你好
ni hao
hello
你好，我叫 Anna.
Essential Chinese vocabulary
Chinese basic words every beginner should know
Start with practical Mandarin words you can actually use. Each word includes pinyin, a plain meaning, a short example, and a way to explore the word more deeply.
Starter word map
你好
谢谢
今天
喜欢
朋友
学校
Basic words become more useful when you learn how they sound, where they appear, and what feeling they carry in real sentences.
A better way to use a Chinese word list
Do not try to memorize every word at once. Pick a small group, say the examples aloud, then choose the one word that feels most useful today. That is the word worth exploring deeply.
25 basic Chinese words with pinyin and examples
These words are common enough for beginners, but still rich enough to show how Chinese vocabulary works in real sentences.
People and greetings
Time and daily life
Food and places
Actions
Feelings and descriptions
Turn one basic word into a real memory
A word list tells you what a word means. A better learning session shows pronunciation, examples, nuance, and a memory image you can return to later.