently

field; ground (for sports or activities); (measure word for events) match; show; session; scene (in a film or play)

to sing; to call out, to shout

vehicle, car

to eat

to go out, to exit; to appear, to occur; to produce, to put out

to wear (clothes), to put on (shoes); to thread, to pass through

bed

time (occurrence); next, second; secondary, inferior

from; through, past

wrong, mistaken; bad, poor

to reply, to answer

to make (a phone call), to hit (a ball), etc.

big, large; important; old (in age), age

egg

to arrive (at a place); until (a point in time); to (used after a verb to indicate result or destination)

road; path; principle; the Way; to say (used in polite expressions); (measure word) for dishes, questions, beams, etc.

(links a verb to a complement of state); to have to; must; to get; to obtain; to gain (dé)

ground, earth; place, locality; -ly (structural particle forming adverbs)

indicates possession or modifies a noun

rank, class, grade; to wait; etc., and so on

younger brother; pupil, disciple

弟弟 — younger brother

-th (used to indicate order)

o'clock (in telling time); a little, a bit; point, dot; to order (food)

electricity; electric

shop; store; shop

east

to move; to stir, to budge; to touch

all, both; even; already (emphatic)

to read

correct, right; toward, with regard to; to answer (a question) correctly; pair (measure word)

many, much; how (much); more than, -odd (indicating a surplus)

hungry

son; child

儿子 — son

two

cooked rice; meal; food, dish

square

room; house; Fang (a surname)

房间 — room

to put; to place; to let go; to release; to set free; to let off; to play (music, video)

to fly; to fly about; to soar

not, is not; non- (a prefix indicating negation); wrong, incorrect

to divide; to separate; to distribute; to hand out; to distinguish; minute; point/mark (score); cent (money)

wind

clothes; to take (medicine)

dry; dried food (such as dried meat or dried fish); to do, to work (pron. gàn)

tall; high; Gao (a surname)

to announce; to sue; to tell, to inform

告诉 — to tell

older brother; bro (friendly term of address)

哥哥 — older brother

song; to sing

(general measure word)

to give; (used to introduce the recipient) for; to

with; together with; to follow; (of a woman) to marry

work, occupation; labor, to work; skill, craft

工作 — work; to work

to close; to shut; to turn off

establishment (such as a restaurant); hall, museum; venue, building

图书馆 — library

expensive; honorable, your (polite)

country; nation; national; of the country

fruit; result; indeed, sure enough

水果 — fruit

to cross; to pass; to spend (time); to go through; Guo (a surname, pron. guō); -ed / have done (aspect particle marking past experience)

still; yet; to return; to give back (pron. huán)

child

孩子 — child

Han (the Han people or the Han dynasty); the Chinese (Han) language

汉语 — Chinese (language)

good; well; fine; OK; all right (used to express agreement)

(day of the month); number

to drink

and; together with

very

after; behind (in time or position); queen; empress (archaic); Hou (a surname)

to wait; to inquire after, to greet; season, weather

等候 — to wait

flower; pattern; design; to spend (money)

words; speech; language; dialect; to talk; to speak

bad; broken; spoiled

happy, joyful; pleased, delighted; cheerful, merry

欢迎 — to welcome

to return; to go back; (measure word) time

to know how to; can; will (indicating likelihood in the future); meeting; gathering; association

fire; fiery; relating to fire; angry; furious; popular; trending; hot

machine; chance, opportunity; engine, mechanism

飞机 — airplane

chicken

how many (usually fewer than ten); several; a few (indicating an indefinite small number)

to remember; to memorize; to write down; to note

home; house; family; measure word (for shops, companies, businesses)

fake; false; artificial

middle; in the middle; room; within (a span of time or space); (measure word for rooms, houses)

to meet; to see; to see; to call on; to meet with (someone)

to teach

to be called; to be named; to call; to summon; to shout; to cry out; (of animals) to make a sound

sleep, a nap; to feel

older sister; miss (for an older young woman)

