HSK Vocabulary Lists: How Many Words at Every Level
Under the current HSK 3.0 standard the cumulative word counts are 500 (HSK 1), 1,272 (HSK 2), 2,245 (HSK 3), 3,245 (HSK 4), 4,316 (HSK 5), 5,456 (HSK 6) and 11,092 across HSK 7–9. If a list you found says HSK 1 has 150 words, it is the older HSK 2.0 standard — both are still in circulation, and the difference at the beginner end is large.
“How many words do I need?” is the first question every Chinese learner asks and the hardest one to get a straight answer to, because the HSK was rebuilt in 2021 and most lists online still describe the old six-level version. Here are both, side by side, plus what the numbers actually mean for your study time.
HSK Vocabulary by Level: The Numbers
The current standard, HSK 3.0, runs from level 1 to level 9 and counts vocabulary cumulatively — each level includes everything below it.
| Level | New words | Cumulative | Characters (cumulative) | Roughly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 500 | 500 | 300 | Survival phrases, self-introduction |
| HSK 2 | 772 | 1,272 | 600 | Simple daily conversation |
| HSK 3 | 973 | 2,245 | 900 | Everyday topics with confidence |
| HSK 4 | 1,000 | 3,245 | 1,200 | Opinions, longer conversation |
| HSK 5 | 1,071 | 4,316 | 1,500 | Newspapers, films, workplace basics |
| HSK 6 | 1,140 | 5,456 | 1,800 | Fluent discussion of most topics |
| HSK 7–9 | 5,636 | 11,092 | 3,000 | Academic and professional Chinese |
Levels 7, 8 and 9 share one vocabulary list and one exam; they are separated by your score on it, not by different material.
The Old HSK 2.0 Numbers (Still Everywhere Online)
If a list you found says HSK 1 has 150 words, it is describing the pre-2021 standard. Both are worth knowing, because most textbooks, apps and word lists in circulation are still built on the old one.
| Level | HSK 2.0 cumulative | HSK 3.0 cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | 500 |
| 2 | 300 | 1,272 |
| 3 | 600 | 2,245 |
| 4 | 1,200 | 3,245 |
| 5 | 2,500 | 4,316 |
| 6 | 5,000 | 5,456 |
What changed, and why it matters to you
- The bottom got much heavier. New HSK 1 asks for more than three times the old HSK 1. If you are working from an old list, you are under-prepared for a current exam.
- The top got much higher. Old HSK 6 topped out at 5,000 words. The new 7–9 band reaches 11,092.
- The middle barely moved. Old HSK 6 (5,000) and new HSK 6 (5,456) are close, so “HSK 6” still means roughly the same thing in conversation.
- Both standards are in use. Test centres have been transitioning since 2021; check which version your test date uses before you build a word list around it.
Ready-Made Word Lists
We publish the full beginner lists grouped by meaning rather than alphabetically, which is how they are actually learnable:
- HSK 1 vocabulary list — every word with pinyin, sorted into categories
- HSK 2 vocabulary list — the next tier, same treatment
- The 100 most common Chinese words — a frequency-ordered starting point that cuts across levels
Free tool: what HSK level are you?
24 questions from HSK 1 to HSK 6, covering characters, pinyin, grammar and meaning, with an explanation after every answer. Instant result, no signup.
Take the free HSK level testHow Long Does Each Level Take?
Vocabulary is the clock on Chinese. Grammar is genuinely simple — no conjugation, no tenses, no plurals, no gender — so once the first few hundred words are in, progress is almost entirely a function of how many words you have.
| Target | Words to learn | At 10/day | At 20/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 500 | ~2 months | ~1 month |
| HSK 2 | 1,272 | ~4 months | ~2 months |
| HSK 3 | 2,245 | ~7.5 months | ~4 months |
| HSK 4 | 3,245 | ~11 months | ~5.5 months |
| HSK 5 | 4,316 | ~14 months | ~7 months |
| HSK 6 | 5,456 | ~18 months | ~9 months |
These assume you actually retain what you add, which is where most plans fail. Adding 20 words a day is easy for a week; the problem is that every word you add today generates reviews for months, so by week four you are facing a review pile you did not budget for. Ten a day with spaced repetition beats 30 a day abandoned in month two, every time.
