Anki Word Bank
Best Chinese Anki Decks in 2026
We build Chinese Anki decks at Anki Word Bank. Mandarin has one of the older Anki ecosystems, and some famous free decks date back a decade. The question is which ones still hold up.
Free Chinese Anki Decks
Spoon Fed Chinese - The famous one: thousands of sentences with audio, ordered so each sentence introduces roughly one new word. The method is good, but the deck is old: no longer maintained, and the audio and ordering show their age.
HSK community decks - Dozens of decks on AnkiWeb organized by HSK level. Watch the version: the HSK word lists were overhauled in 2021 (HSK 3.0), and most free decks still follow the old HSK 2.0 lists. If you're sitting the exam, check which list your deck uses.
Character/stroke-order decks - Several free decks drill hanzi recognition and stroke order. Useful as a supplement, not a vocabulary plan.
The common gaps: inconsistent audio, no pinyin on some cards, and sentence quality that varies wildly card to card.
Paid Chinese Anki Decks
Anki Word Bank - Chinese Top 1000 - The 1,000 most common Mandarin words, frequency-ordered, with native audio and a contextual example sentence on every card. Available in 8 front languages. $4.99. ankiwordbank.com/decks/chinese-top-1000-frequency-words-audio-hsk-vocabulary
Anki Word Bank - HSK 3 Complete - 595 words covering the HSK 3 vocabulary scope, native audio and sentences on every card. $5. ankiwordbank.com/decks/hsk-3-complete-600-essential-chinese-words-audio
Refold Mandarin 1K - A curated ~1,000-word beginner deck with audio and mnemonics, around $30. Polished, but six times the price of the alternatives.
You can preview cards and audio on every Anki Word Bank deck page before buying.
Which one to pick
- Building core vocabulary fast: Chinese Top 1000. The 1,000 most frequent words cover roughly 80% of everyday speech, and every card has audio, which is the thing free decks most often miss.
- Studying for HSK: our free HSK 1 and HSK 2 samplers, then HSK 3 Complete.
- Sentence-first learner with patience for an unmaintained deck: Spoon Fed Chinese is still free and still clever.
- Your native language isn't English: our decks are available with fronts in Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.
Free Chinese Decks on Anki Word Bank
All include native audio. All free.
- HSK 1 Essentials: 100 Beginner Chinese Words - free
- HSK 2 Essentials: 100 Elementary Chinese Words - free
- Chinese Travel Essentials: 50 Key Phrases + Pinyin - free
- Chinese Verbs Mastery: 50 Common Verbs + Characters - free
- Chinese Food & Restaurant - free
Comparison
| Words | Audio | Sentences | Front Languages | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spoon Fed Chinese | ~8,000 sentences | yes | yes | English only | free |
| HSK community decks | per level | inconsistent | sometimes | English only | free |
| Refold Mandarin 1K | ~1,000 | yes | yes | English only | ~$30 |
| Anki Word Bank Chinese Top 1000 | 1,000 | every card | every card | 8 languages | $4.99 |
Key Details
- Pricing: $4.99 to $5 one-time purchase. 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Audio: Native TTS on every word and sentence.
- Front languages: Study Chinese from English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, or Korean.
- Format: Standard .apkg file. Works with Anki desktop (Windows/Mac/Linux) and AnkiDroid/AnkiMobile.
- Contact: [email protected]
Browse all Chinese decks: ankiwordbank.com/decks?language=Chinese