# Learn 100 More Useful Chinese Characters by Component The next 100 everyday characters in ten component families, with recall and reading practice Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/next-100-useful-chinese-characters ## At a glance - Level: Beginner · HSK 1–2 - Format: Workbook · PDF · 41 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Oct 27, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/next-100-useful-chinese-characters. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 你今天几点下课？ (Nǐ jīntiān jǐ diǎn xiàkè?) — What time does your class finish today? ## By the end you can - Read ten characters built with 口. Each character is split into its parts, like 口 + 巴 for 吧, where the right side gives the sound. 口 on the left often marks a word you say out loud: 喂, 吗, 唱. 喂，你好！我是林浩。 (Wèi, nǐ hǎo! Wǒ shì Lín Hào.): Hello? Hi, this is Lin Hao. - Spot speech and study words by 讠. Ten characters for talking and learning, and how the speech side 讠 points to words about talking and knowing. - Read person characters and tell 作 from 做. Ten characters built from 亻 and 人. 工作 always uses 作, while "do" or "make" on its own uses 做. 他今天不工作，在家做饭。 (Tā jīntiān bù gōngzuò, zài jiā zuò fàn.): He isn't working today. He's cooking at home. - Read family words and tell the time. Ten family characters, many said doubled like 哥哥, then ten for days, hours and minutes: the hour with 点, the minutes with 分, how long with 分钟. 我中午十二点半吃饭。 (Wǒ zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn bàn chī fàn.): I eat at half past twelve. - Choose 两 or 二 and ask how many. 两 before a measure word, 二 when you count or say a longer number. Ask with 几 when you expect a small number and 多少 for any number. 我有两个哥哥。 (Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge gēge.): I have two older brothers. - Read menu words and tell 买 from 卖. Spot food words by 饣 and 艹, then tell buy from sell: 卖 has an extra 十 on top. 贝 and 钅 often mark money words. 他卖衣服，我买衣服。 (Tā mài yīfu, wǒ mǎi yīfu.): He sells clothes, and I buy clothes. - Say where things are, with 里 after the place. Ten characters for places and getting around. Chinese puts the place first: 家里, 学校里. 我在学校里，他在外边。 (Wǒ zài xuéxiào lǐ, tā zài wàibiān.): I'm in the school, and he's outside. - Read and write 200 characters from both books. Ten small everyday characters and where 也 goes, then a dialogue made only from characters in this book and the first one, and 20 characters to write from memory. 下课了，我们去吃饺子吧！ (Xiàkè le, wǒmen qù chī jiǎozi ba!): Class is over. Let's go and eat dumplings! ## What's inside - Unit 1: 口 Mouth: Ten Characters with 口 · 口 Mouth: The Mouth on the Left · 口 Mouth: Practice: 口 Mouth - Unit 2: 讠 Speech and Study: Speech and Study Characters · 讠 Speech and Study: The Speech Side 讠 · 讠 Speech and Study: Practice: 讠 Speech - Unit 3: 亻 Person: Ten Characters for People · 亻 Person: 作 or 做? · 亻 Person: Practice: 亻 Person - Unit 4: Family: Ten Family Characters · Family: Family Words Come in Pairs · Family: Practice: Family - Unit 5: Time: Ten Characters for Time · Time: Clock Time and How Long · Time: Practice: Time - Unit 6: Numbers: Ten Characters for Amounts · Numbers: 两 or 二? · Numbers: Practice: Numbers - Unit 7: Food: Ten Characters for Food · Food: Food Parts 饣 and 艹 · Food: Practice: Food - Unit 8: Shopping: Ten Characters for Shopping · Shopping: 买 or 卖? · Shopping: Practice: Shopping - Unit 9: Places: Ten Characters for Places · Places: Inside Comes After the Place · Places: Practice: Places - Unit 10: Little Words: Ten Small Everyday Characters · Little Words: Where 也 Goes · Little Words: Practice: Little Words - Review: After Class - Final Recall: Final Recall: 20 Characters ## How to use this book Ten units of three pages: ten characters with their parts, a page that uses them in sentences, then a practice page. One unit every two or three days gets you through in about a month. - Day 1 of a unit: Meet the ten. Read the ten characters aloud, say each part, and notice which part gives the meaning and which the sound. - Day 2: Use them. Read the sentence page aloud and the Mei Lin note, which explains one tricky pair or rule, like 作 and 做 or 两 and 二. - Day 3: Practise and recall. Build characters from their parts, read the practice sentences, and say the last exercise aloud. - After Unit 10: Review. Read the dialogue on page 33, answer its questions, then invite a friend to eat dumplings after class. - Last: Final recall. Write the 20 characters on page 34 from memory and read the four sentences. Go back to any unit you missed. ## Who it's for Beginners who know about 100 basic characters, from 100 Common Chinese Characters, Learned by Component, or elsewhere, and want the next 100 everyday ones. Before you start: About 100 basic characters, such as 我, 你, 是 and the numbers. Every character here comes with pinyin, a meaning and a common word. ## Do I need the first book? It helps. This book follows 100 Common Chinese Characters, Learned by Component, and the review dialogue mixes characters from both. If you can already read about 100 basic characters, you can start here. ## What does "by component" mean? Each character is shown with its parts and what each part does: 口 mouth + 昌 chāng for 唱, where 口 hints at the meaning and 昌 gives the sound. Units group characters by a shared part or a topic. ## Does it practise writing? Yes. Practice pages ask you to put two parts together and write the character, and the final recall has you write 20 characters from memory. ## Is this workbook free? Yes. The whole 41-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. ## Can I print copies for my class? Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy. Version 2026-10, updated Oct 27, 2026.