HSK 3.0 has 10,896 words spread across 9 levels. HSK 1 starts with 300 high-frequency words covering greetings, numbers, and daily life. By HSK 4 (1,978 words) you can read contemporary fiction. By HSK 6 (5,334 words) you can follow most written Chinese. HSK 7-9 share a single vocabulary pool of 10,896 words — the difference between these levels is depth of comprehension, not word count. Below you will find the complete word list for every level, with cumulative totals, sample words, and links to searchable vocabulary pages.
The HSK 3.0 vocabulary standard was finalized in 2025 by China's Ministry of Education. It defines the words tested at each of the nine HSK levels, totaling 10,896 unique words at the highest level. This guide breaks down the vocabulary by level, shows sample words, explains the cumulative structure, and links to full word lists.
Vocabulary is one dimension. The official HSK 3.0 syllabus also defines topics, tasks, and grammar for each level. See the HSK 3.0 Syllabus Guide for the complete framework beyond word lists.
Cumulative vs. Level-Specific Counts
HSK vocabulary is presented by cumulative local word-list totals. The HSK 2 and HSK 3 source files are not perfect supersets of the previous level files, so "new at this level" below means entries present in the current file but not in the previous local file.
| Level | Cumulative Total | New Words Added | Percentage of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 300 | 300 | 2.8% |
| HSK 2 | 496 | 197 | 4.6% |
| HSK 3 | 988 | 493 | 9.1% |
| HSK 4 | 1,978 | 990 | 18.2% |
| HSK 5 | 3,557 | 1,579 | 32.6% |
| HSK 6 | 5,334 | 1,777 | 49.0% |
| HSK 7-9 | 10,896 | 5,562 | 100% |
The "Percentage of Total" column shows how far through the complete HSK vocabulary you are at each level. Reaching HSK 4 means knowing 18% of all HSK words. Reaching HSK 6 gets you to about half. The jump from HSK 6 to HSK 7 doubles your vocabulary to cover the full standard.
Level-by-Level Breakdown
HSK 1: 300 Words
HSK 1 covers survival Chinese: greetings, numbers, family members, basic objects, and simple verbs. A learner at this level can introduce themselves, ask simple questions, and handle basic transactions.
Sample words: 你好 (hello), 谢谢 (thank you), 学校 (school), 飞机 (airplane), 饺子 (dumplings), 高兴 (happy), 面包 (bread), 鸡蛋 (egg), 非常 (very), 面条儿 (noodles)
These words appear naturally in stories like 生日饭店 (Birthday Dinner), where characters order food, greet each other, and navigate a restaurant using only HSK 1 vocabulary.
Browse: HSK 1 stories | HSK 1 vocabulary
HSK 2: 496 Words (197 entries not in HSK 1)
HSK 2 adds vocabulary for daily routines, transportation, weather, and simple opinions. Learners can describe their schedule, talk about hobbies, and handle slightly more complex conversations.
Sample words: 一起 (together), 丈夫 (husband), 学习 (study), 孩子 (child), 完 (finished), 对不起 (sorry), 小时 (hour), 颜色 (color), 饭馆 (restaurant), 高中 (high school)
At this level, you can read stories about daily life situations. 楼上的吉他 (The Guitar Upstairs) tells the story of neighbors who go from noise complaints to making music together, using vocabulary about home, time, and interpersonal communication.
Browse: HSK 2 stories | HSK 2 vocabulary
HSK 3: 988 Words (493 entries not in HSK 2)
HSK 3 is a major step up. The vocabulary expands into work, travel, health, social relationships, and expressing opinions. It is where reading starts to move beyond simple daily routines into fuller scenes and motivations.
Sample words: 小区 (residential compound), 小心 (be careful), 小时候 (childhood), 封 (measure word for letters), 屋子 (room), 层 (floor/layer), 山 (mountain), 高铁 (high-speed rail), 鼓励 (encourage), 麻烦 (trouble)
Stories at this level tackle more complex scenarios. 找家的故事 (The Home Search) follows someone apartment hunting in a Chinese city, introducing vocabulary about real estate, neighborhoods, and the practical challenges of urban life.
Browse: HSK 3 stories | HSK 3 vocabulary
HSK 4: 1,978 Words (990 new)
HSK 4 nearly doubles the vocabulary from HSK 3. At this level, you can discuss abstract topics, understand news articles on familiar subjects, and express complex opinions.
Sample words: 市场 (market), 师傅 (master/skilled worker), 希望 (hope), 帮忙 (help), 常见 (common), 帽子 (hat), 幅 (measure word for paintings), 干 (dry/do), 常用 (commonly used), 带 (bring/wear)
Reading at HSK 4 moves into richer storytelling. 外国人在中国 (A Foreigner in China) explores cultural misunderstandings with humor, while 美食小博客 (The Food Blog) follows an aspiring food critic navigating the world of online reviews.
Browse: HSK 4 stories | HSK 4 vocabulary
HSK 5: 3,557 Words (1,579 new)
HSK 5 is the gateway to professional Chinese. The vocabulary covers formal writing, academic discussion, business, and nuanced emotional expression.
Sample words: 录取 (admit/enroll), 录音 (recording), 形势 (situation), 形容 (describe), 形成 (form/develop), 影响 (influence), 影片 (film), 彻底 (thorough), 彼此 (each other), 形象 (image/impression)
Stories become more sophisticated. 夜市烟火 (Night Market Sparks) tells of someone who loses their office job and starts a night market stall, weaving business vocabulary with personal growth themes. 深夜的翻译梦 (The Midnight Translation Dream) follows a tech startup pitch, using professional and entrepreneurial vocabulary.