Why Chinese Vocabulary Gets Easier, Not Harder
This is the genuinely good news, and it is the opposite of how most languages work.
Chinese words are built from characters that recombine predictably. Once you know 电 (diàn, electric) and a handful of partners, you get a whole family for free:
| Word | Pinyin | Literally | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | electric brain | computer |
| 电视 | diànshì | electric vision | television |
| 电影 | diànyǐng | electric shadow | film |
| 电话 | diànhuà | electric speech | telephone |
| 电梯 | diàntB; | electric ladder | lift, elevator |
Five words, two new characters. By HSK 4 this compounding is doing serious work: you meet a word you have never seen and can often guess it from its parts. That is why the 3,245-word jump to HSK 4 does not feel three times harder than the 1,272-word jump to HSK 2. More on this in how to learn Chinese characters.
How to Actually Learn a Word List
- Group by meaning, not alphabet. A list sorted by pinyin puts unrelated words next to each other and gives your memory nothing to hold onto. Family words, time words, food words — related items reinforce each other.
- Learn the tone as part of the word. A word learned without its tone has to be relearned later, and relearning is slower than learning it right once. If tone marks are still shaky, run the pinyin trainer first.
- Learn words in sentences. 会, 能 and 可以 all translate as “can,” and no word list will ever tell you which to use. Example sentences will.
- Use spaced repetition. A list is a snapshot; retention needs scheduled review. This is the difference between recognising 500 words in March and still knowing them in September.
- Read something. Word lists build the pieces; reading is what makes retrieval fast enough to be useful.
Everything above, as one app
Hanzijo covers the full HSK 1–9 path: every character, word and grammar point with native audio and colour-coded tones, an exclusive mnemonic for every character and every word, and an SRS engine that reviews you right before you would forget. It also has HSK reading and listening practice, full timed mock exams, conversation lessons and shadowing, an OCR scanner for reading real menus and signs, and lock screen and home screen widgets so characters reach you between sessions.
Learn Chinese with Hanzijo - FreeFrequently asked questions
How many words are in each HSK level?
Under the current HSK 3.0 standard the cumulative totals are 500 words at HSK 1, 1,272 at HSK 2, 2,245 at HSK 3, 3,245 at HSK 4, 4,316 at HSK 5, 5,456 at HSK 6 and 11,092 across the combined HSK 7 to 9 band. The older HSK 2.0 standard, which most lists online still use, had 150, 300, 600, 1,200, 2,500 and 5,000.
What is the difference between HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0?
HSK 3.0, introduced in 2021, expanded from six levels to nine and raised the vocabulary requirement sharply at the bottom and the top. HSK 1 went from 150 words to 500, and the ceiling rose from 5,000 words to 11,092. The middle levels are broadly comparable, so HSK 5 and HSK 6 still mean roughly what they always did.
How many characters do I need for HSK 4?
About 1,200 characters, which combine into the 3,245 words in the cumulative HSK 4 list. The character count is always far lower than the word count because Chinese words are built by recombining characters you already know.
How long does it take to reach HSK 4?
At ten new words a day with consistent review, roughly eleven months from zero. At twenty a day, around five and a half months, though that pace is much harder to sustain because every word added generates reviews for months afterwards.
Which HSK level should I aim for?
HSK 4 is the usual practical target: it covers everyday conversation and is the level most commonly requested for undergraduate study in China. HSK 5 or 6 is expected for graduate programmes and Chinese-language workplaces. HSK 1 and 2 are best treated as milestones rather than goals.