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
  Being in good health · Symptoms and pains · Common illnesses · At the doctor's, at the hospital · Medicines and the pharmacy · Chinese medicine · Accidents, emergencies, disability
• The ages of life
  Pregnancy and birth · Childhood · Adolescence and youth · Adulthood · Old age, death, funerals
• The mind and character
  Character traits · Qualities and faults · Emotions and feelings · Thought, memory, intelligence · Will, desire, decision · Attention and perception

Relationships and social life

• The family
  The father's side · The mother's side · Family forms of address · Couple, marriage, divorce · Children and family upbringing
• Relationships
  Friendship · Love · Neighbours and acquaintances · Politeness, greetings, introductions · Invitations, gifts, 关系 · Arguments and making up
• Identity and origin
  Chinese names, given names, nicknames · Countries and nationalities · Peoples and ethnic groups of China · Languages of the world
• Festivals and rites
  Traditional Chinese festivals · Modern and international festivals · 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
  Housework and tidying · Linen and laundry · Appliances and DIY · Balcony, garden, house plants · Pets

Eating and drinking

• Food
  Fruit · Vegetables · Meat and poultry · Fish and seafood · Rice, wheat, noodles, cereals · Soya, tofu, eggs · Spices, sauces, condiments · Dairy, sweets, desserts
• Cooking
  Cooking methods · Preparing, cutting, seasoning · Flavours and textures · The great regional Chinese cuisines · Cuisines of the world
• Drinks
  Tea · Chinese and world spirits · Coffee and hot drinks · Juices and cold drinks
• At the table
  At the restaurant: ordering, paying · Crockery, cutlery, chopsticks · The Chinese banquet and its customs · Breakfast and street food · Market, supermarket, delivery

Clothes and appearance

• Getting dressed
  Tops, bottoms, coats · Underwear and nightwear · Shoes · 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
  On foot, finding your way · Bike, scooter, kick scooter · The car and driving · 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
  Trees · Flowers · Plants and herbs · Mushrooms and medicinal plants · Fields and farming
• The animal world
  Wild mammals · Farm animals · Birds · Fish and water animals · Insects, reptiles, amphibians · Mythical animals and the zodiac
• The environment
  Pollution and waste · Ecology and protecting nature · Energy and resources · Substances and materials

Time, space, quantity

• Time
  The time of day · The day and the week · Months, years, dates · 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
  Numbers and calculation · Classifiers · Weights, lengths, volumes · Money, prices, currency · Proportions and orders of magnitude

Work and the economy

• Occupations
  Health and care · Teaching and research · Crafts and building · Trade and services · Arts and media · Farming, industry, transport
• The company
  Looking for a job, CV, interview · The office and its equipment · Hierarchy and organisation · Meetings and projects · Contract, salary, leave · Career, promotion, resignation
• Trade and shopping
  Shops and departments · Buying, selling, bargaining · Mobile payment and e-commerce · Advertising and marketing · After-sales and complaints
• Economy and finance
  Banking, credit, saving · The stock market and investment · Taxes and accounting · Property · Industry, import and export, logistics

School, knowledge, science

• School
  The Chinese school system · In the classroom · School supplies · Exams, marks, 高考 · University, degrees, student life
• The Chinese language
  Strokes and components · Talking about characters · Pinyin, tones, pronunciation · Grammar terms · Dictionaries and tools · Calligraphy and writing styles
• The sciences
  Mathematics · Physics · Chemistry · Biology · Geography · Astronomy · History (the subject)
• Technology and digital life
  Computer and office software · The internet and Chinese websites · Smartphone and apps · Artificial intelligence and robotics · Machines, tools, engineering

Leisure, arts, sports

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

Society, state, world

• Institutions
  China's political organisation · Administrative divisions · 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
  Chinese Buddhism · Taoism · Confucianism and classical thought · 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
  Greeting, introducing yourself, saying goodbye · Thanking, apologising, congratulating · Asking, offering, refusing · 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
  Everyday 成语 · Proverbs and sayings · Onomatopoeia and interjections · Slang and internet language · Loanwords and brand names