Free · no signup · 11,470 words across HSK 2.0 and 3.0
Free HSK vocabulary lists and a Chinese level test.
Mandarin Steps is a free reference for anyone studying for the HSK, China's official Chinese proficiency exam. Look up the official word list for any level, take a five-minute test to find the level you are actually at, then see which words to learn next, in the order you will meet them most.
Quick answer
What is HSK 3.0, and which version will my exam use?
HSK 3.0 (2021) organizes proficiency into nine levels across three bands: Beginner (Levels 1–3), Intermediate (Levels 4–6), and Advanced (Levels 7–9, reaching 10,969 words). It replaced the old six-level HSK 2.0, but many test centers still run the six-level exam, so both structures are live right now. Every word list here carries a 2.0 / 3.0 toggle so you study against the structure your exam actually uses.
- Free, always. Every tool here works with no account, no email, and no paywall.
- Sourced and dated. Each word count comes from the official HSK list and shows when it was last reviewed.
- One honest app pick. We recommend a single app, Wordbrush, and say up front that we make it.
The HSK ladder
| Level | Band | New words | Cumulative | Characters | Focus | Open table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | Beginner | 506 | 506 | 300 | Survival phrases, core pronouns and particles | Open table → |
| HSK 2 | Beginner | 750 | 1,256 | 598 | Everyday actions, time, quantity, basic connectors | Open table → |
| HSK 3 | Beginner | 953 | 2,209 | 899 | Opinions, comparisons, travel and daily life | Open table → |
| HSK 4 | Intermediate | 972 | 3,181 | 1,199 | Abstract topics, work, feelings, longer discourse | Open table → |
| HSK 5 | Intermediate | 1,059 | 4,240 | 1,499 | Media, society, nuanced and formal register | Open table → |
| HSK 6 | Intermediate | 1,123 | 5,363 | 1,799 | Idioms, literary and specialized vocabulary | Open table → |
| HSK 7-9 | Advanced | 5,606 | 10,969 | 2,970 | One combined advanced band toward near-native range | Open table → |
The three bands, at a glance
3,034 characters in all| Band | Levels | Cumulative words | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | L1 to L3 | 2,209 | 66.8% |
| Intermediate | L4 to L6 | 5,363 | 73.9% |
| Advanced | L7 to L9 | 10,969 | 77.5% |
Survival Chinese: greetings, numbers, food, getting around.
2,209 words · 66.8% of everyday speech Band overview → Study plan →Opinions, work, and connected paragraphs on everyday topics.
5,363 words · 73.9% of everyday speech Band overview → Study plan →Media, idiom, and specialist register toward near-native range.
10,969 words · 77.5% of everyday speech Band overview → Study plan →Studying for the six-level HSK 2.0?
Many test centers still run the older HSK 2.0. Each of its six levels has its own full, server-rendered word list, with the matching HSK 3.0 level tagged on every word.
How much everyday spoken Chinese do you understand at each HSK level?
Conversational coverage
A handful of very common words do most of the talking. Because those words sit at the bottom of the ladder, HSK 1 alone already covers about 50.4% of the words spoken in everyday Chinese, and the climb flattens fast after that.
Token coverage is not comprehension: recognizing most of the words spoken is not the same as understanding every sentence. Figures are the cumulative share of Chinese running words in the OpenSubtitles 2018 corpus (subtitles approximate, but are not identical to, conversation), matched against 99.5% of the HSK 3.0 list. Source: hermitdave/FrequencyWords (CC BY-SA 4.0), computed 2026-07-22. Method and per-level numbers in About.
Start where you are
all free · no signupPlacement test
A short recognition quiz that estimates your HSK level from your answers, so you drill the right band instead of restarting from Level 1.
HSK vocabulary by level
Browse, sort, filter and self-test any level as a word table, with a clean toggle between the new HSK 3.0 and older HSK 2.0 lists.
Guides
Dated explainers that cite their sources: HSK 3.0 vs 2.0, how many words per level, which level you are, and how to make vocabulary stick.
Best app for HSK vocabulary
Our single app recommendation, with a clear disclosure that we make it. It is never a gate on the free tools above.
