Mandarin Monday: The First 100 Characters Every Beginner Needs to Memorize

Just months before arriving in Beijing, I asked my Chinese friend to give me a Chinese name. She said it was easy since “Andy” can be transliterated to just 安迪 (ān, safe; dí, guide). When I did some background research of places to visit in Beijing, Tian’anmen 天安门 (Tiān’ānmén or Gate of Heavenly Peace) was one of the recommended spots. The word Tian’anmen got me really interested in learning more characters because it had the same ān as in my name. Then I started using Pleco to decipher subway station names (especially when it’s overcrowded or when I’m on a long train journey).

I remember my Chinese teacher telling me that I would have to memorize not only phrases but also pinyin, tones and a lot of characters if I wanted to learn Chinese. It’s hard I must say, but just knowing basic characters will give you enough background to get around, especially when you’re traveling, dining out, or going to malls.

I found several resources listing the first 100 Chinese characters beginners to the language might memorize. The first 50 are almost the same, but the lists differ when it comes to the 60 to 100 character tier. Regardless, this list from Learning Chinese Everyday certainly helps, especially for knowing about 80 characters that can help beginners to the language compose simple sentences.

If you find pronouncing the characters difficult, we have a starter guide which provides an easy way to speak the four Chinese tones. In the list below, you’ll find the pronunciation guide along with a number, its grammatical function, and lexical meaning. The number indicates the character’s usage in most Chinese conversations.

The website also says that “to understand 90% of the content in Chinese publications, students have to learn only about 900 Chinese characters and 11,000 phrases/words.”

Tier 1

1. 的 (de / 95.9) – particle used after an attribute
2. 一 (yī / 94.3) – n., “one”
3. 是 (shì / 93.0) – vb., “to be”; adj., “correct”, “right”
4. 不 (bù / 91.8) – adv., “no”
5. 了 (le / 90.7) – particle used after an action that has taken place or changed
6. 在 (zài / 89.7) – prep., “in”, “on”, “at”; adv., indicating an ongoing action
7. 人 (rén / 88.7) – n., “human”, “people”, “person”, “soul”
8. 有 (yǒu / 87.8) – vb., “to have”, “to possess”, “to get”, “there is”
9. 我 (wǒ / 86.9) – pron., “I”; 我的 wǒde – pron., “my”; 我们 wǒmen – pron., “we”, “us”, “our”
10. 他 (tā / 86.1) – pron. “he”, “him”; 他的 tāde – pron., “his”

 

Tier 2

11. 这 (zhè / 85.3) – pron. “this”, “these”
12. 个 (gè / 84.7) – general measure word for nouns without specific measure words; adj., “individual”
13. 们 (men / 84.1) – pronoun used to form a plural pronoun
14. 中 (zhōng / 83.5) – n., “center”, “middle”, “in the midst of”; abbrev., “China”
15. 来 (lái / 82.9) – vb., “to arrive”, “to come”; indicates an intended action; particle indicating a time period from past to present
16. 上 (shàng / 82.4) – prep., “on”, “above”, “upper”; vb., “to go up”, “to go to”, “to leave for”; adj., “last”, “most recent”
17. 大 (dà / 81.8) – adj., “great”, “large”, “big”; “age”; “eldest”
18. 为 (wèi / 81.3) – prep., “for”, “in the sake of”
19. 和 (hé / 80.8) – conj., “and”; prep., “in connection to”, “with”; adj., “gentle”; n., “total”, “sum”
20. 国 (guó / 80.3) – n., “country”, “state”; adj., “national”

 

Tier 3

21. 地 (dì / 79.8) – n., “the ground”; “land”, “soil”; “place”, “area”
22. 到 (dào / 79.3) – vb., “to arrive”, “to reach”, “to go to”; prep., “up until”, “to”
23. 以 (yǐ / 78.8) – prep., “by”, “for”; conj., “and”, “as well as”
24. 说 (shuō / 78.4) – vb., “to say”, “to speak”, “to talk”; “to explain”; “to scold”
25. 时 (shí / 77.9) – n., “period of time”; “time of day”, “hour”
26. 要 (yào / 77.5) – vb., “to want”, “to ask for”, “to wish”; “must”, “should”; “shall”, “will”; “take”, “need”; adj., “important”, “essential”
27. 就 (jiù / 77.1) – adv., “at once”, “right away”; “already”; “precisely”
28. 出 (chū / 76.7) – vb., “to go out”, “to go beyond”; “to exceed”; “to issue”, “to produce”; “to happen”
29. 会 (huì / 76.3) – vb., “can”, “be able to”; “would”, “might”; “to assemble”; “to meet”; n., “meeting”, “party”; “association”
30. 可 (kě / 76.0) – vb., “can”, “may”; conj., “but”, “yet”, “however”

