Most Frequently used Chinese Characters

by Eamonn O'Brien-Strain, based on Jun Da's lists.

Loading ...
de di´di`
(possessive particle)/of, really and truly, aim/clear
Loading ...
yi¯
one/1/single/a(n)
Loading ...
shi`
is/are/am/yes/to be
Loading ...
bu`bu´
(negative prefix)/not/no
Loading ...
le liao˘liao`
(modal particle intensifying preceding clause)/(completed action marker), to know/to understand/to know, clear, look afar from a high place
Loading ...
zai`
(located) at/in/exist
Loading ...
ren´
man/person/people
Loading ...
you˘
to have/there is/there are/to exist/to be
Loading ...
wo˘
I/me/myself
Loading ...
ta¯
he/him
Loading ...
zhe`zhei`
this/these, this/these/(sometimes used before a measure word, especially in Beijing)
Loading ...
ge`
(a measure word)/individual
Loading ...
men
(plural marker for pronouns and a few animate nouns)
Loading ...
zhong¯zhong`
within/among/in/middle/center/while (doing sth)/during/China/Chinese, hit (the mark)
Loading ...
lai´
to come
Loading ...
shang`
on/on top/upon/first (of two parts)/previous or last (week, etc.)/upper/higher/above/previous/to climb/to go into/above/to go up
Loading ...
da`dai`
big/huge/large/major/great/wide/deep/oldest/eldest, doctor
Loading ...
wei´wei`
act as/take...to be/to be/to do/to serve as/to become, because of/for/to
Loading ...
he´he`huo´huo`
and/together with/with/peace/harmony/union, cap (a poem)/respond in singing, soft/warm, mix together/to blend
Loading ...
guo´
country/state/nation
Loading ...
de di`
(subor. part. adverbial)/-ly, earth/ground/field/place/land
Loading ...
dao`
to (a place)/until (a time)/up to/to go/to arrive
Loading ...
yi˘
to use/according to/so as to/in order to/by/with/because/Israel (abbrev.)
Loading ...
shui`shuo¯
persuade (politically), to speak/to say
Loading ...
shi´
o'clock/time/when/hour/season/period
Loading ...
yao¯yao`
demand/ask/request/coerce, important/vital/to want/to be going to/must
Loading ...
jiu`
at once/then/right away/only/(emphasis)/to approach/to move towards/to undertake
Loading ...
chu¯
to go out/to come out/to occur/to produce/to go beyond/to rise/to put forth/to occur/to happen/(a measure word for dramas, plays, or operas)
Loading ...
hui`kuai`
can/be possible/be able to/to assemble/to meet/to gather/to see/union/group/association, to balance an account/accounting
Loading ...
ke˘
can/may/able to/certain(ly)/to suit/(particle used for emphasis)
Loading ...
ye˘
also/too
Loading ...
ni˘
you
Loading ...
dui`
couple/pair/to be opposite/to oppose/to face/for/to/correct (answer)/to answer/to reply/to direct (towards sth)/right
Loading ...
sheng¯
to be born/to give birth/life/to grow
Loading ...
neng´
can/may/capable/energy/able
Loading ...
er´
and/as well as/but (not)/yet (not)/(shows causal relation)/(shows change of state)/(shows contrast)
Loading ...
zi˘zi
11 p.m.-1 a.m./1st earthly branch/child/midnight/son/child/seed/egg/small thing, (noun suff.)
Loading ...
na˘na`nei`
how/which, that/those, that/those/(sometimes used before a measure word, especially in Beijing)
Loading ...
de´de dei˘
obtain/get/gain/proper/suitable/proud/contented/allow/permit/ready/finished, a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect/degree or possibility, to have to/must/ought to/to need to
Loading ...
yu´
(surname), in/at/to/from/by/than/out of
Loading ...
zhao¯zhao´zhe zhu`zhuo´
catch/receive/suffer, part. indicates the successful result of a verb/to touch/to come in contact with/to feel/to be affected by/to catch fire/to fall asleep/to burn, -ing part. (indicates an action in progress)/part. coverb-forming after some verbs, to make known/to show/to prove/to write/book/outstanding, to wear (clothes)/to contact/to use/to apply
Loading ...
xia`
under/second (of two parts)/next (week, etc.)/lower/below/underneath/down(wards)/to decline/to go down/latter
Loading ...
zi`
from/self/oneself/since
Loading ...
zhi¯
(literary equivalent of 的)/(subor. part.)/him/her/it
Loading ...
nian´
year
Loading ...
guo`
(experienced action marker)/to cross/to go over/to pass (time)/to celebrate (a holiday)/to live/to get along/(surname)/excessively/too-
Loading ...
fa¯fa`
to send out/to show (one's feeling)/to issue/to develop, hair
Loading ...
hou`
empress/queen/surname, back/behind/rear/afterwards/after/later
Loading ...
zuo`
to regard as/to take (somebody) for/to do/to make
Loading ...
li˘
inside/internal/interior, village/within/inside, Chinese mile/neighborhood/li, a Chinese unit of length = one-half kilometer/hometown
Creative Commons License This work by Eamonn O'Brien-Strain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License . The english translations and the images are copyright their respective copyright owners.