Want your child to know more Chinese than just nǐ hǎo and xièxie?
Maybe you’d love it if they could chat a bit with grandparents, say a few words to their Chinese teacher, or use Mandarin during travel or summer camp. You probably don’t have time to design a full curriculum. You just want a solid, kid-friendly word bank you can keep and reuse.
That’s exactly what this guide gives you:
150 core Chinese words,
grouped by real-life topics kids actually care about (family, school, food, feelings, play…),
with pinyin + English and quick “how to use it” notes, so you can save it once and let your child slowly pick them up.
Use this list at home as a starter pack, and then bring these words into a LingoAce live class so a real teacher can help your child turn them into full sentences and simple conversations.
1. How to use this 150-word list (without stressing out)
A quick plan so this doesn’t become a memorization nightmare:
Pick 5–10 words per week, not all 150 at once.
Stick those words on the fridge / bedroom door / next to the desk.
Use them in simple routines:
“Say three food words before dinner.”
“Use one feeling word when you tell me about your day.”
When your child joins a LingoAce class or another Chinese lesson, tell the teacher:“These are the words we’re working on this month. Please use them in class if you can.”
That way, the same words your child hears at home show up with a real teacher and other kids too.Now, here’s the list, grouped by topic.
2. Pronouns & polite basics (1–15)
These are the “little glue words” that show up in almost every sentence.
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English | Use it for… |
1 | 我 | wǒ | I / me | Talking about yourself |
2 | 你 | nǐ | you | Talking to a friend or kid |
3 | 您 | nín | you (polite) | Talking to teacher, elders |
4 | 他 | tā | he / him | Talking about a boy/man |
5 | 她 | tā | she / her | Talking about a girl/woman |
6 | 它 | tā | it | Animals or things |
7 | 我们 | wǒmen | we / us | “We” as a group |
8 | 你们 | nǐmen | you (plural) | Talking to a group |
9 | 他们 | tāmen | they / them (people) | Talking about people |
10 | 这 | zhè | this | Pointing to something near |
11 | 那 | nà | that | Pointing to something far |
12 | 是 | shì | to be / is / am | “This is good” |
13 | 有 | yǒu | to have | “I have a dog” |
14 | 没有 | méiyǒu | to not have | “I don’t have homework” |
15 | 请 | qǐng | please | Softening a request |
Mini routine: At breakfast, ask your child to make one sentence using 我 (wǒ) + 是 / 有. For example: “我有狗。” (I have a dog.)
3. Family & people words (16–30)
Kid world = family world. These are easy to practice on video calls and at home.
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
16 | 家人 | jiārén | family members |
17 | 家 | jiā | home / family |
18 | 爸爸 | bàba | dad |
19 | 妈妈 | māma | mom |
20 | 爷爷 | yéye | grandpa (dad’s side) |
21 | 奶奶 | nǎinai | grandma (dad’s side) |
22 | 外公 | wàigōng | grandpa (mom’s side) |
23 | 外婆 | wàipó | grandma (mom’s side) |
24 | 哥哥 | gēge | older brother |
25 | 姐姐 | jiějie | older sister |
26 | 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother |
27 | 妹妹 | mèimei | younger sister |
28 | 朋友 | péngyou | friend |
29 | 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
30 | 同学 | tóngxué | classmate |
Practice tip: Before every video call with relatives, plan two greetings your child will say: “爷爷好！” (Hi grandpa!) + “奶奶好！” (Hi grandma!)
4. Numbers & time (31–48)
Numbers appear everywhere: age, homework pages, bus stops, game scores.
