Key facts
- HSK 7–9 in the app: 5,578 words, 1,148 characters and 136 grammar points tagged HSK 7–9; 185 lessons (60 at HSK 7, 60 at HSK 8, 65 at HSK 9), 90 conversations and 48 dictation lessons.
- What it is: Hanzijo: Learn Chinese HSK 1-9 on the App Store, a Chinese learning app for HSK 1 to 9.
- Devices: iPhone and iPad with iOS 16 or later; the widgets need iOS 17 or later. There is no Android version at the moment.
- Price: Free to download. Premium is $5.99 a month, $39.99 a year or $149.99 once on the US App Store (prices vary by country), and one Premium account also unlocks Kanjijo and Hanguljo.
- Free plan: Free users get one new lesson a day, daily reviews, the widgets, the camera scanner, lessons from a pasted video link, the first conversation topic of each level and the first two dictation lessons of each level.
- Content: 3,088 characters, 10,940 words, 558 grammar points, 502 lessons, 266 conversations and 144 dictation lessons, HSK 1 to 9.
Facts checked on (app version 2.0.10).
One exam for three levels
HSK 7, 8 and 9 are not three separate tests. Chinese Testing International runs a single HSK 7–9 exam of 98 questions over about 210 minutes, with listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking. The score report gives a score from 0 to 100 for each of the five skills and places you at HSK 7, 8 or 9, or below HSK 7. At the time of writing the exam is offered only as an internet-based test.
How big the band is
The official syllabus lists 11,000 words for HSK 1 to 9, and 5,600 of them carry the 7–9 label; of the 3,088 characters to recognise, 1,148 belong to 7–9. Its word list is therefore longer than those of levels 1 to 6 put together. Hanzijo follows the same structure, with 5,578 words, 1,148 characters and 136 grammar points tagged HSK 7–9.
How Hanzijo splits the band
Vocabulary, characters and grammar carry one HSK 7–9 label, as in the syllabus. The lessons are divided into HSK 7, HSK 8 and HSK 9 so that the band can be studied in order, with 60, 60 and 65 lessons. Each of the three levels also has 30 conversations with shadowing and 16 dictation lessons cut from real Chinese videos.
What the advanced exam asks for
The official description lists listening material such as news reports, business negotiations, debates, interviews, lectures and documentaries, and writing tasks that ask you to describe a chart and to argue for an opinion. Translation, written and spoken, appears in the exam only at this band.
Is Hanzijo enough for HSK 7–9?
For vocabulary, characters and grammar, Hanzijo covers the band closely: its word list is close in size to the syllabus, at 5,578 words against 5,600, and its 1,148 characters match the syllabus count exactly. Listening is trained with the conversations and the dictation lessons, and speaking with shadowing, where speech recognition checks your pronunciation.
What the app does not do is train the exam tasks themselves. There are no timed papers and no marking of essays, chart descriptions or translations. Hanzijo does not include HSK mock exams; use the official sample papers. A sensible plan is to build the vocabulary and grammar in the app and, in the last weeks before the test, to switch to the official sample questions to practise the format and the timing.
Where to start if you passed HSK 6
The old six-level exam and the new nine-level standard do not line up word for word: the new syllabus moved many words between levels and added translation to the advanced tasks. If you passed HSK 6 under the old exam, take the free HSK level test as a quick check of HSK 1 to 6, then open Hanzijo at the first HSK 7 lesson. Every level is open from the start and the lessons unlock one after another within a level, so you do not have to work through HSK 1 to 6 first.
A pace that fits the band
With 185 lessons, the band is a long project at any pace. At one lesson a day it takes about half a year, and the reviews of earlier words grow with every lesson, so the daily review matters more here than at any lower level. Shadowing one conversation and doing one dictation lesson a week keeps listening and speaking moving while the vocabulary grows.
HSK 7, 8 and 9 in Hanzijo
Lessons, conversations and dictation lessons per level, counted from the app data.
| Level | Lessons | Conversations | Dictation lessons |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 7 | 60 | 30 | 16 |
| HSK 8 | 60 | 30 | 16 |
| HSK 9 | 65 | 30 | 16 |
Eight HSK 7–9 words from the syllabus
Eight words that the official syllabus labels HSK 7–9, picked for this page from the formal written register the band is known for. The pinyin follows the syllabus; the short English meanings are written for this page.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鉴于 | jiànyú | in view of, given that |
| 倘若 | tǎngruò | if, supposing (formal) |
| 何况 | hékuàng | let alone; besides |
| 迄今 | qìjīn | so far, to date |
| 弊端 | bìduān | drawback, abuse in a system |
| 权衡 | quánhéng | to weigh up (pros and cons) |
| 瓶颈 | píngjǐng | bottleneck |
| 层出不穷 | céngchū-bùqióng | to keep appearing, one after another |
If most of these are familiar, you are ready for the band; if many are new, the HSK 6 lessons may be the better place to start.
Studying the band with Hanzijo
- Check HSK 1 to 6 with the free level test.
- Open HSK 7 and take one lesson a day, in order.
- Shadow one conversation and do one dictation lesson a week.
- In the last weeks before the test, switch to the official sample papers for format and timing.
Good to know
- Hanzijo does not include HSK mock exams; use the official sample papers.
- Hanzijo runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 16 or later; there is no Android version at the moment.
- The word list is close to the official one but not identical: 5,578 words against 5,600.
- Speaking practice is shadowing with speech recognition; it is not scored the way the exam scores speaking.
Frequently asked questions
Is HSK 7–9 one exam or three?
One exam. A single HSK 7–9 test of 98 questions, about 210 minutes long, places you at HSK 7, 8 or 9 depending on your result, or below HSK 7.
How many words are in HSK 7–9?
The official syllabus labels 5,600 of its 11,000 words as HSK 7–9. Hanzijo tags 5,578 words for the band, along with 1,148 characters and 136 grammar points.
Can I start Hanzijo at HSK 7?
Yes. All levels are open, so you can begin at the first HSK 7 lesson; within a level, lessons unlock one after another.
How should I practise the exam format?
With the official sample questions from Chinese Testing International on chinesetest.cn. Hanzijo prepares the vocabulary, characters and grammar, not the timed exam format.
Is HSK 7–9 only online?
At the time of writing, the official page says HSK 7–9 is only available as an internet-based test. Check chinesetest.cn for current dates and formats.
Sources
- HSK (Levels 7-9), Chinese Testing International: structure, scoring and test format
- New HSK Test Syllabus (PDF, Chinese), Chinese Testing International; the word and character lists by level
- Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, Wikipedia: the history of HSK 3.0
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