TOCFL Novice 1 Vocabulary List (Traditional Chinese)

華語文能力測驗 TOCFL 入門 Novice 1 詞彙 (cíhuì) — with pinyin + short, usable sentences.

Need the TOCFL Novice 1 words in Traditional Chinese—but also want sentences you can actually say? Here you go: the full Novice 1 list with pinyin (tone marks), clear English, and quick examples that sound like real life (not textbook cosplay).

Also: this page is part of the bigger TOCFL map. If you want the full ladder (vocab + grammar), jump to the hub: TOCFL Vocabulary & Grammar Hub. If grammar is your weak spot (hi, particles), use: TOCFL Grammar List.

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Yak Note (Mild Snark): Don’t “learn” this list by staring at it until you feel guilty. Read a word → say the example out loud → swap one thing (我→你, 今天→明天, 去→回). That’s how your brain stops treating Chinese like decorative wallpaper.

Must-Know Starter Words

These show up everywhere in Novice 1. If you master these, the rest of the list becomes way less scary.

我

wǒ — I / me
我是學生。
Wǒ shì xuéshēng.
I’m a student.

你／妳

nǐ — you
你是老師嗎？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
Are you a teacher?

是

shì — to be (is/are)
他是老師。
Tā shì lǎoshī.
He’s a teacher.

請問

qǐngwèn — excuse me / may I ask
請問，你姓什麼？
Qǐngwèn, nǐ xìng shénme?
Excuse me, what’s your surname?

有

yǒu — to have
我有朋友。
Wǒ yǒu péngyou.
I have friends.

去

qù — to go
我去學校。
Wǒ qù xuéxiào.
I go to school.

來

lái — to come
你來嗎？
Nǐ lái ma?
Are you coming?

喜歡

xǐhuān — to like
我喜歡中文。
Wǒ xǐhuān Zhōngwén.
I like Chinese.

Useful Phrases You Can Use Today

Each phrase below is built from Novice 1 words, so you’re practicing the list while sounding like a real human.

您好。
nín hǎo.
Hello (polite).
你呢？
nǐ ne?
How about you?
請問，你姓什麼？
qǐngwèn, nǐ xìng shénme?
Excuse me, what’s your surname?
你叫什麼名字？
nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What’s your name?
你幾歲？
nǐ jǐ suì?
How old are you?
現在幾點？
xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it now?
你什麼時候來？
nǐ shénme shíhou lái?
When are you coming?
我沒有時間。
wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.
I don’t have time.
我想去，可是我很忙。
wǒ xiǎng qù, kěshì wǒ hěn máng.
I want to go, but I’m busy.
請給我水。
qǐng gěi wǒ shuǐ.
Please give me water.
這多少錢？
zhè duōshǎo qián?
How much is this?
我們走吧。
wǒmen zǒu ba.
Let’s go.

Quick Notes On Common Confusions

你 / 妳: same pronunciation nǐ. 妳 is “female you” in writing; in Taiwan, lots of people just write 你 for everyone.
台灣 / 臺灣: both are correct. 臺 is more “formal/standard,” 台 is very common in daily use.
什麼 / 甚麼: both read shénme. 什麼 is more common.
呢 / 嗎 / 吧: these are sentence particles. They don’t translate word-for-word—think “question tone” (嗎), “and you?” (呢), and “soft suggestion” (吧).

Novice 1 Vocabulary Tables With Examples

Use these like flashcards: cover the English column, read the Hanzi + pinyin, then say the example sentence out loud.

