HSK 3.0
HSK 3.0 word lists, every level
Every word of the new HSK 3.0 standard, level by level, with pinyin and English meanings — 10,969 words, free, most common first. Pick your level, or find out which one you're at in about two minutes.
| Level | Stage | New words | Total by the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | elementary | 500 | 500 |
| HSK 2 | elementary | 772 | 1,272 |
| HSK 3 | elementary | 973 | 2,245 |
| HSK 4 | intermediate | 1,000 | 3,245 |
| HSK 5 | intermediate | 1,071 | 4,316 |
| HSK 6 | intermediate | 1,140 | 5,456 |
| HSK 7–9 | advanced | 5,636 | 11,092 |
Word counts are the official HSK 3.0 syllabus. Each list on this site is ordered by how common the words are, so the top of every list is the part worth learning first.
Know some of these already? Ming's level test finds where your Chinese ends — "80% of HSK 2" and "into HSK 3" are different starting points — and starts you there. Take Ming's free level test →
Questions
What is HSK 3.0?
HSK 3.0 is the new standard for China's Chinese proficiency test, published in 2021. It has nine levels in three stages — elementary (1–3), intermediate (4–6) and advanced (7–9, one combined exam) — and about 11,000 words in total, against 5,000 in the old six-level HSK 2.0.
How many words do I need for each HSK level?
In total: HSK 1 500, HSK 2 1,272, HSK 3 2,245, HSK 4 3,245, HSK 5 4,316, HSK 6 5,456, HSK 7–9 11,092. See how many words each level needs.
Which level should I start with?
If you've learned some Chinese already, don't start from HSK 1 again. Ming's free level test finds where your knowledge ends in about a dozen words and starts you there.
Meanings adapted from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). See Credits.