HSK 2 adds 150 new words to your HSK 1 foundation — 300 total. The new layer is where Chinese gets fun: sports, travel, comparisons (比), past experiences (过) and ongoing actions (正在). Below is the complete list with pinyin, grouped by category. At 5–10 words a day with SRS: 3–6 weeks.
HSK 1 taught you to survive; HSK 2 teaches you to live — describing your day, comparing options, making plans, telling people what happened. As with our HSK 1 list, the words below are grouped by meaning rather than alphabetically, because that’s how memory actually files them. Study one group at a time.
People (13 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 您 | nín | you (polite) |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone |
| 它 | tā | it |
| 男 | nán | male |
| 女 | nǚ | female |
| 孩子 | háizi | child |
| 丈夫 | zhàngfu | husband |
| 妻子 | qīzi | wife |
| 哥哥 | gēge | older brother |
| 姐姐 | jiějie | older sister |
| 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother |
| 妹妹 | mèimei | younger sister |
| 服务员 | fúwùyuán | waiter / server |
Activities & sports (12 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 唱歌 | chànggē | to sing |
| 跳舞 | tiàowǔ | to dance |
| 游泳 | yóuyǒng | to swim |
| 跑步 | pǎobù | to run / jog |
| 踢足球 | tī zúqiú | to play soccer |
| 打篮球 | dǎ lánqiú | to play basketball |
| 运动 | yùndòng | to exercise; sports |
| 旅游 | lǚyóu | to travel |
| 玩 | wán | to play, have fun |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh, smile |
| 休息 | xiūxi | to rest |
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get up |
Everyday verbs (24 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to talk |
| 告诉 | gàosu | to tell |
| 介绍 | jièshào | to introduce |
| 帮助 | bāngzhù | to help |
| 问 | wèn | to ask |
| 找 | zhǎo | to look for |
| 等 | děng | to wait |
| 送 | sòng | to give (a gift); to see someone off |
| 卖 | mài | to sell |
| 给 | gěi | to give; for/to |
| 穿 | chuān | to wear |
| 洗 | xǐ | to wash |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk, leave |
| 到 | dào | to arrive |
| 出 | chū | to go out |
| 进 | jìn | to enter |
| 上班 | shàngbān | to go to work |
| 开始 | kāishǐ | to begin |
| 完 | wán | to finish |
| 准备 | zhǔnbèi | to prepare |
| 让 | ràng | to let, make (someone do) |
| 知道 | zhīdào | to know (a fact) |
| 觉得 | juéde | to feel, think |
| 懂 | dǒng | to understand |
Food & drink (8 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 咖啡 | kāfēi | coffee |
| 牛奶 | niúnǎi | milk |
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | egg |
| 面条 | miàntiáo | noodles |
| 羊肉 | yángròu | mutton / lamb |
| 鱼 | yú | fish |
| 西瓜 | xīguā | watermelon |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | delicious |
Places & getting around (12 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 宾馆 | bīnguǎn | hotel |
| 房间 | fángjiān | room |
| 教室 | jiàoshì | classroom |
| 公司 | gōngsī | company |
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | bus |
| 路 | lù | road |
| 门 | mén | door, gate |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | beside |
| 左边 | zuǒbian | left side |
| 右边 | yòubian | right side |
| 外 | wài | outside |
Time (9 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 早上 | zǎoshang | early morning |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour (duration) |
| 时间 | shíjiān | time |
| 去年 | qùnián | last year |
| 日 | rì | day (formal, dates) |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 已经 | yǐjīng | already |
| 正在 | zhèngzài | in the middle of (doing) |
Things, school & health (17 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 手机 | shǒujī | cellphone |
| 手表 | shǒubiǎo | watch |
| 报纸 | bàozhǐ | newspaper |
| 铅笔 | qiānbǐ | pencil |
| 票 | piào | ticket |
| 药 | yào | medicine |
| 课 | kè | class, lesson |
| 考试 | kǎoshì | exam |
| 题 | tí | question, problem |
| 问题 | wèntí | question, issue |
| 事情 | shìqing | matter, affair |
| 意思 | yìsi | meaning |
| 颜色 | yánsè | color — see our colors guide |
| 身体 | shēntǐ | body, health |
| 眼睛 | yǎnjing | eyes |
| 生病 | shēngbìng | to get sick |
| 姓 | xìng | surname; to be surnamed |
Adjectives & weather (17 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 长 | cháng | long |
| 高 | gāo | tall, high |
| 贵 | guì | expensive |
| 便宜 | piányi | cheap |
| 快 | kuài | fast |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 忙 | máng | busy |
| 累 | lèi | tired |
| 近 | jìn | near |
| 远 | yuǎn | far |
| 新 | xīn | new |
| 白 | bái | white |
| 黑 | hēi | black |
| 红 | hóng | red |
| 快乐 | kuàilè | happy |
| 晴 | qíng | sunny |
| 阴 | yīn | cloudy |
Plus one weather noun: 雪 (xuě, snow) — pair it with HSK 1’s 下雨 pattern: 下雪, “it’s snowing.”
