108 Essential Chinese Characters for Beginners

一 yī one 二 èr two 三 sān three 四 sì four 五 wǔ five 六 liù six 七 qī seven 八 bā eight 九 jiǔ nine 十 shí ten 人 rén person, human 口 kǒu mouth 日 rì sun, day 月 yuè moon, month 白 bái white 山 shān mountain 水 shuǐ water 川 chuān river, stream 火 huǒ fire 木 mù tree, wood 石 shí stone, rock 田 tián field, farmland 土 tǔ earth, soil 云 yún cloud 风 fēng wind 大 dà big, large 小 xiǎo small 天 tiān sky, heaven 上 shàng up, above 下 xià down, below 中 zhōng middle, center 左 zuǒ left 右 yòu right 前 qián front, before 后 hòu back, after 东 dōng east 西 xī west 南 nán south 北 běi north 里 lǐ inside; in 外 wài outside; foreign 多 duō many; much; more 少 shǎo few; little; less 今 jīn now; today; current 早 zǎo early; morning 晚 wǎn late; evening; night 午 wǔ noon; midday 时 shí time; hour; when 分 fēn minute; divide; part 点 diǎn o’clock; point; a little 半 bàn half 女 nǚ woman 子 zǐ child, son 手 shǒu hand 力 lì strength, force 目 mù eye 心 xīn heart 雨 yǔ rain 马 mǎ horse 门 mén door, gate 开 kāi open, start 关 guān close, turn off 不 bù not, no 父 fù father 母 mǔ mother 耳 ěr ear; hearing 足 zú foot; enough 本 běn root; origin; book measure word 林 lín woods; grove 男 nán male; man 休 xiū to rest; take a break 家 jiā home; family 书 shū book; written text 车 chē vehicle; car 见 jiàn to see; meet 听 tīng to listen; hear 话 huà speech; words; sentence 年 nián year 米 mǐ rice; meter 生 shēng to be born; life; student 老 lǎo old; experienced 师 shī teacher; master; expert 校 xiào school; compare or check 朋 péng friend; companion 友 yǒu friend; friendly 名 míng name; measure word for people 字 zì written character; word 好 hǎo good, well 明 míng bright, clear 我 wǒ I, me 你 nǐ you 他 tā he, him 她 tā she, her 们 men plural marker for people 个 gè general measure word 这 zhè this, here 那 nà that, there 是 shì to be, yes 有 yǒu to have, there is 在 zài at, in, to be located 来 lái to come 去 qù to go 学 xué to study, to learn 爱 ài to love, love 说 shuō to speak, to say 看 kàn to look, to watch 吃 chī to eat 喝 hē to drink