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NewMandatory since July 2026
The new HSK 3.0 format,all of it in one place.
Nine levels, double the vocabulary, five skills
| HSK 2.0 2009 syllabus | HSK 3.0 published November 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 6 flat levels | 9 levels in 3 bands +3 levels elementary 1–3 · intermediate 4–6 · advanced 7–9, examined together |
| Words at HSK 1 | 150 | 300 ×2 |
| Words in total | ≈ 5,000 by HSK 6 | 11,000 across levels 1–9 ×2.2 |
| Characters to read | ≈ 2,600, one undivided list | 3,088 认读字 +19% |
| Characters to write | not separated out | 1,200 书写字, a named subset new |
| Grammar syllabus | none published | 428 points, level by level new |
| Skills examined | mainly listening & reading | listening, speaking, reading, writing, translation |
| Speaking | HSKK, a separate exam, booked and sat on its own | part of the HSK examination itself now included |
Words and characters, level by level
Words
What each level adds, and where that lands in total.
| Level | New words | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 300 | 300 |
| HSK 2 | 200 | 500 |
| HSK 3 | 500 | 1,000 |
| HSK 4 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| HSK 5 | 1,600 | 3,600 |
| HSK 6 | 1,800 | 5,400 |
| HSK 7–9 | 5,600 | 11,000 |
Characters
How many you have to read, and how many you have to write by hand.
| Level | To read (认读字) | To write (书写字) |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 300 | 150 |
| HSK 2 | 465 | 200 |
| HSK 3 | 655 | 250 |
| HSK 4 | 1,000 | 350 |
| HSK 5 | 1,500 | 500 |
| HSK 6 | 1,940 | 700 |
| HSK 7–9 | 3,088 | 1,200 |
The complete HSK 3.0 word list.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level | Audio and example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 爱 | ài | to love | HSK 1 | |
| 真可爱！Zhēn kěài!How cute! | ||||
| 吧 | ba | particle indicating polite suggestion | HSK 1 | |
| 你没事吧？Nǐ méishì ba?Are you okay? | ||||
| 八 | bā | eight | HSK 1 | |
| 妹妹八岁了。Mèimei bā suì le.My younger sister is eight years old. | ||||
| 爸爸 | bàba | father, dad | HSK 1 | |
| 我爸爸很忙。Wǒ bàbà hěn máng.My dad is busy. | ||||
| 百 | bǎi | hundred | HSK 1 | |
| 我有一百块钱。Wǒ yǒu yībǎi kuài qián.I've got one hundred RMB. | ||||
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day; day | HSK 1 | |
| 他白天睡觉，晚上工作。Tā báitiān shuìjiào, wǎnshàng gōngzuò.He sleeps during the day and works at night. | ||||
| 半 | bàn | half; semi-; incomplete | HSK 1 | |
| 我工作了半年。Wǒ gōngzuòle bàn nián.I worked for half a year. | ||||
| 包子 | bāozi | steamed stuffed bun | HSK 1 | |
| 中国人普遍都爱吃包子。Zhōngguórén pǔbiàn dōu ài chī bāozi.Most Chinese love to eat baozi. | ||||
| 杯子 | bēizi | cup, glass | HSK 1 | |
| 杯子在桌上。Bēizi zài zhuōshàng.The cup is on the table. | ||||
| 本 | běn | (a measure word for books) | HSK 1 | |
| 我是日本人。Wǒ shì rìběn rén.I am Japanese. | ||||
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin | HSK 1 | |
| 那边有人吗？Nàbiān yǒurén ma?Is anybody there? | ||||
| 病 | bìng | illness; disease; to fall ill | HSK 1 | |
| 我生病了。Wǒ shēngbìng le.I'm ill. | ||||
| 不 | bù | no, not | HSK 1 | |
| 不可能！Bù kěnéng!No way! | ||||
| 不客气 | bú kèqì | you are welcome, don't mention it | HSK 1 | |
| “谢谢你！”“不客气。”"Xièxie nǐ!" "Bú kèqi.""Thank you!" - "You are welcome." | ||||
| 不要 | búyào | don't!; must not | HSK 1 | |
