15 Core Chinese Pronouns
我 (wǒ) – “I, me”
你 (nǐ) – “you”
您 (nín) – “you” (formal)
他 (tā) – “he, him”
她 (tā) – “she, her”
我们 (wǒmen) – “we, us”
你们 (nǐmen) – “you”
(formal)
他们 (tāmen) – “they, them”
它 (tā) – “it”
这 (zhè) – “this”
那 (nà) – “that”
这些 (zhèxiē) – “these”
那些 (nàxiē) – “those”
自己 (zìjǐ) – “oneself, alone”
大家 (dàjiā) – “everyone”
5 Core Chinese Titles
先生 (xiānshēng) – “mr., sir”
小姐 (xiǎojiě) – “miss”
太太 (tàitai) – “madame”
老師 (lǎoshī) – “teacher”
医生 (yīshēng) – “doctor”
8 Essential Chinese Question
Words
什么 (shénme) – “what”
几 (jǐ) – “how many”
谁 (shéi) – “who”
什么时候 (shénme shíhòu) –
“when”
哪里 (nǎlǐ) – “where”
为什么 (wèishéme) – “why”
怎么 (zěnme) – “how”
怎么样 (zěnme yàng) – “how
about”
12 Important Chinese Words
不 (bù) – “not”
了 (le) – a marker used to
denote change
很 (hěn) – “very”
的 (de) – “of”
还 (hái) – “still, yet, also”
为 (wéi) – “by, for the sake
of”
又 (yòu) – “again”
从 (cóng) – “from, since”
再 (zài) – “again, once more”
这样 (zhèyàng) – “like this,
that way”
可能 (kěnéng) – “maybe”
对 (duì) – “correct”, or
“that’s right”
38 Basic Chinese Nouns
14 Chinese Words for Time
天 (tiān) – “day”
星期 (xīngqí) – “week”
月 (yuè) – “month”
年 (nián) – “year”
今天 (jīntiān) – “today”
昨天 (zuótiān) – “yesterday”
明天 (míngtiān) –
“tomorrow”
小时 (xiǎoshí) – “hour”
分钟 (fēnzhōng) – “minute”
时间 (shíjiān) – “time”
以前 (yǐqián) – “before”
以后 (yǐhòu) – “after”
现在 (xiànzài) – “now”
次 (cì) – “time, occasion”
11 Chinese Words for Places
这里 (zhèlǐ) – “here”
那里 (nàlǐ) – “there”
地方 (dìfāng) – “place”
学校 (xuéxiào) – “school”
店 (diàn) – “shop”
工作 (gōngzuò) – “work”,
also the verb “to work”
洗手间 (xǐshǒujiān) –
“bathroom”
城市 (chéngshì) – “city”
国家 (guójiā) – “country”
中国 (Zhōngguó) – “China”
公司 (gōngsī) – “company”
5 Chinese Words for Things
东西 (dōngxī) – “thing”
事 (shì) – “thing, matter,
circumstance”
家 (jiā) – “house, home”
车 (chē) – “car”
问题 (wèntí) – “question,
problem”
8 Chinese Words for People
女人 (nǚrén) – “woman”
男人 (nánrén) – “man”
孩子 (háizi) – “child”
朋友 (péngyǒu) – “friend”
人 (rén) – “person”
家人 (jiārén) – “family”
名字 (míngzì) – “name”
学生 (xuéshēng) – “student”
20 Common Chinese Verbs
在 (zài) – “located”
有 (yǒu) – “to have”
说 (shuō) – “to speak, to say”
要 (yào) – “to want, need”
会 (huì) – “to know how to”
及 (jí) – “to reach, to catch
up”
能 (néng) – “to be able to”
可以 (kěyǐ) – “can”
来 (lái) – “to come”
等 (děng) – “to wait” 让
(ràng*) – “to allow”
做 (zuò) – “to do, to make”
想 (xiǎng) – “to want, to wish
for, to miss”
去 (qù) – “to go”
表示 (biǎoshì) – “to
demonstrate”
看 (kàn) – “to see, to look, to
watch”
觉得 (juéde) – “to think”
使用 (shǐyòng) – “to use”
知道 (zhīdào) – “to know”
没有 (méiyǒu) – “to not
have, there aren’t any,
haven’t done”
11 Simple Chinese Adjectives
and Adverbs
都 (dōu) – “all”
大 (dà) – “big”
最 (zuì) – “most”
好 (hǎo) – “good”
更 (gèng) – “even more”
每 (měi) – “every”
只 (zhǐ) – “only”
小 (xiǎo) – “small”
新 (xīn) – “new”
已经 (yǐjīng) – “already”
高 (gāo) – “tall”
4 Important Chinese
Prepositions
上 (shàng) – “on, above”
中 (zhōng) – “center”
里 (lǐ) – “inside”
下 (xià) – “under, below”
8 Core Chinese Conjunctions
and Connectors
和 (hé) – “and”
就 (jiù) – “then”
但(是) (dàn(shì)) – “but,
however”
或 (huò) – “or”
因为 (yīnwèi) – “because”
所以 (suǒyǐ) – “so,
therefore”
如果 (rúguǒ) – “if”
跟 (gēn) – “with”