Thematic Chinese vocabulary

Learning vocabulary by theme is the method that gets you speaking fastest: ten words that belong together stick far better than ten words picked at random from an HSK list. The pages below follow that principle, with the characters, the pinyin, the translation and a recording of the pronunciation for every word.

The words are graded by level of difficulty, from the most common to the most specific: start with the first level, it already covers most of what you use every day. On the other hand, don't try to learn a whole theme before moving on to the next one, it doesn't work (I've tried, on my students as well as on myself).

The pages in grey aren't written yet: the work is moving forward theme by theme.

The human being

• The body
  The body in general · The head and the face · The trunk · The limbs · Inside the body · The living body · Measuring yourself · The body in 成语 · The body in everyday words
• Gestures and postures
  Standing, sitting, lying down · Walking, running, jumping · Taking, holding, carrying · Hand gestures · Facial expressions · Chinese gestures of politeness
• The five senses
  Sight · Hearing · Smell · Taste · Touch · Perceiving and feeling
• Appearance
  Height and build · Beauty, ugliness, bearing · Describing someone physically
• Health and illness
  1. Health and illness
     Being in good health · Symptoms and pains · Common illnesses · Accidents, emergencies, disability
  2. Getting treatment
     At the doctor's, at the hospital · Medicines and the pharmacy · Chinese medicine
• The ages of life
  Pregnancy and birth · Childhood · Adolescence and youth · Adulthood · Old age, death, funerals
• The mind and character
  1. Character and emotions
     Character traits · Qualities and faults · Emotions and feelings
  2. Thought and willpower
     Thought, memory, intelligence · Will, desire, decision · Attention and perception

Relationships and social life

• The family
  1. Family and relatives
     The father's side · The mother's side · Family forms of address
  2. Couples and children
     Couple, marriage, divorce · Children and family upbringing
• Relationships
  1. Friendship and love
     Friendship · Love
  2. Social life
     Neighbours and acquaintances · Politeness, greetings, introductions · Invitations, gifts, 关系 · Arguments and making up
• Identity and origin
  1. Names and nationalities
     Chinese names, given names, nicknames · Countries and nationalities
  2. Peoples and languages
     Peoples and ethnic groups of China · Languages of the world
• Festivals and rites
  1. Festivals
     Traditional Chinese festivals · Modern and international festivals
  2. Ceremonies and lucky charms
     Birthdays and ceremonies · Numbers, symbols and lucky charms

The home

• Housing
  Types of dwelling · The rooms · Looking for, renting, buying · Building, residential complex, neighbourhood
• Indoors
  Furniture · The kitchen and its utensils · The bathroom · The bedroom · The living room · Decoration, light, colours
• Domestic life
  1. Domestic life
     Housework and tidying · Linen and laundry · Appliances and DIY
  2. Plants and animals
     Balcony, garden, house plants · Pets

Eating and drinking

• Food
  1. Fruit and vegetables
     Fruit · Vegetables
  2. Meat and fish
     Meat and poultry · Fish and seafood
  3. From rice to dessert
     Rice, wheat, noodles, cereals · Soya, tofu, eggs · Spices, sauces, condiments · Dairy, sweets, desserts
• Cooking
  1. Cooking
     Cooking methods · Preparing, cutting, seasoning · Flavours and textures
  2. The cuisines of China and the world
     The great regional Chinese cuisines · Cuisines of the world
• Drinks
  1. Tea and its customs
     Tea
  2. Alcohol, coffee and juice
     Chinese and world spirits · Coffee and hot drinks · Juices and cold drinks
• At the table
  1. Restaurants and banquets
     At the restaurant: ordering, paying · Crockery, cutlery, chopsticks · The Chinese banquet and its customs
  2. Breakfast, street food and markets
     Breakfast and street food · Market, supermarket, delivery

Clothes and appearance

• Getting dressed
  1. Clothes and shoes
     Tops, bottoms, coats · Underwear and nightwear · Shoes
  2. Accessories and traditional dress
     Bags, hats, accessories · Traditional Chinese clothing
• Materials and shapes
  Fabrics and materials · Colours · Patterns, sizes, trying on
• Looking after yourself
  Hairdressing · Make-up and cosmetics · Hygiene and washing · Jewellery, watches, glasses

The city, transport, travel

• The city
  Streets, squares, districts · Buildings and monuments · Street furniture and signage · Local shops · Town and country
• Services and formalities
  Banking and everyday money · Post and parcels · Administration and papers · Police and safety · Phone, internet, subscriptions
• Getting around
  1. On foot, by bike, by car
     On foot, finding your way · Bike, scooter, kick scooter · The car and driving
  2. Public transport
     Buses and urban transport · The underground · The train and the station · The plane and the airport · Boat, taxi, private hire car
• Travelling
  Planning a trip, visa, border · Luggage · At the hotel · Sightseeing and visits · Maps, plans, itineraries

