Learn Chinese, starting with the words that matter
9,939 Chinese words ranked by how often they actually appear — taught in that order, with spaced repetition so they stick.
9,939words
194grammar lessons
A1–C2CEFR levels
The first Chinese words you should know
Ranked by real usage frequency — number one is the single most common word in the language.
| # | Word | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 的
/tə/ |
of | particle |
| 2 | 了
/lə/ |
perfective aspect marker | particle |
| 3 | 我
/wɔ˨˩˦/ |
I | pronoun |
| 4 | 是
/ʂɨ⁵¹/ |
to be | verb |
| 5 | 你
/ni²¹⁴/ |
you | pronoun |
| 6 | 在
/tsaɪ⁵¹/ |
at | preposition |
| 7 | 不
/pu⁵¹/ |
not | adverb |
| 8 | 有
/joʊ˨˩˦/ |
have | verb |
| 9 | 他
/tʰa⁵⁵/ |
he | pronoun |
| 10 | 这
/ʈ͡ʂɤ⁵¹/ |
this | pronoun |
| 11 | 就
/tɕjoʊ̯⁵¹/ |
then | adverb |
| 12 | 个
/kɤ⁵¹/ |
general measure word | determiner |
The Chinese course, level by level
Grammar taught in CEFR order, each lesson with worked examples and a quiz.
A1
16 lessons
A2
16 lessons
B1
16 lessons
B2
16 lessons
C1
16 lessons
C2
17 lessons
How you'll actually learn Chinese
Frequency-first flashcards
Spaced repetition schedules each word for the moment you're about to forget it — so review time goes to what's actually slipping.
Read and watch real material
Graded readers, imported books, and YouTube with tap-to-translate. Every unknown word becomes a card.
An AI tutor that answers back
Chat, role-play a scene, or ask why a sentence works the way it does — at your level, any hour.