This free printable page takes the first hundred characters of a corpus frequency ranking — 的, 一, 是, 不, 了, 在, 人, 有, 我, 他 at the top, 想 and 实 at the far end — and lays them out as 田字格 (tián zì gé) tracing rows with pinyin above each one.
Frequency order is not difficulty order
The ranking records only how often a character turns up in running text. That is why eight-stroke 的 (de) sits ahead of one-stroke 一 (yī), and why the top of the list is grammar rather than vocabulary. 的, 了 (le), 着 (zhe), 们 (men) and 么 (me) are particles and suffixes with no tidy English gloss, so practice them inside a short phrase such as 我的书 or 来了 instead of hunting for a meaning. The list also reaches into written register early: 之 (zhī), 于 (yú), 而 (ér) and 其 (qí) are ordinary on the page and rare in conversation.
Characters that change their reading
Several entries carry more than one sound. 为 is wéi (to act as) or wèi (for the sake of); 还 is hái (still) or huán (to give back); 都 is dōu (all) or dū (capital city); 种 is zhǒng (a kind) or zhòng (to plant); 行 is xíng (to go) or háng (a trade or a firm). One pair runs the other way: 他 and 她 are both tā, and the difference between them, 亻 for a person and 女 for a woman, lives only on paper.
Work in blocks of ten rather than attacking the whole page. Trace the guided strokes, cover the model, write from memory, then say the character aloud. When a row needs more repetition, print blank 田字格 grid paper. If a hundred feels like too many at once, the First Characters sheet starts with twelve, and the worksheet generator will build a page from any list you paste in.
Words on this worksheet: 的 (de) — (aux.); 一 (yī) — One; 是 (shì) — yes; 不 (bù) — No; 了 (le) — past tense marker; 在 (zài) — stay, in process of; 人 (rén) — people; 有 (yǒu) — have; 我 (wǒ) — I; 他 (tā) — he; 这 (zhè) — Here (here); 个 (gè) — individual; 们 (men) — plural marker for pronouns and a few animate nouns (friends); 中 (zhōng) — middle, in; 来 (lái) — come; 上 (shàng) — upper; 大 (dà) — big; 为 (wèi) — by; 和 (hé) — and; 国 (guó) — country, state, nation; 地 (de) — auxiliary word; 到 (dào) — reach; 以 (Yǐ) — abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4]; 说 (shuō) — speak; 时 (shí) — time, times, hour, season, tense; 要 (yào) — want; 就 (jiù) — as soon as, right away, then; 出 (chū) — out; 会 (huì) — can, be able to; 可 (kě) — can, may, approve, be worth, suit, but, yet; 也 (yě) — also; 你 (nǐ) — you; 对 (duì) — right; 生 (shēng) — give birth, be born; 能 (néng) — can; 而 (ér) — and; 子 (zi) — noun suffix (table); 那 (nà) — that; 得 (dé) — get; 于 (yú) — (preposition); 着 (zhe) — in process of; 下 (xià) — below, under, next, go down, get off; 自 (zì) — from, since, self, oneself; 之 (zhī) — (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]); 年 (nián) — year; 过 (guò) — pass; 发 (fā) — send out; 后 (hòu) — back, behind, after, later; 作 (zuò) — rise, compose, pretend, affect, feel, become, writing, work; 里 (lǐ) — in; 用 (yòng) — use; 道 (dào) — road, way, path; 行 (xíng) — That's ok; 所 (suǒ) — place, office, spot, (measure word); 然 (rán) — correct; 家 (jiā) — home; 种 (zhǒng) — species; 事 (shì) — thing; 成 (chéng) — become, finish; 方 (fāng) — square; 多 (duō) — many, much, more; 经 (Jīng) — surname Jing; 么 (má) — exclamatory final particle; 去 (qù) — go; 法 (fǎ) — law, way, method, example, rule; 学 (xué) — learn, study; 如 (rú) — as, if, according to; 都 (dōu) — all; 同 (tóng) — same, similar, alike, like, together; 现 (xiàn) — to appear; 当 (dāng) — When; 没 (méi) — no; 动 (dòng) — move; 面 (miàn) — face; 起 (qǐ) — get up, start, rise; 看 (kàn) — see; 定 (dìng) — decide, fix, book, order, calm, stable; 天 (tiān) — day; 分 (fēn) — minute, point, part, (measure word); 还 (hái) — also, still, yet; 进 (jìn) — enter; 好 (hǎo) — good; 小 (xiǎo) — Small; 部 (bù) — unit, ministry, department, part, section; 其 (qí) — his, her, its, their, he, she, it, they, such, that; 些 (xiē) — some; 主 (zhǔ) — owner; 样 (yàng) — appearance, shape, sample, model, pattern, kind, type; 理 (lǐ) — reason, truth, texture, to manage; 心 (xīn) — heart, feeling, centre, core; 她 (tā) — she; 本 (běn) — (measure word for books or volumes); 前 (qián) — front; 开 (kāi) — open; 但 (dàn) — but, however; 因 (yīn) — cause, reason, because; 只 (zhǐ) — only, just, simply, merely; 从 (cóng) — from; 想 (xiǎng) — think; 实 (shí) — real. See also:
HSK 3.0 Handwriting Characters ·
Chinese Radicals List (214).
Hear these words in beginner Mandarin songs.
Frequently asked questions
Is this worksheet free to download as a PDF?
Yes. The Top 100 Chinese Characters 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 2. That is an editorial estimate for the Top 100 Chinese Characters topic, not an official HSK word list, so a few of its 100 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.