Read
See the Chinese word with pinyin on top, pick the English from four answers.
WORLD 4 · 中文
Chinese vocabulary game
WRDLRNR is a free Mandarin Chinese vocabulary game that runs in your browser. You race the clock to match Chinese words with English and beat a boss for every topic. It covers 3,519 words from HSK 1 to HSK 5, drawn from the new HSK 3.0 syllabus, in simplified characters with tone-marked pinyin.
In the game: Start, pick a mode, then the Mandarin world.
3,519Mandarin words
HSK 1 to 5from the HSK 3.0 syllabus
Pinyinwith tone marks
Freeno download, no sign-up
HSK levels
The words, level by level
Every word has its English meaning, part of speech and topic. A few real examples from each level:
HSK 1 Beginner · 295 words
Food, friends, money and the first verbs.
吃to eat朋友friend水water喜欢to like今天todayHSK 2 Elementary · 201 words
Travel, the body and everyday actions.
跑to run票ticket鱼fish懂to understand眼睛eyeHSK 3 Intermediate · 489 words
Music, money, school and the news.
音乐music银行bank历史history担心to worry新闻newsHSK 4 Upper intermediate · 980 words
Work, family and life in the city.
地址address律师lawyer国际international父母parents火fireHSK 5 Advanced · 1,554 words
Media, data, sport and talking about the future.
未来future冠军champion数据data期待to look forward to龙dragon
ゲーム How you play
Three ways to drill Mandarin
Three modes: Practice (pick your levels, parts of speech and topics), Arcade (a map of levels with stars and boss fights) and Marathon (one endless run for a high score). Each round uses one of these games:
Recall
See the English, pick the Chinese. Pinyin sits over the characters, so you can play before you know them all.
Match
Five Chinese words, five English ones. Tap the pairs. Every match slides a new pair in.
Plus: pinyin on every word
Every word shows tone-marked pinyin, and a natural Mandarin voice says it so you hear the tones. The list includes 67 measure words like 本 and 张.
In Practice and Arcade rounds:
- +1 second for every right answer, 2 seconds off for a miss.
- 10 in a row adds 5 seconds. 20 in a row is a Super streak.
- Miss a word 3 times and it drags you into Purgatory.
ボス 19 topics, 20 bosses
A boss for every topic
In Arcade Mode every level ends in a boss fight: three hearts, a 7 second timer on every word and a Rage twist for the last 10 words. Word Golem guards the Core levels, the Grab-Bag Goblin guards the mixed levels, and every topic has its own boss.
- Core words Word Golem
- Family and People Auntie Gossip
- Food and Drink Chef Chomp
- Home Dust Bunny
- Time Clock Oni
- Travel Lost Luggage
- City Traffic Titan
- Work Overtime Ogre
- Money and Shopping Cashzilla
- Education Professor Pop Quiz
- Health and Body Germ King
- Feelings Mood Swing
- Free Time Couch Potato King
- Exercise and Sports Coach Crunch
- Nature and Weather Typhoon Tengu
- Animals Neko Shogun
- Clothing Sock Thief
- Tech and Media Glitch Lord
- Society The Bureaucrat
- Grab bag Grab-Bag Goblin
Built to make words stick
Missed words come back
A word you miss returns within three questions and leads your next round. Spaced review, without the flashcard chore.
Recall, not rereading
Every answer is a quick test of your memory. Retrieval practice like this beats rereading lists.
Your trouble words
WRDLRNR keeps every word you have played, worst first, and lets you drill just the ones you keep missing.
Questions
Is the Chinese vocabulary game free?
Yes. WRDLRNR is free to play in any web browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There is nothing to download and no account needed. Signing in with Google is optional and only syncs your progress between devices.
Which HSK levels does it cover?
HSK 1 to 5, with words drawn from the HSK 3.0 syllabus: HSK 1 (295 words), HSK 2 (201 words), HSK 3 (489 words), HSK 4 (980 words) and HSK 5 (1,554 words). That is 3,519 words. It does not cover every word on the official lists yet, and HSK 6 and above are not in the game.
Simplified or traditional characters?
Simplified characters, the ones used in mainland China and on the HSK.
Does it show pinyin and tones?
Yes. Every word shows pinyin with tone marks above the characters, and a natural Mandarin voice reads it out loud so you hear the tones.
Can I use it to study for the HSK?
Yes, for vocabulary. Pick your HSK level in Practice Mode and drill your trouble words until they are fast. WRDLRNR does not teach grammar, writing or listening practice for the test.
Is it Mandarin or Cantonese?
Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua), the language of the HSK.