 

Tier 4

31. 也 (yě / 75.6) – adv., “too”, “as well”, “also”; used for emphasis
32. 你 (nǐ / 75.2) – pron., “you”, “yourself”; “your” (used with 的 de)
33. 对 (duì / 74.9) – adj., “right”, “correct”; “opposite”; vb., “to answer”, “to reply”; prep. “with regard to”
34. 生 (shēng / 74.5) – vb., “to bear”, “to give birth to”; n., “student”; adj., “alive”, “living”; “unripe”, “raw”
35. 能 (néng / 74.2) – vb., “can”, “could”, “be able to”; n., “ability”, “skill”; “energy”; adj., “capable”, “able”
36. 而 (ér / 73.8) – conj., “and”, “as well as”, “to”
37. 子 (zǐ / 73.5) – n., “son”, “child”; “person”; “copper”; adj., “young”, “tender”, “small”; “affiliated”
38. 那 (nà / 73.2) – pron., “that”, “then”
39. 得 (dé / 72.8) – vb., “to get”, “to obtain”; “to be satisfied”; “to be suitable”; (of calculation) “result in”, “equal”
40. 于 (yú / 72.5) – prep., “in”, “on”, “at”; “from”; “by”

 

Tier 5

41. 着 (zhe / 72.2) – particle added to a verb or an adjective to indicate a continued action
42. 下 (xià / 71.9) – prep., “below”, “under”; vb., “to go down”; “to come”; adv., “down”; n., “next” (in order)
43. 自 (zì / 71.6) – pron., “self”; prep., “from”, “since”; adv., “of course”, “certainly”
44. 之 (zhī / 71.2)  – particle used between an attribute and the word it modifies
45. 年 (nián / 70.9) – n., “year”; “age”; adj., “annually”, “yearly”
46. 过 (guò / 70.6) – vb., “to cross”, “to pass”; “to exceed”; “to spend” (time); adv., “too”
47. 发 (fā / 70.3) – vb., “to give”, “issue”, “emit”; “to start”; “to feel”; “to shoot”; measure word for bullets and shells
48. 后 (hòu / 70.0) – n., “behind”, “back”, “rear”; “after”; “later”; “last”
49. 作 (zuò / 69.8) – vb., “to write”, “to compose”; “to regard as”; n., “writings”; “work”
50. 里 (lǐ / 69.5) – prep., “in”, “inside”; n., “inner”; “hometown”; “neighborhood”; measure word unit of length

 

Tier 6

51. 用 (yòng / 69.2) – vb., “to use”, “to apply”; “to consume”, “to drink”, “to eat”; n., “expenses”; adj., “utility”, “use”
52. 道 (dào / 68.9) – n., “road”, “way”; “method”; “Taoism”; vb., “to say”, “to speak”; measure word for long, narrow objects; doors, walls; questions, orders; courses in a meal
53. 行 (xíng / 68.7) – vb., “to go”; “to travel”; “to cover”; “to do”; “to perform”; “to publish”; n., “conduct”
54. 所 (suǒ 68.4) – n., “place”; “office”; measure word for houses, schools, hospitals
55. 然 (rán / 68.1) – adj., “right”, “correct”; adv., “so”, “like that”
56. 家 (jiā / 67.9) – n., “family”; “house”; “household”, “home”; “an expert”
57. 种 (zhòng / 67.6) – vb., “to grow”, “to plant”; “to cultivate”; “to sow”
58. 事 (shì / 67.3) – n., “matter”, “affair”, “business”; “work”, “job”; “trouble”, “accident”; “involvement”, “responsibility”
59. 成 (chéng / 67.1) – vb., “to accomplish”, “to succeed”; “to turn into”, “to become”; n., “result”, “achievement”
60. 方 (fāng / 66.8) – n., “square”; “direction”; “place”, “locality”; “side”; “party”

 