Browse: HSK 5 stories | HSK 5 vocabulary
HSK 6: 5,334 Words (1,777 new)
HSK 6 moves into academic and literary comprehension. The vocabulary includes formal written Chinese, literary expressions, scientific terminology, and specialized words across many fields.
Sample words: 本质 (essence), 本能 (instinct), 本领 (ability/skill), 朴素 (simple/plain), 机制 (mechanism), 机动车 (motor vehicle), 机器人 (robot), 机构 (institution), 本科 (undergraduate), 本身 (itself)
At this level, stories address weighty themes. 夜班急诊室 (Night Shift ER) puts you inside a hospital emergency room over one grueling night shift, using medical and emotional vocabulary. 残剑记 (The Sword That Waited) is a historical fiction about a swordsmith, blending classical vocabulary with artisan terminology.
Browse: HSK 6 stories | HSK 6 vocabulary
HSK 7-8-9: 10,896 Words (5,562 new)
The three highest levels share a single vocabulary pool that adds 5,562 words on top of HSK 6. This is the largest single jump in the system and includes classical Chinese expressions (chengyu), technical terminology, literary vocabulary, and low-frequency words that appear in formal writing and speech.
Sample words: 一丝不苟 (scrupulously), 一举两得 (two birds with one stone), 齐心协力 (unite efforts), 权威 (authority), 权衡 (weigh pros and cons), 杂交 (hybridize), 权限 (access rights), 材质 (material quality), 龙头 (faucet/leading), 杂乱无章 (messy and disorganized)
The difference between levels 7, 8, and 9 is not vocabulary but proficiency depth:
- HSK 7: Comprehend complex extended texts
- HSK 8: Produce professional-quality Chinese
- HSK 9: Master all registers, from literary to technical
Stories at these levels are full-length narratives covering detective fiction, historical epic, science fiction, legal drama, and more. For details, see HSK 7-8-9: What the New Advanced Levels Mean.
Browse: HSK 7 stories | HSK 8 stories | HSK 9 stories | HSK 7-9 vocabulary
How the Word Lists Were Created
The HSK 3.0 word lists are based on the 2025 final standard (新版HSK考试大纲), published after several years of draft revisions. The 2021 draft had significant differences from the final version, particularly at levels 1-4 where vocabulary pools changed by 36-60%. Always use the 2025 final lists, not older draft versions.
The lists were compiled through corpus analysis of modern Chinese usage, covering:
- Spoken Chinese (conversations, media, lectures)
- Written Chinese (newspapers, textbooks, literature)
- Digital Chinese (social media, online communication)
- Academic Chinese (research papers, university texts)
Study Strategies by Level
Beginners (HSK 1-3): Frequency First
At the beginner levels, nearly every word you learn is high-frequency. Focus on recognition: can you understand the word when you see it in a sentence? Graded stories are ideal because they use each word multiple times across different contexts.
Recommended approach:
- Read 3-5 stories at your level
- Note words you recognize versus words you need to look up
- Re-read stories after a week to measure retention
- Move to the next level when you understand 90%+ of a story without pinyin
Intermediate (HSK 4-6): Context and Collocations
At intermediate levels, individual word meanings matter less than how words combine. 影响 means "influence," but you need to know 产生影响 (produce influence), 受到影响 (receive influence), and 影响力 (influential power). Stories teach these patterns naturally because they use words in complete sentences and realistic situations.
Recommended approach:
- Read stories and pay attention to word combinations, not isolated words
- Use the pinyin toggle: show pinyin for unfamiliar words, hide it for words you know
- Listen to audio while reading to build sound-meaning connections
- Read across different story genres to encounter vocabulary in varied contexts
Advanced (HSK 7-9): Breadth and Registers
At the advanced levels, the challenge is vocabulary breadth and register awareness. The same idea is expressed differently in a newspaper editorial, a novel, and a legal document. Stories at HSK 7-9 expose you to these different registers.
Recommended approach:
- Read widely across genres: mystery, historical fiction, science fiction
- Do not stop to look up every unfamiliar word. Build tolerance for ambiguity.
- Re-read demanding passages. HSK 9 stories reward multiple readings.
- Supplement with native Chinese media (newspapers, podcasts) to reinforce vocabulary in real-world contexts.
How Stories Use the Vocabulary
Every story on HSKStory is written using vocabulary from a specific HSK level. A story tagged "HSK 3" uses only words from the cumulative HSK 3 list of 988 words (which includes all HSK 1 and HSK 2 words). This means:
- You will not encounter words above your level (no guessing or frustration)
- Words from your level appear repeatedly across chapters (natural repetition for retention)
- Lower-level words appear frequently (reinforcing your foundation)
- Grammar and sentence complexity match the level (HSK 1 uses simple sentences; HSK 9 uses complex, multi-clause constructions)
This is the advantage of graded reading over raw native content: the vocabulary is controlled, but the stories are still engaging.
Next Steps
- Find your level. Take our free HSK level quiz to find out where you stand, or read HSK 3.0 vs HSK 2.0 for a mapping from old to new levels.
- Browse vocabulary at your target level. Use the vocabulary pages linked above to see the complete word list for each level.
- Start reading. Pick a story at your level and read the first chapter. If you understand 80-90% without pinyin, you are at the right level. If it is too easy, go up. If you understand less than 70%, go down one level.
- Build a study plan. See How to Prepare for the HSK 3.0 Exam for a structured approach with timelines.
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