HSK 3.0 Syllabus

HSK 1 Syllabus: Topics, Tasks, and Grammar

Easy words, sneaky grammar. HSK 1 is 300 everyday words, from 你好 to 再见, and most beginners pick them up fast. People get stuck on the grammar: three ways to say “can” (会, 能, 可以), verbs that split in two like 睡觉, and two different uses of 了. Spend your practice there.

What HSK 1 sounds like

  • Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

    你叫什么名字？

    What's your name?

  • Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Zhōngwén.

    我会说一点儿中文。

    I can speak a little Chinese.

  • Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi shuǐ.

    我去商店买水。

    I'm going to the shop to buy water.

Read HSK 1 stories
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300

words

246

characters to read

34

grammar points

30

topics

15

can-do tasks

80–150

study hours

2-minute readiness check

Do you understand this?

1 / 8

你叫什么名字？

HSK 1 grammar points

34 official points. These five are where HSK 1 learners actually get stuck.

  1. 1

    Three ways to say “can”

    Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.

    我会说中文。

    I can speak Chinese.

    Wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèr ma?

    我可以坐这儿吗？

    Can I sit here?

    会 · 能 · 可以会 is a learned skill, 能 is being able to right now, 可以 is being allowed.

    Common mistake: Using 会 for permission: say 我可以坐这儿吗？, not 我会坐这儿吗？

  2. 2

    了 means two different things

    Wǒ chī le fàn.

    我吃了饭。

    I ate.

    Xiàyǔ le.

    下雨了。

    It's started raining.

    动词 + 了 · ……了After a verb it says the action happened; at the end of a sentence it says something changed.

    Common mistake: 了 is not a past tense: 我昨天很忙 needs no 了.

  3. 3

    Count with the right measure word

    Wǒ hē liǎng bēi shuǐ.

    我喝两杯水。

    I drink two cups of water.

    Wǒ yǒu sān běn shū.

    我有三本书。

    I have three books.

    数词 + 量词 + 名词A measure word sits between the number and the noun: 个 for most things, 本 for books, 件 for clothes.

    Common mistake: Dropping it: 三书 is wrong, 三本书 is right. And “two” is 两 here, not 二.

  4. 4

    Say what's happening right now

    Tā zhèngzài kànshū ne.

    他正在看书呢。

    He's reading right now.

    在 / 正在 + 动词 + 呢Put 在 or 正在 before the verb, often with 呢 at the end.

  5. 5

    Two actions in a row

    Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi shuǐ.

    我去商店买水。

    I go to the shop to buy water.

    去 + 地方 + 动词Chain verbs to say where you go and why. You don't need a word for “to” or “in order to”.

What can you do after HSK 1?

The 15 official tasks, each as the tiny conversation it means. Tick the ones you could have yourself.

  • Introduce yourself

    Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

    你叫什么名字？

    What's your name?

    Wǒ jiào Wáng Míng, wǒ shì Zhōngguórén.

    我叫王明，我是中国人。

    I'm Wang Ming. I'm Chinese.

  • Ask when and where

    Wǒmen shénme shíhou qù?

    我们什么时候去？

    When are we going?

    Wǎnshang qī diǎn.

    晚上七点。

    Seven in the evening.

  • Talk about things

    Zhè shì shéi de shū?

    这是谁的书？

    Whose book is this?

    Shì wǒ de.

    是我的。

    It's mine.

  • Talk about the weather

    Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng?

    今天天气怎么样？

    What's the weather like today?

    Hěn rè.

    很热。

    Very hot.

  • Describe a place

    Nǐmen xuéxiào dà ma?

    你们学校大吗？

    Is your school big?

    Hěn xiǎo, yě hěn xīn.

    很小，也很新。

    Small, and quite new.

  • Greet, thank and say sorry

    Xièxie nǐ!

    谢谢你！

    Thank you!

    Búkèqi.

    不客气。

    You're welcome.

0 of 15 ticked · saved on this device

HSK 1 topics

The 30 official topics, each with one sentence you could say about it.

Basic information 基本信息

  • Name, nationality, age, gender, likes, habits

    Wǒ jīnnián èrshí suì, xǐhuan hēchá.

    我今年二十岁，喜欢喝茶。

    I'm twenty this year and I like tea.

  • Identity, family members, friends, skills

    Wǒ shì xuésheng, wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Zhōngwén.

    我是学生，我会说一点儿中文。

    I'm a student. I can speak a little Chinese.

  • Date, time, place, direction, participants, numbers

    Wǒmen míngtiān shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn zài xuéxiào jiàn.

    我们明天上午九点在学校见。

    See you at school at nine tomorrow morning.

  • Object names

    Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yígè bēizi.

    桌子上有一个杯子。

    There's a cup on the table.

  • Object features

    Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn xīn, yě hěn hǎokàn.

    这件衣服很新，也很好看。

    These clothes are new, and nice too.

  • Weather

    Jīntiān xiàyǔ le, yǒudiǎnr lěng.

    今天下雨了，有点儿冷。

    It's raining today, and a bit cold.

  • Environment features

    Zhège chāoshì hěn dà, dōngxi yě duō.

    这个超市很大，东西也多。

    This supermarket is big and has lots of things.

Daily life 日常生活

  • Basic polite behavior

    Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le.

    对不起，我来晚了。

    Sorry I'm late.

  • Simple interaction behavior

    Nǐ kěyǐ zàishuō yíxià ma?