Words 1–20 (People, Identity, Time Basics)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
我	wǒ	I / me	我是學生。	Wǒ shì xuéshēng.	I am a student.
你／妳	nǐ	you	你是老師嗎？	Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?	Are you a teacher?
他／她	tā	he / she	他很忙。	Tā hěn máng.	He is very busy.
我們	wǒmen	we / us	我們去學校。	Wǒmen qù xuéxiào.	We go to school.
你們／妳們	nǐmen	you (plural)	你們好。	Nǐmen hǎo.	Hello, everyone.
他們／她們	tāmen	they	他們是同學。	Tāmen shì tóngxué.	They are classmates.
您	nín	you (polite)	您好。	Nín hǎo.	Hello (polite).
誰	shéi	who	誰是老師？	Shéi shì lǎoshī?	Who is the teacher?
姓名	xìngmíng	full name	你的姓名是什麼？	Nǐ de xìngmíng shì shénme?	What is your full name?
人	rén	person / people	我是台灣人。	Wǒ shì Táiwān rén.	I’m Taiwanese.
國	guó	country	日本是國家。	Rìběn shì guójiā.	Japan is a country.
中國	Zhōngguó	China	我住中國。	Wǒ zhù Zhōngguó.	I live in China.
美國	Měiguó	USA	他去美國。	Tā qù Měiguó.	He goes to the USA.
日本	Rìběn	Japan	你去日本嗎？	Nǐ qù Rìběn ma?	Are you going to Japan?
台灣／臺灣	Táiwān	Taiwan	我們回台灣。	Wǒmen huí Táiwān.	We return to Taiwan.
名字	míngzi	name	你的名字呢？	Nǐ de míngzi ne?	And your name?
家	jiā	home / family	我回家了。	Wǒ huí jiā le.	I’m going home.
電話	diànhuà	telephone / phone number	這是我的電話。	Zhè shì wǒ de diànhuà.	This is my phone number.
時間	shíjiān	time	我沒有時間。	Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.	I don’t have time.
小時	xiǎoshí	hour	我等一小時。	Wǒ děng yī xiǎoshí.	I wait for one hour.

Words 21–40 (Now, Days, And Numbers 1–10)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
現在	xiànzài	now	現在幾點？	Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?	What time is it now?
今年	jīnnián	this year	今年我很忙。	Jīnnián wǒ hěn máng.	I’m very busy this year.
今天	jīntiān	today	今天我們上課。	Jīntiān wǒmen shàngkè.	We have class today.
明天	míngtiān	tomorrow	明天你去嗎？	Míngtiān nǐ qù ma?	Are you going tomorrow?
昨天	zuótiān	yesterday	昨天我看電影。	Zuótiān wǒ kàn diànyǐng.	I watched a movie yesterday.
早上	zǎoshàng	morning	早上我去學校。	Zǎoshàng wǒ qù xuéxiào.	I go to school in the morning.
上午	shàngwǔ	AM / late morning	上午我打電話。	Shàngwǔ wǒ dǎ diànhuà.	I make a phone call in the morning.
中午	zhōngwǔ	noon	中午吃飯。	Zhōngwǔ chī fàn.	Eat lunch at noon.
下午	xiàwǔ	afternoon	下午我買東西。	Xiàwǔ wǒ mǎi dōngxi.	I buy things in the afternoon.
晚上	wǎnshàng	evening / night	晚上我看電視。	Wǎnshàng wǒ kàn diànshì.	I watch TV at night.
一	yī	one	我有一個朋友。	Wǒ yǒu yī gè péngyou.	I have one friend.
二	èr	two	我有二個筆。	Wǒ yǒu èr gè bǐ.	I have two pens.
三	sān	three	我們三個人。	Wǒmen sān gè rén.	There are three of us.
四	sì	four	四點見。	Sì diǎn jiàn.	See you at 4 o’clock.
五	wǔ	five	五分。	Wǔ fēn.	Five minutes.
六	liù	six	他六歲。	Tā liù suì.	He is six years old.
七	qī	seven	七個人。	Qī gè rén.	Seven people.
八	bā	eight	八點半。	Bā diǎn bàn.	8:30.
九	jiǔ	nine	九點。	Jiǔ diǎn.	9 o’clock.
十	shí	ten	十點。	Shí diǎn.	10 o’clock.

Words 41–60 (More Numbers, Family, And Measure Words)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
兩	liǎng	two (before measure words)	兩個人。	Liǎng gè rén.	Two people.
時候	shíhou	when / time	你什麼時候來？	Nǐ shénme shíhou lái?	When are you coming?
百	bǎi	hundred	一百塊。	Yì bǎi kuài.	100 dollars.
半	bàn	half	現在兩點半。	Xiànzài liǎng diǎn bàn.	It’s 2:30 now.
千	qiān	thousand	一千塊。	Yì qiān kuài.	1,000 dollars.
爸爸／爸	bàba / bà	dad	我爸爸很高。	Wǒ bàba hěn gāo.	My dad is tall.
媽媽／媽	māma / mā	mom	媽媽很忙。	Māma hěn máng.	Mom is busy.
哥哥／哥	gēge / gē	older brother	我哥哥是老師。	Wǒ gēge shì lǎoshī.	My older brother is a teacher.
弟弟／弟	dìdi / dì	younger brother	弟弟是學生。	Dìdi shì xuéshēng.	My younger brother is a student.
姊姊／姐姐／姊／姐	jiějie / jiě	older sister	我姐姐很漂亮。	Wǒ jiějie hěn piàoliang.	My older sister is pretty.
妹妹／妹	mèimei / mèi	younger sister	妹妹九歲。	Mèimei jiǔ suì.	My younger sister is nine.
小孩(子)	xiǎohái(zi)	child	小孩也是人。	Xiǎohái yě shì rén.	Children are people too.
的	de	possessive particle	這是我的書。	Zhè shì wǒ de shū.	This is my book.
第	dì	ordinal marker (No.)	這是第十個。	Zhè shì dì shí gè.	This is the tenth one.
分	fēn	minute / point	現在兩點十分。	Xiànzài liǎng diǎn shí fēn.	It’s 2:10 now.
點	diǎn	o’clock / dot	現在三點。	Xiànzài sān diǎn.	It’s 3 o’clock now.
個	gè	general measure word	我們三個人。	Wǒmen sān gè rén.	There are three of us.
歲	suì	years old	你幾歲？	Nǐ jǐ suì?	How old are you?
年	nián	year	今年是二千二十六年。	Jīnnián shì èr qiān èr shí liù nián.	This year is 2026.
住	zhù	to live / stay	我住台灣。	Wǒ zhù Táiwān.	I live in Taiwan.

