Most Common Chinese Nouns with Free PDF

Chinese nouns are the bones of everything you want to say. Without them, you can’t name the noodles you’re craving, the person you’re meeting, or that gadget you just pointed at. This list hands you around 1,000 of the most common Chinese nouns you’ll actually use – the ones that show up at the market, in your WeChat chats, and when you’re just trying to get through the day without a translation app.

Every entry pairs a straightforward meaning with a natural example sentence, so you see the word in action instead of memorizing a lonely dictionary translation. There’s audio playback right inside the table, because your ears need practice just as much as your eyes. When you’re ready to study offline, grab the free PDF using the download button below the table – no sign-up, no fuss.

Whether you’re a beginner building your first word bank or a more confident learner plugging gaps, these are the nouns you’ll lean on every day. Work through the list at your own speed and soon you’ll be naming everything from your breakfast to your weekend plans without reaching for a translator.

If this topic helped, explore more in our Chinese learning section. it’s the easiest way to keep building related vocabulary without jumping around the web.

Quick Quiz

Think you’ve already locked a few of these nouns into memory? Give the quick quiz below a go – no pressure, just a friendly way to see which ones you’ve really nailed.

Browse the Full List

WordPinyinTypeMeaningAudio
电灯diàndēngOtherelectric light/CL:盞|盏[zhan3]
电脑diànnǎoOthercomputer/CL:臺|台[tai2]
电视(机)diànshì(jī)Othertelevision
电话diànhuàOther/phone call/CL:通[tong1]/phone number
电车diànchēOthertrolleybus/CL:輛|辆[liang4]
nánOthermale/Baron, lowest of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 wei4]
男人nánrénOthera man/a male/men
男生nánshēngOtherschoolboy/male student/boy/guy (young adult male)
画/画儿huà/huàrOtherto draw
画家huàjiāOtherpainter
留学生liúxuéshēngOther,位[wei4]
bìngOther/disease/to fall ill/defect
病人bìngrénOthersick person/patient/invalid
白天báitiānOtherdaytime/during the day/day
白色báisèOtherwhite/fig. reactionary/anti-communist
白菜báicàiOther, 個|个[ge4]
bǎiOtherhundred/numerous/all kinds of
百货公司bǎihuògōngsīOtherdepartment store
Other/pico- (one trillionth)/naughty
皮包píbāoOtherhandbag/briefcase
皮带pídàiOther,根[gen1]
皮肤pífūOther,塊|块[kuai4]
皮鞋píxiéOtherleather shoes
yánOthersalt/CL:粒[li4]
盒/盒(子)hé/héziOthersmall box/case