🔤 Chinese Language & Writing Vocabulary 语言与文字
40 essential Mandarin Chinese words for the Language & Writing scene, each with pinyin, English meaning, HSK level and native speaker audio, plus example sentences. Tap 🔊 to listen.
- 汉语 hàn yǔ HSK 1Chinese (the language; term used in teaching)我在学汉语。wǒ zài xué hàn yǔI am learning Chinese.
- 汉字 hàn zì HSK 1Chinese character这个汉字怎么写？zhè ge hàn zì zěn me xiěHow do you write this Chinese character?
- 外语 wài yǔ HSK 1foreign language她会说三门外语tā huì shuō sān mén wài yǔShe can speak three foreign languages.
- 中文 zhōng wén HSK 1Chinese (everyday word; esp. written Chinese)我会说中文wǒ huì shuō zhōng wénI can speak Chinese.
- 字 zì HSK 1character; word这个字我不认识zhè ge zì wǒ bú rèn shiI don't recognize this character.
- 词 cí HSK 2word; term这个词我不认识。zhè ge cí wǒ bú rèn shiI don't know this word.
- 语言 yǔ yán HSK 2language汉语是很美的一门语言。hàn yǔ shì hěn měi de yì mén yǔ yánChinese is a very beautiful language.
- 英语 yīng yǔ HSK 2English (the spoken language; school subject)她的英语说得很好。tā de yīng yǔ shuō de hěn hǎoShe speaks English very well.
- 英文 yīng wén HSK 2English (esp. written English, texts)这本书是用英文写的。zhè běn shū shì yòng yīng wén xiě deThis book is written in English.
- 词语 cí yǔ HSK 2word; term; expression这个词语是什么意思？zhè ge cí yǔ shì shén me yì siWhat does this word mean?
- 句子 jù zi HSK 2sentence请用这个词造一个句子。qǐng yòng zhè ge cí zào yí ge jù ziPlease make a sentence with this word.
- 字典 zì diǎn HSK 2dictionary (of characters)我用字典查这个生词。wǒ yòng zì diǎn chá zhè ge shēng cíI use a dictionary to look up this new word.
- 普通话 pǔ tōng huà HSK 2Mandarin (standard Chinese)他的普通话说得很好。tā de pǔ tōng huà shuō de hěn hǎoHe speaks Mandarin very well.
- 流利 liú lì HSK 2fluent她说流利的中文。tā shuō liú lì de zhōng wénShe speaks fluent Chinese.
- 词典 cí diǎn HSK 2dictionary (the standard, common word)我用词典查这个词。wǒ yòng cí diǎn chá zhè ge cíI use a dictionary to look up this word.
- 叫作 jiào zuò HSK 2to be called; to be named这种花叫作玫瑰。zhè zhǒng huā jiào zuò méi guiThis kind of flower is called a rose.
- 音节 yīn jié HSK 2syllable这个词有两个音节。zhè ge cí yǒu liǎng ge yīn jiéThis word has two syllables.
- 读音 dú yīn HSK 2pronunciation (of a character)这个字的读音是什么?zhè ge zì de dú yīn shì shén meWhat is the pronunciation of this character?
- 生词 shēng cí HSK 2new word (in a lesson); unfamiliar word这课有很多生词。zhè kè yǒu hěn duō shēng cíThis lesson has many new words.
- 意思 yì si HSK 2meaning; idea这个词是什么意思？zhè ge cí shì shén me yì siWhat does this word mean?
- 文字 wén zì HSK 3characters; writing; written language汉字是一种古老的文字。hàn zì shì yì zhǒng gǔ lǎo de wén zìChinese characters are an ancient writing system.
- 听力 tīng lì HSK 3listening comprehension; hearing我的汉语听力还不太好。wǒ de hàn yǔ tīng lì hái bú tài hǎoMy Chinese listening comprehension is still not very good.
- 外文 wài wén HSK 3foreign language (written)这本书是用外文写的zhè běn shū shì yòng wài wén xiě deThis book is written in a foreign language.
