Kindergarten Chinese starts with characters that look like what they mean. This set covers the first 40 characters in SayMei's sequence, chosen for little hands: the numbers 一 (yī) to 十 (shí), then pictographs such as 日 (rì, sun), 月 (yuè, moon), 山 (shān, mountain), 水 (shuǐ, water), 人 (rén, person) and 口 (kǒu, mouth), and first words like 门 (mén), 牛 (niú), 羊 (yáng) and 鸟 (niǎo). None has more than six strokes, and the sheets use extra-large tracing boxes so children can follow each stroke before writing on their own. The page also has eight picture-friendly topic sets to say aloud and trace in K1 and K2 classes: colors, family, animals, the body, fruit, shapes, weather and greetings. Every character comes with pinyin and an English meaning for the grown-ups helping. Pick a set, print it free or save the PDF, and count, point and name things out loud while your child traces.
Unit 1: Numbers 1 to 10
Kindergarten unit 1: Numbers 1 to 10| Character | Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Built from |
|---|
| 一 | 一 | yī | one | 1 | |
| 二 | 二 | èr | two | 2 | |
| 三 | 三 | sān | three | 3 | |
| 四 | 四 | sì | four | 5 | |
| 五 | 五 | wǔ | five | 4 | |
| 六 | 六 | liù | six | 4 | |
| 七 | 七 | qī | seven | 2 | |
| 八 | 八 | bā | eight | 2 | |
| 九 | 九 | jiǔ | nine | 2 | |
| 十 | 十 | shí | ten | 2 | |
Words to read: 十一 (shí yī) eleven; 二十 (èr shí) twenty; 五十 (wǔ shí) fifty; 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ) ninety-nine
Unit 2: Sun, moon and nature
Kindergarten unit 2: Sun, moon and nature| Character | Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Built from |
|---|
| 日 | 日 | rì | sun; day | 4 | |
| 月 | 月 | yuè | moon; month | 4 | |
| 山 | 山 | shān | mountain | 3 | |
| 水 | 水 | shuǐ | water | 4 | |
| 火 | 火 | huǒ | fire | 4 | |
| 木 | 木 | mù | tree; wood | 4 | |
| 土 | 土 | tǔ | earth; soil | 3 | |
| 石 | 石 | shí | stone | 5 | |
| 田 | 田 | tián | field | 5 | |
| 天 | 天 | tiān | sky; day | 4 | |
Words to read: 山水 (shān shuǐ) hills and water; landscape; 火山 (huǒ shān) volcano; 天天 (tiān tiān) every day; 水田 (shuǐ tián) rice paddy
Unit 3: People and the body
Kindergarten unit 3: People and the body| Character | Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Built from |
|---|
| 人 | 人 | rén | person | 2 | |
| 大 | 大 | dà | big | 3 | |
| 小 | 小 | xiǎo | small | 3 | |
| 口 | 口 | kǒu | mouth | 3 | |
| 目 | 目 | mù | eye | 5 | |
| 耳 | 耳 | ěr | ear | 6 | |
| 手 | 手 | shǒu | hand | 4 | |
| 心 | 心 | xīn | heart | 4 | |
| 女 | 女 | nǚ | woman; girl | 3 | |
| 子 | 子 | zǐ | child | 3 | |
Words to read: 大人 (dà rén) grown-up; 小心 (xiǎo xīn) be careful; 手心 (shǒu xīn) palm of the hand; 人口 (rén kǒu) population; 口水 (kǒu shuǐ) drool
Unit 4: First words
Kindergarten unit 4: First words| Character | Traditional | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Built from |
|---|
| 上 | 上 | shàng | up; on | 3 | |
| 下 | 下 | xià | down; under | 3 | |
| 中 | 中 | zhōng | middle | 4 | |
| 门 | 門 | mén | door | 3 | |
| 牛 | 牛 | niú | cow; ox | 4 | |
| 羊 | 羊 | yáng | sheep; goat | 6 | |
| 马 | 馬 | mǎ | horse | 3 | |
| 鸟 | 鳥 | niǎo | bird | 5 | |
| 虫 | 蟲 | chóng | bug; worm | 6 | |
| 米 | 米 | mǐ | rice | 6 | |
Words to read: 上下 (shàng xià) up and down; 门口 (mén kǒu) doorway; 中心 (zhōng xīn) center; 小鸟 (xiǎo niǎo) little bird; 大米 (dà mǐ) rice; 山羊 (shān yáng) goat; 水牛 (shuǐ niú) water buffalo; 木马 (mù mǎ) rocking horse
Eight topic sets to say and trace
Picture-friendly words for K1 and K2 classes. Some use characters from later stages (香蕉 xiāng jiāo, 葡萄 pú tao): say them and trace them, no need to learn them yet. Pick one in the set picker above to print it.
