HSK 1: what the level covers and what it asks of you
Greetings, names, numbers, family and the first everyday sentences.
This page describes HSK 1as it is recorded in HSK Guide’s curriculum data, part of the HSK 1–4 (classic) ladder. Vocabulary, grammar and reading below are the material HSK Guide actually holds for this level — not a copy of any examination paper.
Can-do statements
What you should be able to do at HSK 1
These descriptors are held per skill in the curriculum record, so a plan can be built against the skill you are actually behind on.
- Listening
Understand very short, slowly spoken exchanges about yourself and immediate needs.
- Reading
Read familiar words and set phrases supported by pinyin.
Vocabulary explorer
Vocabulary on the HSK 1 list
HSK Guide currently holds 155 published words labelled HSK 1. Every entry links to its full dictionary page with audio, examples and character breakdown.
- 的de (neutral tone)
possessive and modifying particle: ’s, of
- 了le (neutral tone)
marks a completed action (after the verb)
- 是shì (fourth tone, falling)
to be (A is B)
- 不bù (fourth tone, falling)
not (negates verbs, adjectives and modal verbs)
- 个個ge (neutral tone)
general measure word
- 人rén (second tone, rising)
person, people
- 我wǒ (third tone, dipping)
I, me
- 他tā (first tone, high and level)
he, him
- 一yī (first tone, high and level)
one
- 在zài (fourth tone, falling)
to be at, to be in (a place)
- 这這zhè (fourth tone, falling)
this, these
- 有yǒu (third tone, dipping)
to have, to possess
- 和hé (second tone, rising)
and (joining nouns)
- 上shàng (fourth tone, falling)
on, on top of, above
- 大dà (fourth tone, falling)
big, large
- 说說shuō (first tone, high and level)
to say, to speak
- 我们我們wǒmen (third tone, dipping)
we, us
- 们們men (neutral tone)
plural suffix for pronouns and words for people
- 来來lái (second tone, rising)
to come
- 那nà (fourth tone, falling)
that, those
- 会會huì (fourth tone, falling)
can, to know how to (a learned skill)
- 你nǐ (third tone, dipping)
you (one person)
- 好hǎo (third tone, dipping)
good, fine, well
- 都dōu (first tone, high and level)
all, both, every one of them
Showing 24 of 155.
How level labels work. A word belongs to a level through a separate membership record, one per standard, each carrying its own source. HSK Guide never merges the lists of two standards or renumbers one into the other — see how the inventories are kept apart.
Grammar library
Grammar patterns at HSK 1
Each pattern carries its structure formula, a plain-language explanation, sentences that are wrong and why, and a contrast with what it is usually confused with.
- Yes/no questions with 吗“吗”疑问句
陈述句 + 吗？
Take any statement, add 吗 at the very end, and it becomes a yes/no question. Nothing else moves.
questioning - 是 sentences: saying what something is“是”字句
主语 + 是 + 名词（短语）
是 (shì) joins two nouns: “A is B”. Use it for names, jobs, nationalities and identifying things — never before an adjective.
identification - Adjectival predicates with 很形容词谓语句
主语 + 很 + 形容词
A Chinese adjective can be the whole predicate — no verb needed. It normally takes 很 in front, which here is just a linker, not “very”.
description - Number + measure word + noun数词 + 量词 + 名词
数词／这·那 + 量词 + 名词
You cannot count a Chinese noun directly. A measure word must sit between the number (or 这/那) and the noun; 个 is the default.
quantification - Question words: 什么, 谁, 哪儿, 几, 多少疑问代词：什么／谁／哪儿／几／多少
主语 + 动词 + 疑问词？（疑问词占答语中信息的位置）
A question word simply takes the slot where the answer will go — nothing is moved to the front, and 吗 is never added.
questioning - Negation: 不 versus 没(有)“不”和“没(有)”
不 + 动词/形容词（现在、习惯、将来） ｜ 没(有) + 动词（过去未发生）
Use 不 for what you don’t do, don’t want or won’t do, and for adjectives. Use 没(有) to say something did not happen — and always with 有.
negation
Graded stories
Reading written for HSK 1
Texts chosen so that you already know most of the words before you start.
- 医院在哪儿？
Which Way to the Hospital?