Go deeper
reference · all freeStudy plan
An honestly-timed roadmap: place yourself, work each band in frequency order at a sustainable daily pace, with per-band plans for beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
The 214 radicals
Every Kangxi radical ranked by how many HSK characters it unlocks, with a filter-and-search explorer and its real example characters in frequency order.
Characters per level
How many distinct characters each HSK level introduces, for both schemes, reconciled against the official 3,000-character syllabus.
How much do you need?
Words, characters, and share of everyday speech at each level, so you can see exactly what daily life, media, and fluency actually take.
Guides
reviewed 2026-07-24| Guide | Short answer | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| Anki vs a Dedicated App for HSK: Which Should You Use? | Anki and a dedicated HSK app both run spaced repetition, so both work. | 2026-07-24 |
| How Do You Memorize HSK Words Fast? (What Works, What Wastes Time) | To memorize HSK words fast, use active recall with spaced repetition, learn words in example sentences, and study in frequency… | 2026-07-24 |
| How Does Spaced Repetition Work for HSK Vocabulary? | Spaced repetition schedules each HSK word for review just before you would forget it, stretching the gap each time you recall i… | 2026-07-24 |
| How Long Does It Take to Reach HSK 3, 4, and 6? | Reaching HSK 3.0 Level 3 means learning 2,209 words, roughly seven to eight months at 10 new words a day. | 2026-07-24 |
| How Many HSK Words Should You Learn a Day? | Most self-studiers sustain 5 to 15 new HSK words a day; 10 is a sensible default. | 2026-07-24 |
| How Many Words Are in Each HSK Level? (2.0 and 3.0) | In HSK 3.0, cumulative vocabulary runs 506, 1,256, 2,209, 3,181, 4,240, and 5,363 words for Levels 1 to 6, reaching 10,969 by t… | 2026-07-20 |
| How to Learn HSK Vocabulary Effectively (Without Burning Out) | Learn HSK vocabulary in frequency order, review it with spaced repetition so words resurface just before you forget them, and a… | 2026-07-20 |
| HSK 2.0 vs 3.0: What Actually Changed | HSK 3.0 replaced the six-level exam with nine levels across three bands, raised the vocabulary counts sharply, and made speakin… | 2026-07-20 |
| HSK Levels Explained: The 9-Level System and Whether It Is Live Yet | HSK 3.0 organizes proficiency into nine levels across three bands: Beginner (Levels 1 to 3, 2,209 words), Intermediate (Levels… | 2026-07-20 |
| Is HSK 3.0 Being Used Yet? A Current, Dated Answer | As of July 2026, not really. | 2026-07-24 |
| Is HSK Worth It? An Honest Look at When the Exam Pays Off | HSK is worth it if you need the certificate for a specific reason: university admission in China, a scholarship, a visa or job… | 2026-07-20 |
| The First 100 Chinese Words to Learn (With the Actual List) | The first 100 Chinese words to learn are the highest-frequency ones: pronouns like 我 (wǒ, I) and 你 (nǐ, you), core verbs like 是… | 2026-07-24 |
| The Most Common Chinese Words for Beginners (And Why They Matter More Than You Think) | The most common Chinese words for beginners are function words and core verbs: 的 (de), 了 (le), 我 (wǒ, I), 是 (shì, to be), 你 (nǐ… | 2026-07-24 |
| What Is the HSKK Speaking Test? | The HSKK (汉语水平口语考试) is China's official Chinese speaking test, taken separately from the written HSK. | 2026-07-24 |
| Which HSK Level Am I? How to Find Your Level Without Guessing | You cannot read your HSK level off a word count alone, because recognizing a word on a list is not the same as knowing it in co… | 2026-07-20 |
| Which HSK Level Do You Need for University, a Job, or a Scholarship? | There is no universal answer: each university, employer, and scholarship sets its own requirement. | 2026-07-24 |
Our one recommended app
After the free tools, if you want spaced-repetition drilling on your phone we recommend Wordbrush. This is a disclosed recommendation, clearly labelled and kept to a single page. It never gates the tables, the placement test, or the guides above.