Words 61–80 (Core Verbs, Descriptions, School Basics)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
來	lái	to come	你來嗎？	Nǐ lái ma?	Are you coming?
是	shì	to be (is/are)	她是老師。	Tā shì lǎoshī.	վել? (She is a teacher.)
姓	xìng	surname	你姓什麼？	Nǐ xìng shénme?	What’s your surname?
覺得	juéde	to feel / think	我覺得很好。	Wǒ juéde hěn hǎo.	I think it’s very good.
喜歡	xǐhuān	to like	我喜歡中文。	Wǒ xǐhuān Zhōngwén.	I like Chinese.
打電話	dǎ diànhuà	to make a phone call	我再打電話。	Wǒ zài dǎ diànhuà.	I’ll call again.
漂亮	piàoliang	pretty	你很漂亮。	Nǐ hěn piàoliang.	You’re very pretty.
高	gāo	tall / high	我哥哥很高。	Wǒ gēge hěn gāo.	My older brother is tall.
老	lǎo	old	我爸爸不老。	Wǒ bàba bù lǎo.	My dad isn’t old.
好	hǎo	good	這很好。	Zhè hěn hǎo.	This is very good.
很	hěn	very	我很忙。	Wǒ hěn máng.	I’m very busy.
真	zhēn	really	你真好。	Nǐ zhēn hǎo.	You’re really nice.
電腦	diànnǎo	computer	這是電腦。	Zhè shì diànnǎo.	This is a computer.
老師	lǎoshī	teacher	老師好。	Lǎoshī hǎo.	Hello, teacher.
買	mǎi	to buy	我買書。	Wǒ mǎi shū.	I buy books.
忙	máng	busy	今天很忙。	Jīntiān hěn máng.	Today is busy.
學生	xuéshēng	student	我是學生。	Wǒ shì xuéshēng.	I’m a student.
大學	dàxué	university	我去大學上課。	Wǒ qù dàxué shàngkè.	I go to university for class.
學校	xuéxiào	school	我去學校。	Wǒ qù xuéxiào.	I go to school.
中文	Zhōngwén	Chinese (language)	中文很難。	Zhōngwén hěn nán.	Chinese is difficult.

Words 81–100 (Classroom Actions, Media, And Simple Feelings)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
同學	tóngxué	classmate	他是我同學。	Tā shì wǒ tóngxué.	He’s my classmate.
字	zì	character	這個字很難。	Zhè gè zì hěn nán.	This character is hard.
筆	bǐ	pen	這是筆。	Zhè shì bǐ.	This is a pen.
學	xué	to study	我學中文。	Wǒ xué Zhōngwén.	I study Chinese.
問	wèn	to ask	我問老師。	Wǒ wèn lǎoshī.	I ask the teacher.
說	shuō	to say / speak	他說謝謝。	Tā shuō xièxie.	He says thanks.
寫	xiě	to write	我寫字。	Wǒ xiě zì.	I write characters.
聽	tīng	to listen	我聽老師。	Wǒ tīng lǎoshī.	I listen to the teacher.
對	duì	correct / right	你說對了。	Nǐ shuō duì le.	You said it right.
能	néng	can / be able to	我能去。	Wǒ néng qù.	I can go.
可以	kěyǐ	may / can	現在可以嗎？	Xiànzài kěyǐ ma?	Is it okay now?
上課	shàngkè	to attend class	今天我們上課。	Jīntiān wǒmen shàngkè.	We have class today.
知道	zhīdào	to know	我不知道。	Wǒ bù zhīdào.	I don’t know.
電視(機)	diànshì(jī)	TV (set)	我看電視。	Wǒ kàn diànshì.	I watch TV.
水	shuǐ	water	請給我水。	Qǐng gěi wǒ shuǐ.	Please give me water.
久	jiǔ	(a) long time	我等很久。	Wǒ děng hěn jiǔ.	I’ve waited a long time.
早	zǎo	early	早！	Zǎo!	Morning!
再	zài	again	明天再見。	Míngtiān zài jiàn.	See you tomorrow.
書	shū	book	這是我的書。	Zhè shì wǒ de shū.	This is my book.
電影	diànyǐng	movie	我喜歡電影。	Wǒ xǐhuān diànyǐng.	I like movies.

