HSK 1 tests exactly 150 words — nothing more. That small, fixed list is your biggest advantage: if you know all 150, no question on the exam can surprise you with an unknown word. Below, the list is broken into the groups that matter most, with representative words and an example sentence for each group.
Pronouns and people
我 (I, me), 你 (you), 他 (he, him), 她 (she, her), 我们 (we, us). Note that 他 and 她 sound identical — tā — so in listening questions you must rely on context.
她是我的老师。She is my teacher.
Numbers
一 (one), 二 (two), 三 (three), 四 (four), 十 (ten), 零 (zero). Numbers appear constantly in listening — prices, times, dates. Drill the difference between 四 (sì, four) and 十 (shí, ten), the most common discrimination trap.
这个二十块钱。This costs twenty yuan.
Question words
什么 (what), 哪儿 (where), 谁 (who), 几 (how many), 多少 (how much). Question words anchor listening dialogues: hear the question word and you already know what kind of detail to listen for.
你叫什么名字？What is your name?
Time words
今天 (today), 明天 (tomorrow), 现在 (now), 上午 (morning), 点 (o'clock). Combine 点 with numbers to tell the time — a guaranteed listening topic.
现在下午三点。It is three o'clock in the afternoon now.
Family
爸爸 (dad), 妈妈 (mom), 儿子 (son), 女儿 (daughter), 家 (family, home). Family vocabulary shows up in both picture-matching questions and short dialogues.
我妈妈是医生。My mom is a doctor.
Places
学校 (school), 医院 (hospital), 商店 (shop), 饭店 (restaurant), 家 (home). Place words often pair with 在 (to be at) or 去 (to go).
他在学校学习。He studies at school.
Food and drink
吃 (to eat), 喝 (to drink), 米饭 (rice), 水 (water), 茶 (tea), 苹果 (apple). Ordering food is a core HSK 1 scenario — learn the verb–noun pairs together: 吃饭, 喝水, 喝茶.
我想喝茶。I would like to drink tea.
High-frequency verbs
是 (to be), 有 (to have), 在 (to be at), 去 (to go), 看 (to look, to read), 买 (to buy), 做 (to do), 学 (to study), 喜欢 (to like). These verbs form the backbone of almost every HSK 1 sentence.
我喜欢看电影。I like watching movies.
How to learn the list
Prioritize recognition over handwriting. The HSK 1 exam is multiple choice, so your goal is to recognize each word instantly — by sound for listening and by characters for reading — not to write it from memory. Learn words in scene-based groups like the ones above rather than alphabetically: your brain recalls 饭店 much faster when it is stored next to 去 and 在. Finally, always learn words inside sentences. A word you have only seen on a flashcard is much easier to miss at full listening speed.