姐姐 — older sister

to introduce; to lie between; boundary

介绍 — to introduce

now; nowadays, present-day

今天 — today

to enter; to go in; to advance; to make progress

capital city; capital (as in Beijing)

北京 — Beijing (capital of China)

only, just (left); net, pure; clean, pure (free of dirt)

nine

then; in that case; right away; immediately; just; only

to open; to drive (a car); to turn on; to switch on (a device)

to look; to watch; to read; to visit; to see (a doctor); to consult

to take an exam; to test; to examine; to investigate

thirsty

guest; visitor from elsewhere; customer

客人 — guest

lesson; class

mouth; (measure word for people in a family or household); opening, entrance, mouth (of a place/object)

(measure word) yuan (unit of currency); piece

fast; quick; happy; pleased; soon; about to

to come; used in place of a specific verb, meaning 'to do/get' (e.g. when offering to do something or ordering food)

old (of people); old, worn (of things); a prefix added before a surname or family rank to show familiarity and closeness

marks a completed action or a change of situation; now (indicating a new change or new situation)

tired

cold; cold, indifferent (attitude)

inside, in; lining (of clothing); li (a unit of distance equal to 0.5 km)

two (quantity); both; a few (an indefinite amount)

zero

six

floor (of a building); a multi-story building; Lou (a surname)

road, path; journey, route; way, method; route, line (of a bus)

mom; mother

妈妈 — mom

horse

a question particle (turns a statement into a yes/no question)

to buy

slow

busy; hurried, occupied

hair, fur (of an animal); jiao/dime (a monetary unit equal to one tenth of a yuan); Mao (a surname)

what; a bit, some

什么 — what

not, did not, have not

younger sister; young girl

妹妹 — younger sister

door; field, branch (of study); Men (a surname); measure word for a subject/course, skill, or firearm, etc.

a plural suffix for nouns referring to people

rice; meter (unit of measurement)

face; side; surface

前面 — front; ahead

name; rank; place (e.g. first, second, third); famous; renowned; measure word for people (esp. with a title/role)

bright, clear; to understand, to be clear about; tomorrow

明天 — tomorrow

to take, to hold, to grasp; to use, by means of

which one, where

that; then; in that case

milk; breast

male, man; baron (the fifth rank of nobility)

south

difficult, hard; hard to bear, unpleasant

brain; mind, head; wits, intelligence

脑子 — brain; mind

a particle used to ask a return question or to soften a suggestion

can, to be able to; to know how to (do something)

you

year

you (polite form, used respectfully for elders or people of higher status)

ox; cow; cattle

woman, female; daughter, used in formal expressions about children (e.g. 一儿一女 one son and one daughter)

side

to run

friend; friends; companion

朋友 — friend

ticket; vote, ballot; banknote, paper money

seven

period; phase; stage; term; session; issue

to get up, to rise; to begin, to start; to lift, to raise; classifier for cases, incidents

gas; air; to get angry; anger; smell; odor

vapor, steam; gasoline

汽车 — car

in front, front; before, previously; former, ex- (of a position/title)

money

please; to invite; to treat (to a meal)

ball; a ball sport

to go; to (do something)

hot

person, human

to recognize, to acknowledge

day

meat

three

mountain

trade, commerce; merchant, businessperson; to discuss, to negotiate

商店 — shop; store

on, above, on top of; to go up, to ascend; to get on (a car, train, plane); last, previous (of time)

few, little; to lack, to be missing

to introduce, to continue; to connect, to link

介绍 — to introduce

body; oneself; life

身体 — body

what; ten (variant reading); assorted, various

什么 — what

to be born; to give birth; life; living; to grow (of plants); raw, uncooked (opposite of 熟)

teacher; master, division (of an army)

