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HSK 1 core characters — free printable worksheets
The characters you meet first in every HSK 1 textbook, ordered by stroke count so the easy shapes come first.
86 characters · 8 sheets · A4 and US Letter
Why these 86
HSK 1 is the first rung of the standard Chinese proficiency test, and its character list is the most-taught vocabulary in the language. This sheet takes the core of it and reorders it: instead of the textbook's thematic order, the characters run from one stroke to thirteen, so your hand meets 一 and 人 long before 都 and 喝. If you are working through a class syllabus, print these alongside it rather than instead of it.
All 86 characters
| 一 | yī | one | 1 strokes |
| 二 | èr | two | 2 strokes |
| 七 | qī | seven | 2 strokes |
| 八 | bā | eight | 2 strokes |
| 九 | jiǔ | nine | 2 strokes |
| 十 | shí | ten | 2 strokes |
| 人 | rén | person | 2 strokes |
| 了 | le | completed-action particle | 2 strokes |
| 儿 | ér | child; son | 2 strokes |
| 三 | sān | three | 3 strokes |
| 大 | dà | big | 3 strokes |
| 小 | xiǎo | small | 3 strokes |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth | 3 strokes |
| 山 | shān | mountain | 3 strokes |
| 上 | shàng | above; up | 3 strokes |
| 下 | xià | below; down | 3 strokes |
| 女 | nǚ | woman | 3 strokes |
| 门 | mén | door; gate | 3 strokes |
| 五 | wǔ | five | 4 strokes |
| 六 | liù | six | 4 strokes |
| 日 | rì | sun; day | 4 strokes |
| 月 | yuè | moon; month | 4 strokes |
| 水 | shuǐ | water | 4 strokes |
| 中 | zhōng | middle; China | 4 strokes |
| 天 | tiān | sky; day | 4 strokes |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 strokes |
| 书 | shū | book | 4 strokes |
| 友 | yǒu | friend | 4 strokes |
| 开 | kāi | to open | 4 strokes |
| 少 | shǎo | few | 4 strokes |
| 今 | jīn | now; today | 4 strokes |
| 分 | fēn | minute; to divide | 4 strokes |
| 车 | chē | vehicle | 4 strokes |
| 四 | sì | four | 5 strokes |
| 本 | běn | root; origin; measure word for books | 5 strokes |
| 他 | tā | he; him | 5 strokes |
| 们 | men | plural marker | 5 strokes |
| 生 | shēng | to be born; life | 5 strokes |
| 写 | xiě | to write | 5 strokes |
| 去 | qù | to go | 5 strokes |
| 白 | bái | white | 5 strokes |
| 好 | hǎo | good | 6 strokes |
| 她 | tā | she; her | 6 strokes |
| 有 | yǒu | to have | 6 strokes |
| 在 | zài | at; in | 6 strokes |
| 会 | huì | can; to meet | 6 strokes |
| 字 | zì | character; word | 6 strokes |
| 名 | míng | name | 6 strokes |
| 吃 | chī | to eat | 6 strokes |
| 多 | duō | many | 6 strokes |
| 老 | lǎo | old | 6 strokes |
| 年 | nián | year | 6 strokes |
| 妈 | mā | mum | 6 strokes |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me | 7 strokes |
| 你 | nǐ | you | 7 strokes |
| 听 | tīng | to listen | 7 strokes |
| 来 | lái | to come | 7 strokes |
| 坐 | zuò | to sit | 7 strokes |
| 时 | shí | time | 7 strokes |
| 弟 | dì | younger brother | 7 strokes |
| 快 | kuài | fast; happy | 7 strokes |
| 饭 | fàn | cooked rice; a meal | 7 strokes |
| 的 | de | possessive particle | 8 strokes |
| 和 | hé | and; with | 8 strokes |
| 学 | xué | to study | 8 strokes |
| 朋 | péng | friend | 8 strokes |
| 明 | míng | bright; next | 8 strokes |
| 国 | guó | country | 8 strokes |
| 爸 | bà | dad | 8 strokes |
| 姐 | jiě | older sister | 8 strokes |
| 妹 | mèi | younger sister | 8 strokes |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog | 8 strokes |
| 杯 | bēi | cup | 8 strokes |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result | 8 strokes |
| 是 | shì | to be | 9 strokes |
| 说 | shuō | to speak | 9 strokes |
| 看 | kàn | to look | 9 strokes |
| 点 | diǎn | dot; o'clock | 9 strokes |
| 茶 | chá | tea | 9 strokes |
| 面 | miàn | face; noodles | 9 strokes |
| 爱 | ài | to love | 10 strokes |
| 家 | jiā | home; family | 10 strokes |
| 哥 | gē | older brother | 10 strokes |
| 猫 | māo | cat | 11 strokes |
| 菜 | cài | vegetable; dish | 11 strokes |
| 喝 | hē | to drink | 12 strokes |
Questions people ask
No — this is the core subset, expanded as the character database grows. The full list runs to 300 characters under HSK 3.0.
The 2021 standard, HSK 3.0. The older HSK 2.0 level one was a much shorter list of 150 words.