4.1 Numbers 1–10
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
31 | 一 | yī | one |
32 | 二 | èr | two |
33 | 三 | sān | three |
34 | 四 | sì | four |
35 | 五 | wǔ | five |
36 | 六 | liù | six |
37 | 七 | qī | seven |
38 | 八 | bā | eight |
39 | 九 | jiǔ | nine |
40 | 十 | shí | ten |
4.2 Time & days
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
41 | 今天 | jīntiān | today |
42 | 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
43 | 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
44 | 现在 | xiànzài | now |
45 | 早上 | zǎoshang | morning |
46 | 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon |
47 | 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening / night |
48 | 星期 | xīngqī | week / weekday |
Game idea: Write numbers 1–10 in Chinese on sticky notes. Hide them around the room. Call out “三!” and let your child race to find 三.
5. School & learning words (49–60)
Words your child will meet in class, especially in Chinese lessons.
49. 学校 (xuéxiào) – school
50. 教室 (jiàoshì) – classroom
51. 书 (shū) – book
52. 书包 (shūbāo) – school bag
53. 铅笔 (qiānbǐ) – pencil
54. 橡皮 (xiàngpí) – eraser
55. 作业 (zuòyè) – homework
56. 考试 (kǎoshì) – exam / test
57. 课 (kè) – class / lesson
58. 上课 (shàngkè) – to have class
59. 下课 (xiàkè) – to finish class
60. 中文 (Zhōngwén) – Chinese language
Mini dialogue to try before a LingoAce class:
你准备好上课了吗？ nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo shàngkè le ma? Are you ready for class?
我准备好了！ wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo le! I’m ready!
6. Home & everyday objects (61–78)
Things kids can point to at home. Great for labeling.
6.1 Around the house
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
61 | 房子 | fángzi | house |
62 | 房间 | fángjiān | room |
63 | 门 | mén | door |
64 | 窗户 | chuānghu | window |
65 | 桌子 | zhuōzi | table |
66 | 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
67 | 床 | chuáng | bed |
68 | 厨房 | chúfáng | kitchen |
69 | 客厅 | kètīng | living room |
6.2 Things & objects
70. 灯 (dēng) – light / lamp
71. 电脑 (diànnǎo) – computer
72. 手机 (shǒujī) – mobile phone
73. 电视 (diànshì) – TV
74. 杯子 (bēizi) – cup
75. 水 (shuǐ) – water
76. 衣服 (yīfu) – clothes
77. 鞋 (xié) – shoes
78. 玩具 (wánjù) – toy
Home practice: Put small sticky labels with Chinese words on 3–5 objects per week: 门, 桌子, 水, 电脑, 玩具. Say them whenever you use them.
7. Food & drinks (79–96)
This category is usually kids’ favorite.
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
79 | 吃 | chī | to eat |
80 | 喝 | hē | to drink |
81 | 饭 | fàn | rice / meal |
82 | 米饭 | mǐfàn | cooked rice |
83 | 面条 | miàntiáo | noodles |
84 | 面包 | miànbāo | bread |
85 | 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | egg |
86 | 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
87 | 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple |
88 | 香蕉 | xiāngjiāo | banana |
89 | 牛奶 | niúnǎi | milk |
90 | 果汁 | guǒzhī | juice |
91 | 蔬菜 | shūcài | vegetables |
92 | 糖 | táng | candy |
93 | 零食 | língshí | snack |
94 | 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty / yummy |
95 | 不好吃 | bù hǎochī | not tasty |
96 | 饿 | è | hungry |
Dinner-table habit: Before eating, ask:
你饿吗？(nǐ è ma? – Are you hungry?)
Let your child answer with:
我很饿！(wǒ hěn è! – I’m very hungry!)
8. Feelings & describing words (97–114)
Give your child words to talk about how they feel and what things are like.