老师 — teacher

ten

time; hour; o'clock

to know, to recognize; knowledge

matter, thing, affair; work, business

to try, to test; to examine, to take a test

to look at, to watch; to regard, to consider as; to inspect, to examine

电视 — television

to be

hand; a person skilled in a particular field

book

tree

who

water

to sleep; to lie down

to say, to speak

four

to give, to present (a gift); to see someone off; to send, to deliver (mail, goods)

to complain, to sue; to tell, to relate; to accuse

告诉 — to tell; to inform

years old, age

he, him

she, her

too, excessively

body; style, genre; form, substance

身体 — body; health

sky, heaven; day

(measure word for fish, roads, etc.); (measure word for messages and news items)

to listen

the same; alike; with; together with

picture; drawing; map; diagram; chart

outside, outer; foreign, abroad

to play, to have fun; toy; to fool around, to joke

好玩 — fun; enjoyable

evening, night; late

net; network; the internet

to forget; to be forgotten, to fade from memory

writing, literature; script, characters; culture

语文 — language and literature

to ask; to inquire after

I, me

five

noon, midday; the hour of the Horse (traditional time)

中午 — noon

west

breath; to rest; news, information

休息 — to rest

to study, to practice; familiar, accustomed; to practice, to drill

学习 — to study; to learn

to wash

happy, glad; to like, to be fond of; joy

喜欢 — to like

department (in a university); faculty; to relate to; to be tied to

under, below; to go down, to descend; next (e.g. next time)

first, beforehand; early; late (the deceased; used in names of those who have passed away)

present, current; to appear; to exist, to be present

现在 — now

to want; to think, to consider; to miss, to long for

small, little; young

school; to proofread, to check

学校 — school

to laugh; to smile; to laugh at; to mock; a smile, a laugh

some, a few

to write

to thank; to express thanks; to wither

谢谢 — thanks; thank you

new

star (in the sky); star (as a symbol)

星星 — star

all right; okay; capable; impressive

to flourish, to thrive; to start, to rise; interest, excitement

高兴 — happy; glad

to rest; to stop; to cease, to call off

休息 — to rest

to study; to learn; to imitate; to mimic

style; design; pattern; kind; type

to need; to want; will, be about to

grandfather (father's father); grandpa (respectful term for an older man)

爷爷 — grandpa (paternal)

also; too

page (of a book); sheet (of paper)

one

clothes, clothing; top, upper garment; to cover, to wrap

衣服 — clothes

doctor; medicine, medical science; to cure, to treat

医生 — doctor

shadow; image; influence

电影 — movie; film

to use; to need; to have to

friend; friendly

朋友 — friend

to have; there is

right side; the right

rain

language; words, speech; to speak

汉语 — Chinese (language)

yuan (monetary unit); Yuan (the Yuan dynasty)

far; distant; faraway; remote

institute; institution; courtyard; yard

month

again; once more; then; afterwards; even if; no matter how

to be at; to be present; at; in (a place); to be in the middle of doing something (used before a verb to indicate an ongoing action)

early; morning; good morning

how, in what way; why

怎么 — how

to stand; station; stop

to look for; to search; to seek out; to call on (someone); to give change (money)

this

a particle indicating a continuing state; in the middle of (an ongoing action)

really; truly; indeed; sure enough

right; correct; straight; upright; right now (used before a verb)

to know; to understand; knowledge

知道 — to know

center; middle; within

to repeat; again; re-; again (prefix); heavy (when read as zhòng)

to live; to reside; (as a complement) firmly; fast; to a halt

accurate; exact; to follow; to conform to; to permit; to allow; to approve; certainly; definitely

table, desk; a table

桌子 — table; desk

son; child; a noun suffix (with no independent meaning)

character; writing; script

to walk; to go; to leave

most; -est (superlative); above all; most of all

yesterday; the past

昨天 — yesterday

left side; the left; left (as in "on the left-hand side")

to do, to make, to compose; work, creation; to serve as, to regard as

to sit; to take (a vehicle)

to do; to make