🇨🇳 CHINESE · HSK 1

Chinese – Batch 05

一 · 二 · 三 · 四 · 五  ·  Reading · Listening · Writing

What is Pinyin? Pinyin is the official romanisation system for Mandarin Chinese. Every syllable has a tone — the same syllable said in a different tone is a completely different word. There are four tones plus a neutral tone:
1st (ā) — high & level  |  2nd (á) — rising, like a question  |  3rd (ǎ) — dip then rise  |  4th (à) — sharp fall  |  Neutral (a) — light, unstressed
In exercises you may type tone marks (rén) or tone numbers (ren2) — both are accepted.

📋 Pinyin Quick Reference

Characters in this batch — type either form in exercises:

yi1 → yī
er4 → èr
san1 → sān
si4 → sì
wu3 → wǔ

🔊 Hear all 5 tones — same syllable "yi", five different meanings:

yī Tone 1 — level ★ 一 · one
yí Tone 2 — rising 仪 · ceremony
yǐ Tone 3 — dip-rise 以 · by means of
yì Tone 4 — falling 意 · meaning/idea
yixia Neutral — unstressed 一下 · a moment

★ = used in this batch  |  Note: 一 changes tone depending on the word that follows it (tone sandhi).

ToneNumberMark (a)Mark (e)Mark (i)Mark (u)
1st — high level1āēīū
2nd — rising2áéíú
3rd — dip-rise3ǎěǐǔ
4th — falling4àèìù
Neutral5 or 0aeiu

💡 On most keyboards, tone marks are hard to type — use the number form (yi1, er4) in exercises. Both are always accepted.

Progress: 0 / 4 exercises completed

A — Flashcard Practice

Click the card to reveal pinyin, meaning, and stroke count. Use the audio button to hear the pronunciation.

一
HSK 1
Tap to flip
1 / 8

B — Listen & Identify

Press the speaker button to hear a character pronounced. Choose the correct character from the four options.

C — Meaning Match

Look at the character. Choose the correct English meaning.

D — Reading in Context

Pinyin is shown for each sentence — type the missing pinyin in the blank. Press the audio button to hear the sentence, then repeat aloud.

🔊 Tip: Press Hear sentence, listen carefully, then say the full sentence out loud. Type the missing pinyin (tone mark or number form).

E — Stroke Count

How many strokes does each character take to write? Type the number. Tip: close your eyes and trace each character in your head — count how many times your pen lifts off the paper. Each unbroken line = one stroke.

一 yī — one

One single horizontal stroke — the most basic character. 一 undergoes TONE SANDHI: before 4th tone → yí (一个 yí gè); before 1st/2nd/3rd tone → yì (一天 yì tiān). This is one of the most critical rules in Mandarin — learn it now.
Tone 1 (阴平 yīnpíng) — high and level, like a sustained musical note. But watch for sandhi changes!
  • 一个yī gèone + MW
  • 一起yīqǐtogether
  • 一二yī èra few
Wǒ zhǐ yǒu yī gè.
我只有一个。
I only have one.
Wǒmen yīqǐ qù ba.
我们一起去吧。
Let's go together.

二 èr — two

Two horizontal lines — one for each unit. ⚠️ Used in counting/math (第二 second, 二月 February) but NOT before measure words — use 两 for that (两个人 two people, NOT 二个人).
Tone 4 (去声 qùshēng) — sharp falling, like a firm statement.
  • 第二dì èrsecond
  • 二月èr yuèFebruary
  • 一二yī èrone-two
Tā shì dì èr míng.
他是第二名。
He came second.
Èr yuè hěn lěng.
二月很冷。
February is very cold.

三 sān — three

Three horizontal strokes — simple and logical. Features in idioms like 三心二意 (indecisive) and 三四 (several). Each stroke is slightly longer than the one above.
Tone 1 (阴平 yīnpíng) — high and level.
  • 三月sān yuèMarch
  • 三十sān shíthirty
  • 三四sān sìseveral
Wǒ yǒu sān gè jiějie.
我有三个姐姐。
I have three older sisters.
Sān yuè hěn nuǎn.
三月很暖。
March is very warm.

四 sì — four

A contained box with two horizontal strokes inside. ⚠️ Don't confuse with 西 (west) which has different internal lines. The number 4 is considered unlucky in China as it sounds like 死 (sǐ, die) — many buildings skip floor 4.
Tone 4 (去声) — sharp falling. Note: 一 before 四 → yí (tone sandhi).
  • 四月sì yuèApril
  • 四方sìfāngfour directions
  • 三四sān sìseveral
Jīntiān shì sì yuè.
今天是四月。
Today is April.
Tā zhù sì lóu.
他住四楼。
He lives on the 4th floor.

五 wǔ — five

Five has an upper horizontal, a bent middle (like the numeral 5), and a lower horizontal — 4 strokes. 五四运动 (May Fourth Movement, 1919) is a landmark event in Chinese history when students protested for modernization and democracy.
Tone 3 (上声 shǎngshēng) — the dip-and-rise.
  • 五月wǔ yuèMay
  • 五十wǔ shífifty
  • 五四wǔ sìMay Fourth
Wǔ yuè tiānqì hǎo.
五月天气好。
May weather is nice.
Wǒ yǒu wǔ gè píngguǒ.
我有五个苹果。
I have five apples.

Tone System

ToneMarkNumberChineseDescriptionBatch example
1stā1阴平High, flat, held steadyyī (一), sān (三)
2ndá2阳平Rising — like "Really?"—
3rdǎ3上声Dip then rise — lowest tonewǔ (五)
4thà4去声Sharp falling — like "No!"èr (二), sì (四)
Neutrala5 / 0轻声Short, unstressed—

⚠️ Special Rule: 一 Tone Sandhi

一 (yī) changes tone depending on what follows it:
• Before a 4th tone syllable → yí (rising): 一个 yí gè, 一次 yí cì
• Before a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tone syllable → yì (falling): 一天 yì tiān, 一年 yì nián
• When used alone or at the end → stays yī: 第一 dì yī

Stroke Order Principles

  1. Top → Bottom
  2. Left → Right
  3. Horizontal before vertical (when crossing)
  4. Left-falling before right-falling
  5. Centre before sides (vertical axis)
  6. Outside before inside (enclosures)
  7. Close the bottom last
  8. Minor strokes last (dots / small sweeps)

Batch 05 Summary — Numbers I

CharPinyinMeaningStrokesHSK
一yīone1HSK 1
二èrtwo2HSK 1
三sānthree3HSK 1
四sìfour5HSK 1
五wǔfive4HSK 1

Pinyin Typing Guide

All exercises accept tone marks (yī, sān) or tone numbers (yi1, san1). Tone numbers are always easier — just type the syllable followed by 1, 2, 3, or 4. Both forms are equally correct.

🔊 Audio pronunciation powered by the Web Speech API (built into your browser, no external service).
For a comprehensive pinyin reference, visit Yabla Chinese Pinyin Chart.
Stroke order practice: Skritter · Character lookup: MDBG Dictionary.