Words 101–120 (Before/After, Daily Actions, Useful Particles)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
以前	yǐqián	before / previously	以前我住中國。	Yǐqián wǒ zhù Zhōngguó.	I lived in China before.
以後	yǐhòu	after / later	以後我住台灣。	Yǐhòu wǒ zhù Táiwān.	Later I’ll live in Taiwan.
走	zǒu	to walk / to go	我們走吧。	Wǒmen zǒu ba.	Let’s go.
等	děng	to wait	我等你。	Wǒ děng nǐ.	I’m waiting for you.
看	kàn	to look / watch / read	我看書。	Wǒ kàn shū.	I read a book.
就	jiù	then / right away	我現在就去。	Wǒ xiànzài jiù qù.	I’ll go right now.
什麼／甚麼	shénme	what	這是什麼？	Zhè shì shénme?	What is this?
朋友	péngyou	friend	他是我朋友。	Tā shì wǒ péngyou.	He’s my friend.
東西	dōngxi	thing / stuff	我買東西。	Wǒ mǎi dōngxi.	I buy things.
吧	ba	sentence particle (suggestion)	我們去吧。	Wǒmen qù ba.	Let’s go.
呢	ne	sentence particle (“and…?”)	你呢？	Nǐ ne?	How about you?
嗎	ma	question particle	你是學生嗎？	Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?	Are you a student?
找	zhǎo	to look for	我找朋友。	Wǒ zhǎo péngyou.	I’m looking for a friend.
做	zuò	to do / make	你做什麼？	Nǐ zuò shénme?	What are you doing?
再見	zàijiàn	goodbye	再見！	Zàijiàn!	Goodbye!
怎麼樣	zěnmeyàng	how is it / how about	這怎麼樣？	Zhè zěnmeyàng?	How is this?
叫	jiào	to be called / to call	我叫小王。	Wǒ jiào Xiǎowáng.	My name is Xiao Wang.
謝謝	xièxie	thanks	謝謝您。	Xièxie nín.	Thank you (polite).
對不起	duìbuqǐ	sorry	對不起，我來了。	Duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái le.	Sorry, I’m here.
請問	qǐngwèn	excuse me / may I ask	請問，你姓什麼？	Qǐngwèn, nǐ xìng shénme?	Excuse me, what’s your surname?

Words 121–140 (This/That, Transport, Location, Money, Easy/Hard)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
這	zhè	this	這是書。	Zhè shì shū.	This is a book.
那	nà	that	那是電腦。	Nà shì diànnǎo.	That is a computer.
公共汽車／公車	gōnggòng qìchē / gōngchē	bus	我坐公車去學校。	Wǒ zuò gōngchē qù xuéxiào.	I take the bus to school.
車(子)	chē(zi)	car / vehicle	這是車。	Zhè shì chē.	This is a car.
到	dào	to arrive / to reach	你到家了嗎？	Nǐ dào jiā le ma?	Did you get home?
去	qù	to go	我去台灣。	Wǒ qù Táiwān.	I’m going to Taiwan.
回	huí	to return	我回家。	Wǒ huí jiā.	I go back home.
坐	zuò	to sit / to take (transport)	我坐公共汽車。	Wǒ zuò gōnggòng qìchē.	I take the bus.
這裡／這裏／這兒	zhèlǐ / zhèr	here	我住這裡。	Wǒ zhù zhèlǐ.	I live here.
那裡／那裏／那兒	nàlǐ / nàr	there	他住那裡。	Tā zhù nàlǐ.	He lives there.
哪裡／哪裏／哪兒	nǎlǐ / nǎr	where	你住哪裡？	Nǐ zhù nǎlǐ?	Where do you live?
開車	kāichē	to drive	他開車去學校。	Tā kāichē qù xuéxiào.	He drives to school.
錢	qián	money	我沒有錢。	Wǒ méiyǒu qián.	I don’t have money.
多少	duōshǎo	how many / how much	這多少錢？	Zhè duōshǎo qián?	How much is this?
給	gěi	to give	請給我書。	Qǐng gěi wǒ shū.	Please give me a book.
貴	guì	expensive	這很貴。	Zhè hěn guì.	This is expensive.
便宜	piányí	cheap	那很便宜。	Nà hěn piányí.	That is cheap.
大	dà	big	這個學校很大。	Zhè gè xuéxiào hěn dà.	This school is big.
小	xiǎo	small	這個字很小。	Zhè gè zì hěn xiǎo.	This character is small.
難	nán	difficult	中文很難。	Zhōngwén hěn nán.	Chinese is difficult.