8.1 Feelings
97. 开心 (kāixīn) – happy
98. 高兴 (gāoxìng) – glad / happy
99. 难过 (nánguò) – sad
100. 生气 (shēngqì) – angry
101. 累 (lèi) – tired
102. 紧张 (jǐnzhāng) – nervous
103. 害怕 (hàipà) – scared
104. 放心 (fàngxīn) – relieved / don’t worry
8.2 Describing things
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
105 | 大 | dà | big |
106 | 小 | xiǎo | small |
107 | 多 | duō | many / a lot |
108 | 少 | shǎo | few / little |
109 | 快 | kuài | fast |
110 | 慢 | màn | slow |
111 | 远 | yuǎn | far |
112 | 近 | jìn | near |
113 | 漂亮 | piàoliang | pretty / beautiful |
114 | 可爱 | kě’ài | cute |
Bedtime check-in: Instead of only
“How was your day?”,
try in Chinese:你今天开心吗？(nǐ jīntiān kāixīn ma?)
“Were you happy today?”
If the answer is “有一点儿累 (a bit tired)”, that’s already a small conversation.
9. Action verbs kids love (115–132)
These let your child actually do things in sentences.
115. 去 (qù) – to go
116. 来 (lái) – to come
117. 回 (huí) – to return / go back
118. 看 (kàn) – to look / watch
119. 听 (tīng) – to listen
120. 说 (shuō) – to speak
121. 读 (dú) – to read
122. 写 (xiě) – to write
123. 玩 (wán) – to play
124. 学 (xué) – to study / learn
125. 喜欢 (xǐhuan) – to like
126. 想 (xiǎng) – to want / think
127. 要 (yào) – to want / to need
128. 能 (néng) – can / be able to
129. 打 (dǎ) – to hit / to play (ball games)
130. 跑 (pǎo) – to run
131. 走 (zǒu) – to walk / to leave
132. 睡觉 (shuìjiào) – to sleep
Tiny sentence templates:
我想吃米饭。– I want to eat rice.
我喜欢玩游戏。– I like to play games.
我要睡觉了。– I’m going to sleep.
Even if grammar isn’t perfect at first, let them try. That’s what live teachers help refine later.
10. Places & directions (133–142)
Helpful for school, trips, and simple stories.
# | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
133 | 这儿 | zhèr | here |
134 | 那儿 | nàr | there |
135 | 里面 | lǐmiàn | inside |
136 | 外面 | wàimiàn | outside |
137 | 上面 | shàngmiàn | above / on |
138 | 下面 | xiàmiàn | below / under |
139 | 左边 | zuǒbiān | left side |
140 | 右边 | yòubiān | right side |
141 | 这里 | zhèlǐ | here (alternative) |
142 | 那里 | nàlǐ | there (alternative) |
Playroom game: Ask your child to put a toy “在桌子上面 / 下面 / 左边 / 右边” – on, under, left, right of the table – and say it out loud.
11. Question words & small glue words (143–150)
These make sentences feel natural and flexible.
143. 什么 (shénme) – what
144. 谁 (shéi) – who
145. 哪儿 (nǎr) – where
146. 什么时候 (shénme shíhou) – when
147. 为什么 (wèishénme) – why
148. 怎么 (zěnme) – how
149. 和 (hé) – and
150. 因为 (yīnwèi) – because
Simple Q&A pattern:
你喜欢什么？(What do you like?)
我喜欢苹果和面条，因为好吃。
Your child may mix English and Chinese at first. That’s okay. It’s a bridge, not a problem.
12. From words to real conversations: where LingoAce fits
A 150-word list is a powerful start. But kids don’t learn language by lists alone. They learn it when:
Someone speaks to them in real time,
They get to try words in full sentences,
And a friendly adult corrects them just enough to help them grow.
That’s the gap a program like LingoAce is designed to fill:
Live, kid-focused Chinese classes that use high-frequency words like the ones in this list.
Teachers who can notice, “Ah, she knows 我 and 你, let’s build short dialogues around that.”
Small groups or 1-on-1, so shy kids still get the chance to speak.
You can use this article and:
Pick a small set of words (maybe 20–30) as your home practice.
Bring that list to a LingoAce free trial class.
Ask the teacher to weave those words into simple games, stories, and dialogues.
If that sounds like the kind of support you want, you can book a free LingoAce trial lesson and let this 150-word list become the first chapter of your child’s long-term Chinese story.