- 含义 hán yì HSK 4meaning; implication; connotation这个词的含义很难解释清楚。zhè ge cí de hán yì hěn nán jiě shì qīng chuThe meaning of this word is hard to explain clearly.
- 语音 yǔ yīn HSK 4speech sounds; pronunciation; voice message我给你发一条语音吧。wǒ gěi nǐ fā yì tiáo yǔ yīn baLet me send you a voice message.
- 字母 zì mǔ HSK 4letter (of an alphabet)英语一共有二十六个字母。yīng yǔ yí gòng yǒu èr shí liù gè zì mǔEnglish has twenty-six letters in total.
- 符号 fú hào HSK 4symbol; mark; sign这个符号是什么意思？zhè ge fú hào shì shén me yì siWhat does this symbol mean?
- 词汇 cí huì HSK 4vocabulary; lexicon多读书能增加词汇量。duō dú shū néng zēng jiā cí huì liàngReading more can increase your vocabulary.
- 语法 yǔ fǎ HSK 4grammar中文的语法和英语很不一样。zhōng wén de yǔ fǎ hé yīng yǔ hěn bù yí yàngChinese grammar is very different from English.
- 口语 kǒu yǔ HSK 4spoken language; colloquial speech他的中文口语进步很快。tā de zhōng wén kǒu yǔ jìn bù hěn kuàiHis spoken Chinese is improving fast.
- 括号 kuò hào HSK 4parentheses; brackets请把答案写在括号里。qǐng bǎ dá àn xiě zài kuò hào liPlease write the answer in the parentheses.
- 言语 yán yǔ HSK 5words; speech他的言语中带着一丝愤怒。tā de yán yǔ zhōng dài zhe yì sī fèn nùThere was a hint of anger in his words.
- 华语 huá yǔ HSK 5Chinese language (esp. as used overseas)很多外国人都在学华语。hěn duō wài guó rén dōu zài xué huá yǔMany foreigners are learning Chinese.
- 辞典 cí diǎn HSK 5dictionary (formal, older variant of 词典)遇到生词就查一下辞典。yù dào shēng cí jiù chá yí xià cí diǎnWhen you come across a new word, look it up in the dictionary.
- 成语 chéng yǔ HSK 5Chinese idiom (usually four characters)老师让我们记住这个成语的意思。lǎo shī ràng wǒ men jì zhù zhè ge chéng yǔ de yì siThe teacher had us memorize the meaning of this idiom.
- 日语 rì yǔ HSK 6Japanese (language)她的日语说得非常流利。tā de rì yǔ shuō de fēi cháng liú lìShe speaks Japanese very fluently.
- 识字 shí zì HSK 6to be literate; to learn to read奶奶不识字，报纸得念给她听。nǎi nai bù shí zì bào zhǐ děi niàn gěi tā tīngGrandma can't read, so the newspaper has to be read aloud to her.
- 西班牙语 xī bān yá yǔ HSK 6Spanish (language)她的西班牙语说得很流利。tā de xī bān yá yǔ shuō de hěn liú lìShe speaks Spanish very fluently.
- 用法 yòng fǎ HSK 6usage; way of using这个词的用法比较复杂。zhè ge cí de yòng fǎ bǐ jiào fù záThe usage of this word is rather complicated.
- 法语 fǎ yǔ HSK 6French (language)她的法语说得非常流利。tā de fǎ yǔ shuō de fēi cháng liú lìShe speaks French very fluently.
FAQ
How many Chinese language & writing words are in this list?
40 words, including HSK 1: 5, HSK 2: 15, HSK 3: 3, HSK 4: 8, HSK 5: 4, HSK 6: 5. Every word has playable native audio and example sentences.
Are these words useful for the HSK?
Yes — every word is tagged with its HSK level (HSK 1–6 or 7+), so you can prioritise words for your target level.
What is the best way to memorise them?
Learn them as a scene group with spaced repetition: listen and repeat, study the example sentence, review the next day. The companion app has built-in SRS and four quiz types.