A friend of Amine’s has been taken to hospital and Amine does not know the city yet. He stops a man in the street, discovers that the hospital is behind the shop rather than in front of it, is told to take a taxi, and spots one waiting a few steps away. Sixteen short turns, every word from the HSK 1 list.
1 min readtransport - 买水果
Buying Fruit at the Shop
A Saturday errand told in the third person: Xiaoming goes to the fruit shop with his mother, picks out the apples he likes, hears the price and gets to eat one in the afternoon. Fourteen sentences, every word drawn from the HSK 1 list.
2 min readshopping
Mock examinations
Practice examinations available at HSK 1
Timed practice written for HSK Guide. The length, the timing and the scoring are our own practice settings rather than an official paper — every attempt ends with a gap analysis.
HSK 1 full practice paper
Forty minutes in two parts — twelve listening items and twelve reading items — for beginners who want a sitting long enough to feel like the real thing. Everything here is original HSK Guide material, built from the words and patterns a first-level learner meets. This is not an official paper: the length, the timing and the scoring are HSK Guide’s own practice settings, and the result is an estimate of where you stand, not an examination score.
Full mock examination40 minutes24 questionsHSK 1 listening drill
Fifteen minutes of listening only, at first-level difficulty: names, numbers, times, prices, family and simple statements about what someone does or does not do. Use it between full papers, when the gap report says the problem is in your ear rather than in your reading. Everything here is original HSK Guide material and this is not an official paper.
Section practice15 minutes15 questionsHSK 1 mini diagnostic
Twenty minutes of original HSK Guide practice items at beginner level. The listening and reading parts follow the format beginners are used to; the third part isolates sentence structure, so the gap report can tell a missing word from a missing rule. This is not an official paper, and the result is HSK Guide’s own estimate of where you stand — not an examination score.
Mini diagnostic20 minutes20 questions
This is unofficial practice material written for HSK Guide. It is not a past paper and is not endorsed by any examination authority.
hours
How long this level takes
The curriculum record for HSK 1 states a cumulative estimate of 60 study hours from a standing start. The table converts that into calendar time at three daily budgets.
| Daily study | Per week | Time to HSK 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 min | 2 hours | ~26 weeks |
| 45 min | 5 hours | ~11 weeks |
| 90 min | 11 hours | ~6 weeks |
An estimate, not a promise. It assumes you study on most days, that you are starting from no Chinese at all, and that review time is included. Learners with a background in another Chinese variety, or with characters already in place, routinely move faster. The placement test replaces this table with an estimate based on what you actually recall.
Frequently asked questions
How many words does HSK 1 cover?
HSK Guide's curriculum record for HSK 1 states a target of 150 words, taken from Official HSK examination information. HSK 1 is the first level of its ladder, so every one of them is new here. This figure has been transcribed but not yet verified by an editor against the primary document, and HSK Guide labels it as such wherever it appears. HSK Guide currently holds 155 published entries labelled HSK 1, which are the words tagged at this level.
Is HSK 1 part of the same ladder as the other HSK levels?
HSK 1 belongs to the HSK 1–4 (classic) track. HSK Guide keeps each standard's vocabulary, grammar and level labels in a separate inventory, so a level number in one ladder is never treated as equivalent to the same number in another.
Can I practise HSK 1 for free?
Yes. At HSK 1 that means the 155-word HSK 1 list published on HSK Guide, the 6 grammar points filed under this level and the 2 graded texts on this page, all readable without signing in. The dictionary, the character explorer and the radical library are open without an account, and a daily allowance of reviews, quizzes and tutor messages is included on the free plan; Pro removes the daily limits and unlocks the full mock examinations.
How long does it take to reach HSK 1?
The curriculum record states a cumulative estimate of 60 study hours from no Chinese at all — roughly 11 weeks at 45 minutes a day. It is an estimate rather than a promise, and the placement test replaces it with one based on what you actually recall.
Does HSK Guide have a HSK 1 practice test?
Yes — 3 practice examinations are published at this level. Every item is original material written for HSK Guide. It is not a past paper and is not endorsed by any examination authority.
Is HSK Guide affiliated with the HSK 1 examination?
No. HSK Guide is an independent preparation platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Chinese Testing International or the official HSK examination authorities. Registration, scoring and the current level requirements are decided by the examination authority — confirm them with your own test centre.
Are you actually at HSK 1?
The placement test measures vocabulary, listening, reading, grammar and tones, then builds your first seven days.