Tier 7

61. 多 (duō / 66.6) – adj., “a lot of”, “many”, “more”; vb., “to have more”; adv., “to what extent”
62. 经 (jīng / 66.3) – vb., “to manage”, “to deal with”; “to pass through”, “undergo”, “experience”; “bear”; adj., “regular”, “constant”; prep., “after”
63. 么 (me / 66.1) – suffix for certain characters (pron. 什么 shenme, “what”; 那么 nàme, “then”, “like that”)
64. 去 (qù / 65.8) – vb., “to go”; “to go to a place”; “to remove”;
65. 法 (fǎ / 65.5) – n., “law”; “method”; “way”; “standard”; “model”
66. 学 (xué / 65.4) – vb., “to study”, “to learn”; “to imitate”, “to mimic”; n., “school”, “college”
67. 如 (rú / 65.1) – vb., “to like”, “as”, “if”; “for instance”; conj., “if”
68. 都 (dōu / 64.9) – adv., “all”, “both”; “even”; “already”
69. 同 (tóng / 64.7) – vb., “to be the same as”; adv., “together”, “in common”; preposition used for comparison
70. 现 (xiàn / 64.4) – vb., “to show”, “to appear”, “to become visible”; adj., “present”, “current”; n., “cash”, “money”

 

Tier 8

71. 当 (dāng / 64.2) – vb., “should”; “to act as”; “to accept”; “to deserve”; prep., “just at”
72. 没 (méi / 64.0) – vb., “to be without”; “to not have”; adv., “not”
73. 动 (dòng / 63.8) – vb., “to move”; “to use”; “to touch”; “to arouse”
74. 面 (miàn / 63.6) – n., “noodle”; “face”; “surface”; measure word for flat things
75. 起 (qǐ / 63.3) – vb., “to rise”, “to get up”; “to grow”, “to begin”; adj., “upward”, “up”
76. 看 (kàn / 63.1) – vb., “to see”, “to look at”, “to watch over”; “to look after”, “to tend”
77. 定 (dìng / 62.9) – vb., “to decide”, “to fix”, “to set”; “to subscribe”; adj., “calm”, “stable”; adv., “surely”, “definitely”
78. 天 (tiān / 62.7) – n., “sky”, “heaven”; “weather”; “time of day”
79. 分 (fēn / 62.5) – vb., “to divide”, “to part”, “to separate”; “to allot”, “to distribute”, “to assign”; measure word for minute, cent, fraction, point, mark
80. 还 (hái / 62.3) – adv., “still”, “yet”; “even more”; “also”, “too”; “even”

 

Tier 9

81. 进 (jìn / 62.0) – vb., “to advance”, “to move forward”; “to enter”, “to get into”
82. 好 (hǎo / 61.8) – adj., “good”, “fine”, “well”; “done”
83. 小 (xiǎo / 61.6) – adj., “small”, “little”, “minor”; “young”, “youngest”; “a bit”
84. 部 (bù / 61.4) – n., “part”, “section”; “headquarters”, “department”; measure word for machines, vehicles; films
85. 其 (qí / 61.2) – pron., “his”, “her”, “its”, “their”; “he”, “she”, “it”, “they”; “that”, “such”
86. 些 (xiē / 61.0) – measure word some, few; a little more
87. 主 (zhǔ / 60.8) – n., “host”; “master”; “owner”; adj., “main”; v., “to manage”, “to take charge”
88. 样 (yàng / 60.6) – n., “appearance”, “shape”; “sample”, “pattern”; “type”
89. 理 (lǐ / 60.4) – n., “reason”, “logic”, “truth”; vb., “to manage”, “to run”; “to put in order”
90. 心 (xīn / 60.2) – n., “heart”; “core”, “center”; “feeling”; “mind”; “intention”

 

Tier 10

91. 她 (tā / 60.0) – pron., “she”, “her”, “hers”
92. 本 (běn / 59.8) – n., “book”, “script”; adj., “current”; adv., “at first”, originally measure word for books
93. 前 (qián /59.6) – n., “front”; “forward”; “ahead”; “ago”; “before”
94. 开 (kāi / 59.4) – vb., “to open”, “to open up”; “to begin”, “to start”; “to operate”; “to hold” (a meeting)
95. 但 (dàn / 59.2) – conj., “but”, “still”, “yet”; adv., “only”
96. 因 (yīn / 59.0) – prep., “because of”; n., “cause”, “reason”
97. 只 (zhǐ / 58.8) – adv., “only”, “merely”, “just”, “but”
98. 从 (cóng / 58.6) – prep., “from”, “through”, “past”; vb., “to follow”; “to comply”, “to obey”
99. 想 (xiǎng / 58.4) – vb., “to think”, “to ponder”; “to miss”; “to want” (doing something)
100. 实 (shí / 58.2) – adj., “solid”; “real”, “true”; “factual”; n., “reality”, “fact”; “fruit”; “seed”

There’s an alternative list of the first 100 characters in order of frequency (link in .pdf), and another with 300 characters and their definitions. This can be a great way to kill time while on the subway or during long travels!

This post originally appeared on www.beijing-kids.com. 

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