The First 1000 Flashcards

Test yourself. Then test yourself again.

Recognition is the thing that decays fastest, and flashcards are still the most honest way to find out what you've actually retained. These cover the 1,000 most common characters — the same frequency-ordered list as the rest of the range, so they slot straight in alongside the poster and the practice sheets.

Print them, cut them, stick them around the house.

What's on the cards

• Front: the character
• Back: pinyin pronunciation and the English meaning

What you get

Two PDFs — a simplified version and a traditional version.

Each A4 page holds 10 cards. Print the fronts, turn the stack over, print the backs, then cut. Laid out so the two sides line up.

How it works

Download and print at home, on whatever card or paper you like. Print as many sets as you want — lose one, print another. Nothing is shipped.