This guide follows the HSK 3.0 levels. Word counts are the new words at each level in the lists used on hanzi.ac; each level assumes you know the words of the levels below.
Elementary: HSK 1–3
HSK 1 — 506 words
Greetings, numbers, dates, family, simple questions. You can introduce yourself and understand very short, slow sentences such as 我是老师 (“I am a teacher”).
Typical words: 你, 我, 是, 好, 谢谢, 朋友, 吃, 喝.
HSK 2 — 750 words
Everyday situations: shopping, transport, the weather, simple plans. You can handle short exchanges on familiar topics.
HSK 3 — 953 words
Daily life, work and study in more detail. You can follow simple conversations at normal speed and read short, plain texts.
Intermediate: HSK 4–6
HSK 4 — 972 words
You can talk about a wide range of topics and read simple articles. HSK 4 is a common entry requirement for undergraduate programmes taught in Chinese.
HSK 5 — 1,059 words
You can read newspapers and magazines on familiar subjects, watch films and TV with some effort, and give a structured talk.
HSK 6 — 1,123 words
You can understand most spoken and written Chinese on general topics and express yourself fluently in writing and speech.
Advanced: HSK 7–9 — 5,606 words
Academic, professional and literary Chinese: specialised vocabulary, formal written style, idioms. Levels 7, 8 and 9 share one exam; the score places you at one of the three.
How long does each level take?
There is no official figure, and it depends heavily on your first language, how much time you spend each week, and whether you learn to write characters. Learners whose first language uses Chinese characters, such as Japanese speakers, usually progress faster in reading.
A practical approach: learn the words of one level, read and listen to example sentences that use them, then move on. Every word page on hanzi.ac includes example sentences with pinyin above each word.
HSK 2.0 levels
If your textbook uses the older six-level HSK 2.0, see HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0 for how the levels line up. Each word page on hanzi.ac shows its HSK 2.0 level as well.