Words 141–160 (Have/Want, Food, Negation, And Core Particles)

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
容易	róngyì	easy	中文不容易。	Zhōngwén bù róngyì.	Chinese isn’t easy.
有	yǒu	to have	我有朋友。	Wǒ yǒu péngyou.	I have friends.
想	xiǎng	to want / to think	我想吃飯。	Wǒ xiǎng chī fàn.	I want to eat.
幾	jǐ	how many / several	你幾點來？	Nǐ jǐ diǎn lái?	What time are you coming?
塊	kuài	(money) dollar / piece	一百塊。	Yì bǎi kuài.	100 dollars.
位	wèi	polite measure word (people)	這位老師很忙。	Zhè wèi lǎoshī hěn máng.	This teacher is busy.
飯	fàn	rice / meal	中午吃飯。	Zhōngwǔ chī fàn.	Eat lunch at noon.
吃	chī	to eat	我吃飯。	Wǒ chī fàn.	I eat a meal.
請	qǐng	please / to invite	請坐。	Qǐng zuò.	Please sit.
也	yě	also	我也喜歡書。	Wǒ yě xǐhuān shū.	I also like books.
不	bù	not (negation)	我不去。	Wǒ bù qù.	I’m not going.
沒	méi	not / without	我沒時間。	Wǒ méi shíjiān.	I don’t have time.
都	dōu	all	我們都是學生。	Wǒmen dōu shì xuéshēng.	We are all students.
只	zhǐ	only	我只去學校。	Wǒ zhǐ qù xuéxiào.	I only go to school.
可是	kěshì	but	我想去，可是我很忙。	Wǒ xiǎng qù, kěshì wǒ hěn máng.	I want to go, but I’m busy.
還是	háishi	still / better to	你還是回家吧。	Nǐ háishi huí jiā ba.	You’d better go home.
了	le	completed / changed state particle	我回家了。	Wǒ huí jiā le.	I went home / I’m home now.
得	děi	must / have to	我得走。	Wǒ děi zǒu.	I have to go.
過	guò	experience (have done)	我去過日本。	Wǒ qù guò Rìběn.	I’ve been to Japan.
沒有	méiyǒu	to not have	我沒有錢。	Wǒ méiyǒu qián.	I don’t have money.

Variants And Polite Options

Use Case	Option	Pinyin	Meaning	Mini Example (ZH)	Mini Example (EN)
“You” (standard)	你	nǐ	you	你是學生嗎？	Are you a student?
“You” (female in writing)	妳	nǐ	you (female, written)	妳好。	Hello.
“You” (polite)	您	nín	you (polite)	您好。	Hello (polite).
Taiwan spelling	台灣／臺灣	Táiwān	Taiwan	我住台灣／我住臺灣。	I live in Taiwan.
“What” spelling	什麼／甚麼	shénme	what	這是什麼？	What is this?

Official TOCFL Resources

If you want to match your study to the real exam ecosystem, these are the “official-ish” places to start:

TOCFL Official Site (SC-TOP) — test info, registration, and updates.
TOCFL Practice & Mock Tests — official practice options.
TOCFL Reference Vocabulary Links — official “reference word list” area.
TOCFL Overview (Wikipedia) — quick context and level structure.

Final Yak Box

How To Use This List (No Drama Edition):
1) Pick 10 words. Read them out loud.
2) Say the example sentence.
3) Swap one part (我→你, 今天→明天, 去→回).
4) Repeat tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. Not “someday.”

When you’re ready to level up: go to TOCFL Novice 2 Vocabulary List. Or jump straight into structure with the TOCFL Grammar List.