| 不要说话了。Búyào shuōhuà le.Stop talking. | ||||
| 菜 | cài | dish; vegetable; food | HSK 1 | |
| 这道菜很好吃。Zhè dào cài hěn hǎochī.This dish is delicious. | ||||
| 茶 | chá | tea | HSK 1 | |
| 我们只有茶水。Wǒmen zhǐyǒu cháshuǐ.We only have tea. | ||||
| 唱 | chàng | to sing; to call loudly; to chant | HSK 1 | |
| 请唱歌。Qǐng chànggē.Please sing. | ||||
| 超市 | chāoshì | supermarket | HSK 1 | |
| 去了超市。Qù le chāoshì.I went to the supermarket. | ||||
| 车 | chē | car; vehicle; machine | HSK 1 | |
| 出租车到了。Chūzūchē dào le.The taxi's here. | ||||
Every level in full: Words: HSK 1 HSK 2 HSK 3 HSK 4 HSK 5 HSK 6 HSK 7 HSK 8 HSK 9 Characters: HSK 1 HSK 2 HSK 3 HSK 4 HSK 5 HSK 6 HSK 7 HSK 8 HSK 9
Or take the whole thing away: CSV and JSON files, per level or complete →
The grammar syllabus, point by point.
| Point | Category | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 前缀“小-” | Word parts语素 | The prefix 小- before a surname or given name makes a friendly, familiar form of address. | |
| 小王是我的同学。Xiao Wang is my classmate. | |||
| 前缀“第-”第＋数词 | Word parts语素 | The prefix 第- before a numeral forms ordinal numbers: 第一 first, 第二 second. | |
| 今天是我上班的第一天。Today is my first day at work. | |||
| 后缀“-们” | Word parts语素 | The suffix -们 marks plural on pronouns and words for people: 我们, 老师们. | |
| 我们是学生。We are students. | |||
| 后缀“-边” | Word parts语素 | The suffix -边 attaches to direction words to form location words: 上边, 前边, 外边. | |
| 书在桌子上边。The book is on top of the table. | |||
| 方位名词（上、下、里、外、前、后） | Word classes词类 | Locality nouns like 上, 下, 里, 外 follow a noun to express “on / under / inside / outside”. | |
| 我的书在家里。My book is at home. | |||
| 能愿动词“会、能” | Word classes词类 | The modal verbs 会 and 能 before a verb express learned ability (会) or capability/possibility (能). | |
| 我会说汉语。I can speak Chinese. | |||
| 能愿动词“想、要” | Word classes词类 | The modal verbs 想 and 要 before a verb express wanting or intending to do something. | |
| 我想喝茶。I want to drink tea. | |||
| 能愿动词“可以” | Word classes词类 | The modal verb 可以 expresses permission or possibility: “may / be allowed to”. | |
| 你可以坐这儿。You may sit here. | |||
| 离合词（睡觉、说话、上课……）睡觉 → 睡（一个好）觉 | Word classes词类 | Separable verbs like 睡觉, 说话, 上课 are verb+object compounds that act as one verb - and come apart to take 了 or a measure phrase in the middle. | |
| 我晚上十点睡觉。I go to bed at ten in the evening. | |||
| 疑问代词（什么、谁、哪儿、几、多少……） | Word classes词类 | Question words like 什么, 谁, 哪儿 stand in the sentence position of the thing being asked about. | |
| 这是什么？What is this? | |||
| 人称代词（我、你、您、他、她、大家……） | Word classes词类 | Personal pronouns refer to people; 您 is the polite form of 你. | |
| 您好，王老师！Hello, Teacher Wang! (polite) | |||
| 指示代词（这、那、这儿、那儿、这些……） | Word classes词类 | Demonstratives 这 “this” and 那 “that” point to people, things, and places. | |
| 这是我的书。This is my book. | |||
| 数词（一……十、百、千、半、二/两） | Word classes词类 | Numerals count things; before a measure word, “two” is 两, not 二. | |
| 我有两个哥哥。I have two older brothers. | |||
| 名量词（本、个、家、口、块、件、只、元；杯） | Word classes词类 | A measure word must stand between a number or demonstrative and its noun; 个 is the most general one. | |
| 我买了三个苹果。I bought three apples. | |||
| 时量词（日、号、岁、点、分、年、天） | Word classes词类 | Time measure words count dates, ages, and clock time; 岁 counts years of age. | |
