date: '2010-02-13 15:21:26'
layout: post
slug: 50-most-frequently-used-chinese-characters-presented-in-an-easy-to-learn-way
status: publish
title: 50 Most Frequently Used Chinese Characters Presented in an Easy-to-Learn Way
wordpress_id: '722'
categories: Language
I created this list of Chinese characters for my own benefit in trying to learn them. I took Jun Da's list of most frequently used characters and added a Google image search to provide some mnemonics. I added tone-color and exaggerated tone marks to the pinyin to help remind me of the the tones.
See this on a separate page with links to shorter and longer lists of characters.
(Note, this may look ugly if you are using Internet Explorer. It should look better on Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. I need to do a bit more CSS-hacking to make it work on IE.)
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的
de di´di`
(possessive particle)/of, really and truly, aim/clear
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一
yi¯
one/1/single/a(n)
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是
shi`
is/are/am/yes/to be
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不
bu`bu´
(negative prefix)/not/no
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了
le liao˘liao`
(modal particle intensifying preceding clause)/(completed action marker), to know/to understand/to know, clear, look afar from a high place
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在
zai`
(located) at/in/exist
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人
ren´
man/person/people
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有
you˘
to have/there is/there are/to exist/to be
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我
wo˘
I/me/myself
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他
ta¯
he/him
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这
zhezhei
this/these, this/these/(sometimes used before a measure word, especially in Beijing)
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个
ge`
(a measure word)/individual
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们
men
(plural marker for pronouns and a few animate nouns)
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中
zhong¯zhong`
within/among/in/middle/center/while (doing sth)/during/China/Chinese, hit (the mark)
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来
lai´
to come
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上
shang`
on/on top/upon/first (of two parts)/previous or last (week, etc.)/upper/higher/above/previous/to climb/to go into/above/to go up
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大
dadai
big/huge/large/major/great/wide/deep/oldest/eldest, doctor
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为
wei´wei`
act as/take...to be/to be/to do/to serve as/to become, because of/for/to
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和
he´hehuo´huo
and/together with/with/peace/harmony/union, cap (a poem)/respond in singing, soft/warm, mix together/to blend
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国
guo´
country/state/nation
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地
de di`
(subor. part. adverbial)/-ly, earth/ground/field/place/land
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到
dao`
to (a place)/until (a time)/up to/to go/to arrive
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以
yi˘
to use/according to/so as to/in order to/by/with/because/Israel (abbrev.)
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说
shui`shuo¯
persuade (politically), to speak/to say
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时
shi´
o'clock/time/when/hour/season/period
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要
yao¯yao`
demand/ask/request/coerce, important/vital/to want/to be going to/must
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就
jiu`
at once/then/right away/only/(emphasis)/to approach/to move towards/to undertake
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出
chu¯
to go out/to come out/to occur/to produce/to go beyond/to rise/to put forth/to occur/to happen/(a measure word for dramas, plays, or operas)
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会
huikuai
can/be possible/be able to/to assemble/to meet/to gather/to see/union/group/association, to balance an account/accounting
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可
ke˘
can/may/able to/certain(ly)/to suit/(particle used for emphasis)
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也
ye˘
also/too
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你
ni˘
you
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对
dui`
couple/pair/to be opposite/to oppose/to face/for/to/correct (answer)/to answer/to reply/to direct (towards sth)/right
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生
sheng¯
to be born/to give birth/life/to grow
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能
neng´
can/may/capable/energy/able
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而
er´
and/as well as/but (not)/yet (not)/(shows causal relation)/(shows change of state)/(shows contrast)
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子
zi˘zi
11 p.m.-1 a.m./1st earthly branch/child/midnight/son/child/seed/egg/small thing, (noun suff.)
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那
na˘nanei
how/which, that/those, that/those/(sometimes used before a measure word, especially in Beijing)
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得
de´de dei˘
obtain/get/gain/proper/suitable/proud/contented/allow/permit/ready/finished, a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect/degree or possibility, to have to/must/ought to/to need to
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于
yu´
(surname), in/at/to/from/by/than/out of
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着
zhao¯zhao´zhe zhu`zhuo´
catch/receive/suffer, part. indicates the successful result of a verb/to touch/to come in contact with/to feel/to be affected by/to catch fire/to fall asleep/to burn, -ing part. (indicates an action in progress)/part. coverb-forming after some verbs, to make known/to show/to prove/to write/book/outstanding, to wear (clothes)/to contact/to use/to apply
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下
xia`
under/second (of two parts)/next (week, etc.)/lower/below/underneath/down(wards)/to decline/to go down/latter
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自
zi`
from/self/oneself/since
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之
zhi¯
(literary equivalent of 的)/(subor. part.)/him/her/it
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年
nian´
year
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过
guo`
(experienced action marker)/to cross/to go over/to pass (time)/to celebrate (a holiday)/to live/to get along/(surname)/excessively/too-
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发
fa¯fa`
to send out/to show (one's feeling)/to issue/to develop, hair
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后
hou`
empress/queen/surname, back/behind/rear/afterwards/after/later
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作
zuo`
to regard as/to take (somebody) for/to do/to make
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里
li˘
inside/internal/interior, village/within/inside, Chinese mile/neighborhood/li, a Chinese unit of length = one-half kilometer/hometown