Nature and the environment

• Sky and universe
  The sky and the stars · Space and space exploration
• The Earth
  Relief and mountains · Rivers, lakes, springs · Seas and coasts · Deserts, forests, plains
• The weather
  The weather report · The seasons · Natural phenomena and disasters
• The plant world
  1. Trees and flowers
     Trees · Flowers · Plants and herbs
  2. Medicinal plants and the fields
     Mushrooms and medicinal plants · Fields and farming
• The animal world
  1. Mammals and farm animals
     Wild mammals · Farm animals
  2. Birds and aquatic animals
     Birds · Fish and water animals
  3. Insects, reptiles and mythical animals
     Insects, reptiles, amphibians · Mythical animals and the zodiac
• The environment
  1. The environment and natural resources
     Pollution and waste · Ecology and protecting nature
  2. Energy and materials
     Energy and resources · Substances and materials

Time, space, quantity

• Time
  1. Time, days and dates
     The time of day · The day and the week · Months, years, dates
  2. The lunar calendar and duration
     The lunar calendar and the 24 solar terms · Duration, frequency, moment · Past, present, future
• Space
  Position and location · Directions and points of the compass · Distance and movement · Shapes and dimensions
• Numbers and measures
  1. Numbers and measure words
     Numbers and calculation · Classifiers
  2. Measures, money and proportions
     Weights, lengths, volumes · Money, prices, currency · Proportions and orders of magnitude

Work and the economy

• Occupations
  1. Jobs (1): healing, teaching, building
     Health and care · Teaching and research · Crafts and building
  2. Jobs (2): selling, creating, producing
     Trade and services · Arts and media · Farming, industry, transport
• The company
  1. Getting hired and office life
     Looking for a job, CV, interview · The office and its equipment · Hierarchy and organisation
  2. Salary and career
     Meetings and projects · Contract, salary, leave · Career, promotion, resignation
• Trade and shopping
  1. Shops and bargaining
     Shops and departments · Buying, selling, bargaining
  2. Online shopping and advertising
     Mobile payment and e-commerce · Advertising and marketing · After-sales and complaints
• Economy and finance
  1. Banking, the stock market and taxes
     Banking, credit, saving · The stock market and investment · Taxes and accounting
  2. Real estate, industry and foreign trade
     Property · Industry, import and export, logistics

School, knowledge, science

• School
  1. School and the classroom
     The Chinese school system · In the classroom · School supplies
  2. Exams and university
     Exams, marks, 高考 · University, degrees, student life
• The Chinese language
  1. Characters and pronunciation
     Strokes and components · Talking about characters · Pinyin, tones, pronunciation
  2. Grammar, dictionaries and calligraphy
     Grammar terms · Dictionaries and tools · Calligraphy and writing styles
• The sciences
  1. Mathematics and physics
     Mathematics · Physics
  2. Chemistry and biology
     Chemistry · Biology
  3. Geography, astronomy and history
     Geography · Astronomy · History (the subject)
• Technology and digital life
  1. Computers, the Internet and smartphones
     Computer and office software · The internet and Chinese websites · Smartphone and apps
  2. Artificial intelligence and machines
     Artificial intelligence and robotics · Machines, tools, engineering

Leisure, arts, sports

• Sports
  1. Team sports and athletics
     Team sports · Athletics and individual sports
  2. Martial arts and water sports
     Chinese martial arts · Water sports
  3. Winter sports, gymnastics and competition
     Winter and mountain sports · Gymnastics, fitness, yoga · Competition, the Olympic Games, fans
• Leisure
  1. Toys and board games
     Children's games and toys · Chinese games (围棋, 象棋, 麻将) · Cards and board games
  2. Video games, crafts and the outdoors
     Video games and e-sport · Creative hobbies and collecting · Outdoors, hiking, camping
• The arts
  1. Music, instruments and dance
     Music and singing · Chinese and Western instruments · Dance
  2. Theatre, cinema and photography
     Chinese theatre and opera · Cinema and series · Photography
  3. Painting, architecture and gardens
     Chinese painting and fine arts · Chinese architecture and gardens
• Reading and writing
  1. Books and poetry
     Books and literature · Chinese poetry
  2. Comics, the press and publishing
     Comics and 漫画 · Press, publishing, library
• The media
  Television and radio · Chinese social networks · Celebrities and popular culture

Society, state, world

• Institutions
  1. The State and administrative divisions
     China's political organisation · Administrative divisions
  2. Elections and diplomacy
     Elections, parties, citizenship · Diplomacy and international relations
• Law and justice
  Laws and rights · Police, investigation, offences · Court and trial · Contracts and disputes
• Army, war, peace
  Armed forces and ranks · Weapons and equipment · War, peace, military history
• Beliefs
  1. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism
     Chinese Buddhism · Taoism · Confucianism and classical thought
  2. World religions and popular beliefs
     Religions of the world · Fengshui, divination, popular beliefs
• Collective life
  Population, demography, migration · Associations, solidarity, volunteering · Social problems · Public health and hygiene

Communicating (across themes)

• Speech acts
  1. Greeting, thanking, asking
     Greeting, introducing yourself, saying goodbye · Thanking, apologising, congratulating · Asking, offering, refusing
  2. Agreeing, doubting, advising
     Agreeing, objecting, qualifying · Certainty and doubt · Encouraging, comforting, advising
• Situations
  On the phone · Message, email, letter · Asking the way · Forms and documents · Making and cancelling an appointment
• Expressive Chinese
  1. Chengyu and proverbs
     Everyday 成语 · Proverbs and sayings
  2. Onomatopoeia, slang and loanwords
     Onomatopoeia and interjections · Slang and internet language · Loanwords and brand names