Job titles show up in the first minutes of a conversation, and they are unusually well organised in Mandarin. This free printable page covers 职业 (zhí yè, occupation) plus nine jobs: 老师, 医生, 护士, 警察, 司机, 工程师, 律师, 厨师 and 服务员. Every entry prints with pinyin above 田字格 (tián zì gé) tracing grids, and the sheet saves as a PDF with no signup.
师 and 员: two endings that build job words
Four of these titles end in 师 (shī), a character meaning master or trained expert: 老师, 工程师, 律师 and 厨师. Once you spot it you can guess at new words, because 摄影师 is a photographer and 理发师 a barber. 员 (yuán) does a different job, marking a person who staffs a role rather than one who trained for a craft, which is why a server is 服务员, service plus staff member, and a shop assistant is 售货员. The rest are built from plain description: 医生 joins healing with a scholar, 司机 is the one who manages a machine, and 警察 combines alert with inspect.
Saying what you do
The natural question is 你做什么工作? and the natural answer is 我是老师. Mandarin needs no article, so 我是一个老师 sounds oddly formal to a native ear. To talk about becoming something, use 当: 我想当医生 means I want to be a doctor.
Trace the guided strokes, then write each title unaided while you say it aloud. To hear these words inside full sentences, try the Chinese example sentence bank, or build a sheet for your own field with the Chinese worksheet generator.
Words on this worksheet: 职业 (zhíyè) — Occupation; 老师 (lǎoshī) — Teacher; 医生 (yīshēng) — Doctor; 护士 (hùshi) — Nurse; 警察 (jǐngchá) — Police; 司机 (sījī) — Driver; 工程师 (gōngchéngshī) — Engineer; 律师 (lǜshī) — Lawyer; 厨师 (chú shī) — chef, cook; 服务员 (fú wù yuán) — waiter.
Hear these words in beginner Mandarin songs.
Frequently asked questions
Is this worksheet free to download as a PDF?
Yes. The Jobs & Occupations worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed. Press Print / Download PDF: on a computer the PDF opens ready to print or save, and on a phone it goes to your share sheet. A4 or US Letter follows your country.
What level is this worksheet?
It suits learners from about HSK 4. That is an editorial estimate for the Jobs & Occupations topic, not an official HSK word list, so a few of its 10 words may be harder. Each word prints with tone-marked pinyin and an English meaning to help.
Can I print copies for my class?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like — it's free. For a class set, press Change the words and open More options to add an answer key, a class line or a dictation page; the Student PDF leaves the key out. Test turns the sheet into a quiz.
Can I change the words or use traditional characters?
Yes. Press Change the words to open this sheet in the generator, then add, remove or replace words, up to 20 per sheet. Set Characters to Traditional to switch the whole sheet to traditional characters; a word with no verified traditional form stays as you typed it.
How should I practice with this worksheet?
Trace the gray guides first, saying each word aloud, then cover the model and write the characters from memory in the blank boxes. Scan the sheet's QR code or open the Practice tab to watch each stroke animate, trace it, then recall it without a guide. Revisit missed words a day or two later.