Twenty-two words cover what people actually do with a phone: 打电话, 短信, 上网, 登录, 下载, 上传 and 充电, plus the objects around them — 手机, 电话, 电脑, 平板, 网络, 网站, 软件, 应用, 账号, 密码, 照片, 视频, 消息, 电池 and 无线网络.

Two morphemes build half the list

电 (diàn, electric) gives you 电话 as electric speech, 电脑 as an electric brain, 电池 as an electric pool and 充电 as filling something with electricity. 网 (wǎng), originally a picture of a net, gives you 网络, 上网, 网站 and 无线网络. Once those two characters jump out at you, a word you have never seen, such as 电视 or 网购, is already half read.

Up, down, and one tone to watch

下载 (xià zǎi) is to download and 上传 (shàng chuán) is to upload, the same directional pair that turns 上课 into 下课. 上网 belongs with them, and it behaves as a verb plus its object, so it splits: 上过网 and 上不了网, never 上网过. One reading catches people out — 应用 is yìng yòng with a fourth tone, not the yīng of 应该. 密码 is secret plus code, and it covers passwords and PINs alike.

Trace each row, then write it again with the model covered. Digital vocabulary dates quickly, so edit the list down to the apps and devices you actually use before printing. There is a beginner version on the HSK 1 phones and internet sheet, and the worksheet generator accepts any words you paste in.

Words on this worksheet: 手机 (shǒujī) — Mobile phone; 电话 (diàn huà) — phone; 打电话 (dǎ diàn huà) — make a phonecall; 短信 (duǎnxìn) — message; 电脑 (diànnǎo) — Computer; 平板 (píng bǎn) — slab; 网络 (wǎngluò) — network; 上网 (shàngwǎng) — Surf the Internet; 网站 (wǎngzhàn) — website; 软件 (ruǎnjiàn) — Software; 应用 (yìngyòng) — application; 账号 (zhàng hào) — account number; 密码 (mìmǎ) — Password; 登录 (dēnglù) — Sign in; 下载 (xiàzài) — download; 上传 (shàng chuán) — to upload; 照片 (zhàopiàn) — Photo; 视频 (shìpín) — video; 消息 (xiāoxi) — message; 充电 (chōng diàn) — recharge, charge; 电池 (diànchí) — Battery; 无线网络 (wú xiàn wǎng luò) — wireless network. Hear these words in beginner Mandarin songs.

Frequently asked questions

How is 应用 pronounced in the sense of an app?

It is yìng yòng, with a fourth tone on the first syllable, not the yīng that begins 应该. The word means to apply or put to use, and it has become the standard label for a phone application, alongside the borrowed English term.

Why does 上网 split into 上过网?

Because it is a verb plus an object rather than a single word: 上 is the verb and 网 is what you get onto. Aspect markers and modifiers go in the middle, giving 上过网, 上了网 and 上不了网. Writing 上网过 is a common learner error.

Which characters recur across the digital words?

电 and 网. 电 appears in 电话, 电脑, 电池 and 充电; 网 appears in 网络, 上网, 网站 and 无线网络. Learning the two morphemes lets you decode new technology compounds instead of memorizing each one separately.

Can I print this sheet without an account?

Yes. The page prints straight from the browser or saves as a PDF, free and without signing up. Each word appears with pinyin above a row of 田字格 grids: guided strokes to trace first, then blank boxes to write it from memory.