    你可以再说一下吗？

    Could you say that again?

  • Wishes and feelings

    Wǒ hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

    我很高兴认识你。

    I'm very happy to meet you.

  • Food and drinks

    Wǒ xiǎng hē niúnǎi.

    我想喝牛奶。

    I'd like some milk.

  • Eating meals

    Wǒmen qù fàndiàn chīfàn ba.

    我们去饭店吃饭吧。

    Let's go eat at a restaurant.

  • Asking directions

    Qǐngwèn, yīyuàn zài nǎr?

    请问，医院在哪儿？

    Excuse me, where is the hospital?

  • Ways of traveling

    Wǒ zuò chūzūchē shàngbān.

    我坐出租车上班。

    I take a taxi to work.

  • Travel arrangements

    Wǒmen xiàwǔ zuò fēijī qù Běijīng.

    我们下午坐飞机去北京。

    We're flying to Beijing this afternoon.

  • Product names

    Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yí jiàn yīfu.

    我想买一件衣服。

    I want to buy some clothes.

  • Product prices

    Zhège píngguǒ duōshao qián?

    这个苹果多少钱？

    How much is this apple?

  • Choosing products

    Wǒ yào zhège, búyào nàge.

    我要这个，不要那个。

    I want this one, not that one.

  • Being sick, seeing a doctor, visiting the sick

    Tā bìng le, wǒ qù yīyuàn kàn tā.

    他病了，我去医院看他。

    He's sick, so I'm visiting him in hospital.

  • Leisure activities

    Wǒ xǐhuan zàijiā kàn diànshì.

    我喜欢在家看电视。

    I like watching TV at home.

Education 教育情况

  • Course information

    Xīngqīyī wǒmen yǒu Zhōngwén kè.

    星期一我们有中文课。

    We have Chinese on Monday.

  • Study content

    Wǒ zài xuéxí hànzì.

    我在学习汉字。

    I'm learning characters.

  • Education level

    Wǒ gēge shì dàxuéshēng.

    我哥哥是大学生。

    My older brother is a university student.

  • School situation

    Wǒmen xuéxiào yǒu hěn duō lǎoshī.

    我们学校有很多老师。

    Our school has a lot of teachers.

  • After-class activities

    Xiàkè le, wǒmen qù péngyou jiā wán.

    下课了，我们去朋友家玩。

    After class we go to a friend's place.

Work life 职场生活

  • Work information

    Wǒ bàba zǎoshang bā diǎn shàngbān.

    我爸爸早上八点上班。

    My dad starts work at eight in the morning.

  • Work evaluation

    Wǒ hěn xǐhuan wǒ de gōngzuò.

    我很喜欢我的工作。

    I really like my job.

  • Types of occupations

    Wǒ māma shì yīshēng.

    我妈妈是医生。

    My mum is a doctor.

Culture and tradition 文化与传统

  • Chinese food

    Wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī bāozi hé miàntiáor.

    我很喜欢吃包子和面条儿。

    I love baozi and noodles.

  • Traditional drinks

    Zhōngguórén hěn xǐhuan hēchá.

    中国人很喜欢喝茶。

    Chinese people love tea.

The 246 HSK 1 characters

The characters HSK 1 adds, from the official list. Each level adds its own set. Tap one for its pinyin, meaning and the HSK 1 words that use it. Handwriting starts later: 100 characters to write by the end of HSK 2.

All 300 HSK 1 words →

Pinyin, meanings and examples from our stories.

HSK 1 practice test →

Timed questions in the HSK 3.0 format, scored instantly.

Free HSK 1 Anki deck →

Every word with audio, for spaced review.

Stories to start with

Every one has word-level pinyin, narrated audio and tap-to-define.

Browse all HSK 1 stories →

Study tips

  • Slow down on the grammar, not the wordsThe 300 words come naturally from reading and listening. HSK 1 front-loads the hard grammar, so that is where deliberate practice actually pays off.
  • Drill measure words earlyHSK 1 introduces nine noun measure words / classifiers (个, 本, 块, 件, 只, 口, and more). Chinese needs one to count nouns, so getting them into your ear now saves confusion at every later level.
  • Learn the two 了s as two separate thingsHSK 1 uses 了 for both completed actions and changes of state. Treating them as one word trips up a lot of learners, so practice them as two separate patterns from the start.
  • Expect separable verbsWords like 睡觉, 说话, and 生病 split apart in real sentences (睡了一个好觉). Knowing that at HSK 1 keeps them from ambushing you later.

Related syllabus resources

Next levelHSK 2 syllabus197 new words. Grammar points: 34 → 75.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the full HSK 1 syllabus?

This page represents the full compact HSK 1 topic, task, and grammar syllabus from the local extracted HSK 3.0 source files. It keeps the official Chinese labels and adds English summaries for readability.

What does HSK 1 cover beyond vocabulary?

HSK 1 covers basic personal information, dates and places, simple objects, weather, daily interactions, food, directions, shopping, health basics, school, work, and Chinese food culture.

Does HSK 1 mean conversational fluency?

No. HSK 1 is a starting point. It maps the basic topics, tasks, and grammar that 300 words can support, but it does not imply free conversation across daily life.

Is there an official HSK 1 syllabus PDF?

Yes. The official HSK 3.0 examination syllabus PDF covers vocabulary, characters, topics, tasks and grammar for all levels. The lists on this page come from that source. Official syllabus PDF