Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Chinese vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
You will start with everyday Chinese words like the food (食物), the drink (饮料), the cup (杯子) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Chinese | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | 食物 | The food is delicious. 食物很好吃。 |
| the drink | 饮料 | I want a drink. 我想要饮料。 |
| the cup | 杯子 | The cup is full. 杯子是满的。 |
| the bottle | 瓶子 | The bottle is empty. 瓶子是空的。 |
| the plate | 盘子 | The plate is clean. 盘子很干净。 |
| the spoon | 勺子 | I use a spoon. 我用勺子。 |
| the fork | 叉子 | I eat with a fork. 我用叉子吃饭。 |
| the knife | 刀 | The knife is sharp. 刀很锋利。 |
| the breakfast | 早餐 | I eat breakfast. 我吃早餐。 |
| the lunch | 午餐 | We have lunch at noon. 我们中午吃午餐。 |
| the dinner | 晚餐 | They eat dinner together. 他们一起吃晚餐。 |
| the bread | 面包 | I buy bread. 我买面包。 |
| the butter | 黄油 | I put butter on the bread. 我把黄油涂在面包上。 |
| the cheese | 奶酪 | I eat cheese. 我吃奶酪。 |
| the milk | 牛奶 | I drink milk. 我喝牛奶。 |
| the coffee | 咖啡 | I drink coffee in the morning. 我早上喝咖啡。 |
| the tea | 茶 | I like tea. 我喜欢茶。 |
| the juice | 果汁 | I drink juice. 我喝果汁。 |
| the soda | 汽水 | I drink soda. 我喝汽水。 |
| the rice | 米饭 | I eat rice. 我吃米饭。 |
Every word explained individually – with example sentence: Browse all 1000 words →
The 100 most important Chinese words →
The 100 most important Chinese verbs →
| to borrow | 借 |
| to buy | 购买 |
| to clean | 清洁 |
| to close | 关闭 |
| to cook | 烹饪 |
| to do | 做 |
| to drink | 喝 |
| to eat | 吃 |
| to find | 找到 |
| to get | 获得 |
| She is my friend | 她是我的朋友 |
| They have fun together | 他们一起玩得很开心 |
| We eat lunch together | 我们一起吃午餐 |
| She smiles a lot | 她笑得很频繁 |
| He tells funny jokes | 他讲有趣的笑话 |
| I visit my friends | 我去看望朋友 |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Chinese vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.