| 你儿子几岁？How old is your son? | |||
| 程度副词“很、太、非常、真、有点儿” | Word classes词类 | Degree adverbs stand before adjectives; a plain adjective predicate usually takes 很. | |
| 我今天很忙。I am very busy today. | |||
| 范围副词“都” | Word classes词类 | The adverb 都 before the verb means “all / both”, covering everything mentioned before it. | |
| 我们都是学生。We are all students. | |||
| 时间副词“在、正在”（正）在＋动词（＋呢） | Word classes词类 | 在 or 正在 before the verb marks an action in progress, often with 呢 at the end. | |
| 他在吃饭。He is eating. | |||
| 频率副词“再” | Word classes词类 | The adverb 再 before a verb means “again / once more”, for a repeated future action. | |
| 你明天再来吧。Come again tomorrow. | |||
| 关联副词“也、还” | Word classes词类 | The adverb 也 before the verb means “also / too”, linking a second parallel statement. | |
| 我是学生，他也是学生。I am a student, and he is a student too. | |||
Every level in full: HSK 1 HSK 2 HSK 3 HSK 4 HSK 5 HSK 6 HSK 7–9
Or take the whole thing away: CSV and JSON files, per level or complete →
Common questions
What is HSK 3.0?
HSK 3.0 is the new standard for China’s official Chinese proficiency exam. It replaces the six levels of HSK 2.0 with nine levels in three bands and examines five skills instead of two: listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation. The vocabulary requirement rises to 11,000 words and 3,088 characters.
When does HSK 3.0 apply?
HSK 3.0 has been mandatory since July 2026. The syllabus itself was published in November 2025, and every figure on this page comes from that document.
What changed from HSK 2.0?
Six flat levels became nine levels in three bands. The vocabulary roughly doubled, from about 5,000 words to 11,000; the characters split for the first time into 3,088 to read and 1,200 to write by hand; and there is a published grammar syllabus with 428 points, which HSK 2.0 never had. Speaking is no longer a separate exam.
How many words does each level need?
HSK 1 asks for 300 words, HSK 2 for 500, HSK 3 for 1,000, HSK 4 for 2,000, HSK 5 for 3,600 and HSK 6 for 5,400. Levels 7 to 9 are examined together and reach 11,000 words in total.
What are 认读字 and 书写字?
HSK 3.0 distinguishes for the first time between characters you have to read (认读字, 3,088 of them) and a smaller subset you have to write by hand (书写字, 1,200). HSK 2.0 published one undivided list of roughly 2,600 characters and made no such split.
What happened to the HSKK speaking exam?
Up to HSK 2.0, speaking was the HSKK: a separate exam that had to be booked and sat on its own. In HSK 3.0 the speaking section is part of the HSK examination itself.
Where can I find the official word lists?
On this page. The complete word list, the character list and the grammar syllabus are here in full, searchable, with pinyin, meanings and recorded audio. The source is the official 考试大纲 for HSK 3.0, published in November 2025.
How do I prepare for HSK 3.0?
The vocabulary, the two character lists and the grammar syllabus are published and stable, so you can study against the content rather than against a rumour. Starting from zero, work the levels in order. Coming from HSK 2.0, the gaps are mostly vocabulary and the new split between reading and writing characters.
Learn in the new HSK 3.0 format with the Gushi app.
Move your teaching format onto HSK 3.0, at your language school or as a Chinese teacher.