Function words: where HSK 2 grammar lives (27 words)
Small words, big unlocks — most of HSK 2’s new grammar is carried by this group:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English / job |
|---|---|---|
| 比 | bǐ | than (comparisons: A 比 B 高) |
| 过 | guo | have done before (experience) |
| 着 | zhe | ongoing state marker |
| 得 | de | links verb + degree (说得很好) |
| 吧 | ba | suggestion particle (走吧!) |
| 就 | jiù | then, right away |
| 还 | hái | still, also |
| 也 | yě | also |
| 再 | zài | again |
| 最 | zuì | most (superlative) |
| 真 | zhēn | really |
| 非常 | fēicháng | extremely |
| 别 | bié | don’t (commands) |
| 每 | měi | every |
| 从 | cóng | from |
| 离 | lí | distance from |
| 往 | wǎng | toward |
| 对 | duì | correct; toward (对我说) |
| 错 | cuò | wrong |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | may, can |
| 可能 | kěnéng | maybe, possible |
| 要 | yào | to want; will |
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope |
| 为什么 | wèishénme | why |
| 一起 | yìqǐ | together |
| 一下 | yíxià | briefly, “a bit” (softens verbs) |
| 第一 | dì-yī | first |
Two paired conjunctions complete the set: 因为…所以… (yīnwèi…suǒyǐ…, because…so…) and 虽然…但是… (suīrán…dànshì…, although…but…) — your first complex sentences.
Numbers & measure words (6 words)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 百 | bǎi | hundred |
| 千 | qiān | thousand |
| 零 | líng | zero |
| 两 | liǎng | two (before measure words) |
| 次 | cì | time (occurrence) |
| 件 | jiàn | measure word for clothes/matters |
两 deserves a highlight: when counting, “two” is 两, not 二 — 两个人, two people. The same rule exists in Korean and Japanese counting, and it trips learners in all three languages.
How to learn HSK 2 efficiently
- Function words first: 比, 过, 正在, 一下 unlock more sentences than any noun — drill them inside example sentences.
- 5–10 words a day with SRS, grouped by category as above.
- Recycle HSK 1: make sentences combining old and new (我每天早上喝咖啡 uses both levels).
This exact list, as a smart course
Hanzijo has every HSK 2 word (and the full HSK 1–9 path) with native audio, color-coded tones, exclusive mnemonics for every character, and an SRS engine that quizzes you right before you’d forget.
Learn HSK 2 with Hanzijo — FreeFrequently asked questions
Do I need HSK 1 first?
Yes — HSK 2 assumes all 150 HSK 1 words. If you’re starting fresh, begin with the HSK 1 vocabulary list; the two levels together take most learners 2–4 months.
How many characters does HSK 2 add?
The 300 cumulative words use roughly 350 characters, many recycled across words (服务员 reuses 员, 公共汽车 reuses 车). Component-based mnemonics make these connections visible.
Is the HSK 2 exam hard?
It’s the friendliest real milestone in Chinese: multiple-choice listening and reading, with pinyin printed above every character. Daily SRS review plus one practice paper is typically enough.
What grammar should I focus on at HSK 2?
Four patterns carry the level: 比 comparisons, 过 for experiences, 正在 for ongoing actions, and 因为…所以… — our grammar patterns guide covers all of them.