HSK 1 Reading Practice — 22 Free Chinese Stories
Simple sentences and basic vocabulary — the first stories that feel readable. Every story below is free to read here in full, with pinyin above each word and an English translation on every line.
Graded against HSK 3.0
Measured against the official 3,000-character HSK 3.0 list, not estimated. Half the stories here are readable at HSK 2 or below — meaning you already know 95% of the characters, enough to follow the passage and infer the rest. The middle half of the shelf sits in HSK 2, and 96% of all characters across these 22 stories are HSK 1–2.
HSK 3.0 replaced the six-level standard on 1 July 2026 and regraded most of the vocabulary — what changed. You can run any text through the same grading with the HSK level checker.
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你好 Hello
A simple introduction between two people.
6 sentences · 28 characters · 13 words -
我的家 My Family
Meet a family of four.
6 sentences · 34 characters · 17 words -
吃饭 Eating
Talking about favorite foods.
6 sentences · 30 characters · 15 words -
买东西 Shopping
Buying fruit at the store.
6 sentences · 29 characters · 16 words -
学中文 Studying Chinese
Why I'm learning Mandarin.
6 sentences · 31 characters · 16 words -
今天天气 Today's Weather
A nice day in the park.
6 sentences · 29 characters · 19 words -
我的老师 My Teacher
A short description of my English teacher.
6 sentences · 34 characters · 17 words -
喝茶 Drinking Tea
A daily tea habit at home.
6 sentences · 40 characters · 20 words -
我爱音乐 I Love Music
Listening to songs and singing along.
6 sentences · 34 characters · 16 words -
小狗豆豆 My Puppy Doudou
A cute puppy at home.
6 sentences · 37 characters · 20 words -
小鸟喝水 The Thirsty Bird
A classic Chinese fable — a clever bird solves a problem.
10 sentences · 79 characters · 31 words -
大熊猫 Giant Pandas
Simple facts about China's most famous animal.
9 sentences · 88 characters · 41 words -
我的房间 My Room
A small, clean room with a bed, a desk and a window.
8 sentences · 68 characters · 30 words -
我的一天 My Day
From getting up at seven to going to bed at eleven.
8 sentences · 54 characters · 26 words -
坐公共汽车 Taking the Bus
The number three bus to work, twenty minutes for two yuan.
8 sentences · 59 characters · 28 words -
我的朋友 My Friend
Xiaomei is tall, likes films, and teaches me Chinese.
8 sentences · 60 characters · 31 words -
在饭馆 At the Restaurant
Ordering fish and greens with a friend, for eighty yuan.
8 sentences · 73 characters · 37 words -
四季 The Four Seasons
Spring flowers, summer swimming, autumn fruit and winter snow.
8 sentences · 59 characters · 28 words -
去学校 Going to School
A fifteen-minute walk, four morning classes, and a favorite one.
8 sentences · 60 characters · 28 words -
生日 Birthday
Mother cooks, friends bring presents, and everyone sings.
8 sentences · 60 characters · 31 words -
颜色 Colors
Everyone in the family likes a different color.
8 sentences · 69 characters · 29 words -
问路 Asking Directions
Lost on the way to the station, and the stranger who helped.
8 sentences · 66 characters · 31 words