Colors: 红 (hóng) red; 黄 (huáng) yellow; 蓝 (lán) blue; 绿 (lǜ) green; 白 (bái) white; 黑 (hēi) black
Full sheet: Colors worksheet
Family: 爸爸 (bà ba) dad; 妈妈 (mā ma) mom; 哥哥 (gē ge) older brother; 姐姐 (jiě jie) older sister; 弟弟 (dì di) younger brother; 妹妹 (mèi mei) younger sister; 爷爷 (yé ye) grandpa; 奶奶 (nǎi nai) grandma
Full sheet: Family & Relatives worksheet
Animals: 猫 (māo) cat; 狗 (gǒu) dog; 鸟 (niǎo) bird; 鱼 (yú) fish; 牛 (niú) cow; 马 (mǎ) horse; 羊 (yáng) sheep; 猪 (zhū) pig
Full sheet: Common Animals worksheet
My body: 头 (tóu) head; 手 (shǒu) hand; 口 (kǒu) mouth; 目 (mù) eye; 耳 (ěr) ear; 鼻 (bí) nose; 牙 (yá) tooth; 足 (zú) foot
Full sheet: Body Parts worksheet
Fruit: 苹果 (píng guǒ) apple; 香蕉 (xiāng jiāo) banana; 西瓜 (xī guā) watermelon; 葡萄 (pú tao) grapes; 草莓 (cǎo méi) strawberry; 橙子 (chéng zi) orange; 梨 (lí) pear; 桃子 (táo zi) peach
Full sheet: Fruits worksheet
Shapes: 圆形 (yuán xíng) circle; 方形 (fāng xíng) square shape; 三角形 (sān jiǎo xíng) triangle; 长方形 (cháng fāng xíng) rectangle; 正方形 (zhèng fāng xíng) square; 星形 (xīng xíng) star shape; 心形 (xīn xíng) heart shape; 半圆形 (bàn yuán xíng) semicircle
Weather: 太阳 (tài yáng) sun; 云 (yún) cloud; 雨 (yǔ) rain; 雪 (xuě) snow; 风 (fēng) wind; 晴 (qíng) sunny; 冷 (lěng) cold; 热 (rè) hot
Full sheet: Weather Words worksheet
Greetings: 你好 (nǐ hǎo) hello; 再见 (zài jiàn) goodbye; 谢谢 (xiè xie) thank you; 不客气 (bú kè qi) you're welcome; 对不起 (duì bu qǐ) sorry; 没关系 (méi guān xi) it's OK; 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) good morning; 晚安 (wǎn ān) good night
Full sheet: Greetings & Introductions worksheet
How the 340 characters are ordered
Our own second-language pace for weekend schools, international schools and home learners: about one character a week in kindergarten and three a week from Primary 1. It is not a school syllabus; native-speaker schools move much faster.
More Chinese worksheets for kids
- Chinese worksheets for kids: Free printable Chinese worksheets for children from kindergarten to Primary 3: big tracing boxes, pinyin and English on every sheet.
- Primary 1 Chinese: SayMei's 100 Grade 1 characters in ten units, from 你好 (nǐ hǎo) and family words to colors and useful verbs. 你 好 我 是
- Primary 2 Chinese: SayMei's 100 Grade 2 characters: body, animals, time, directions, weather, home, school and joining words. 头 足 身 体
- Primary 3 Chinese: SayMei's 100 Grade 3 characters, most taught in families that share a part: 氵 (shuǐ), 口 (kǒu), 木 (mù), 亻 (rén), 扌 (shǒu), 讠 (yán) and 日 (rì). 河 海 江 湖
- Chinese Pictographs: 36 classic pictographs, characters that began as pictures, with what each one shows. 人 大 女 子
- YCT Vocabulary Lists: The official YCT 1–4 word lists have 80, 150, 300 and 600 words; each list includes the one before it. 爱 八 爸爸 鼻子
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese characters should a kindergartener learn first?
Start with the numbers 一 (yī) to 十 (shí), then characters that look like pictures: 日 (rì, sun), 月 (yuè, moon), 山 (shān, mountain), 水 (shuǐ, water) and 人 (rén, person). All forty characters on this page have six strokes or fewer.
How big should tracing boxes be for preschoolers?
Big. These sheets use extra-large cells, about 25 mm across, so a child can trace each stroke with a crayon or a thick pencil. Keep each session short, two or three characters at a time, and say each one aloud while tracing.
Should my child learn pinyin in kindergarten?
There is no need to drill it. The pinyin above each character helps the adults reading along, and children learn sounds best by hearing and saying the words. Writing pinyin usually starts in Primary 1, so you can leave the pinyin row empty for now.
What topic sets are on the kindergarten page?
Eight picture-friendly sets to say and trace: colors, family, animals, the body, fruit, shapes, weather and greetings, such as 红 (hóng, red), 妈妈 (mā ma, mom) and 你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello). Pick one in the set picker to print it.
Is this worksheet free to print?
Yes. The kindergarten Chinese worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed, and you can print as many copies as you like for a class. Choose A4 or US Letter before you press Print or Save PDF.