Most Common Chinese Expressions is built for learners who want useful Chinese vocabulary in a clean reference format instead of a long, fluffy article.
Ready to level up your Mandarin with a few friendly phrases? Scroll to the bottom of the article for the free printable chinese vocabulary list list PDF and the free downloadable printable chinese list flashcards—your future self will thank you for the easy review.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Chinese section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
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| Expression | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 西瓜 | xī guā | watermelon; CL:條|条[tiáo] |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think; to feel |
| 认识 | rèn shi | to know; to recognize; to be familiar with |
| 词语 | cí yǔ | word (general term including monosyllables through to short phrases); term (e.g. technical term); expression |
| 说话 | shuō huà | to speak; to say; to talk |
| 谢谢 | xiè xie | to thank; thanks |
| 起床 | qǐ chuáng | to get out of bed; to get up |
| 超市 | chāo shì | supermarket (abbr.); CL:家[jiā] |
| 跑步 | pǎo bù | to walk quickly; to march; to run |
| 跳舞 | tiào wǔ | to dance |
| 身体 | shēn tǐ | (human) body; health; CL:個|个[gè] |
| 运动 | yùn dòng | to move; to exercise; sports |
| 迟到 | chí dào | to arrive late |
| 锻炼 | duàn liàn | to engage in physical exercise; to work out; to toughen |
| 问题 | wèn tí | question; problem; issue |
| 阿姨 | ā yí | maternal aunt; step-mother; childcare worker |
| 附近 | fù jìn | (in the) vicinity; nearby; neighboring |
| 除了 | chú le | besides; apart from (... also...); in addition to |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | unusual; extraordinary; extreme |
| 颜色 | yán sè | color; CL:個|个[gè] |
| 飞机 | fēi jī | airplane; CL:架[jià] |
| 饭馆 | fàn guǎn | restaurant; CL:家[jiā] |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth) |
| 鸡蛋 | jī dàn | (chicken) egg; hen's egg; CL:個|个 |
| 鼻子 | bí zi | nose; CL:個|个; 隻|只[zhī] |
Free Chinese Vocabulary List and Flashcard PDFs to Download
Grab the purple vocab-list button for the chinese vocabulary list list PDF, or hit the teal flashcards button for the chinese list flashcards. Both downloads are 100% free and require no signup.

