Skills · 词
How many Chinese words should I learn?
Name the level. The Level 1 outline counts 150 of the most common words and the related grammar, for candidates.
Written October 3, 2026. Read the audience line for the level you will sit.
How many Chinese words should I learn? Name the level: the Level 1 outline is for candidates, and it counts 150 of the most common words and the related grammar. If you are at zero, say one line on the sentence bank before you use that count as this week's work.
Level 1 counts words and grammar
The HSK Level 1 outline writes: “HSK（一级）主要面向按每周 2-3 课时进度学习汉语一个学期（半学年），掌握 150 个最常用词语和相关语法知识的考生。” Level 1 is for candidates who have studied one semester, half an academic year, at two or three class hours a week, and who command 150 of the most common words and the related grammar. A second syllabus file is which HSK should I study.
Levels 2 and 3 keep grammar in the same line
Level 2 uses the same shape: candidates, two semesters, one academic year, two or three class hours a week, 300 of the most common words, and the related grammar. The HSK Level 3 outline writes: “HSK（三级）主要面向按每周 2-3 课时进度学习汉语三个学期（一个半学年），掌握 600 个最常用词语和相关语法知识的考生。” Level 3 is for candidates who have studied three semesters, one and a half academic years, at two or three class hours a week, and who command 600 of the most common words and the related grammar.
Level 4 stops at the word count
The HSK Level 4 outline writes: “HSK（四级）主要面向按每周 2-3 课时进度学习汉语四个学期（两学年），掌握 1200 个常用词语的考生。” Level 4 is for candidates who have studied four semesters, two academic years, at two or three class hours a week, and who command 1,200 common words.
Level 6 names 5,000 and more
The HSK Level 6 outline writes: “HSK（六级）主要面向掌握 5000 及 5000 以上常用词语的考生。” Level 6 names candidates and 5,000 and more common words.
Level 5 still has a pace: candidates who have studied more than two years, at two or three class hours a week, and who command 2,500 common words. The word in that line is common words, the same adjective as Level 4 and Level 6.
Read the six lines together
| Level | What the audience line counts |
|---|---|
| 1 | Candidates, one semester, 150 of the most common words and the related grammar |
| 2 | Candidates, two semesters, 300 of the most common words and the related grammar |
| 3 | Candidates, three semesters, 600 of the most common words and the related grammar |
| 4 | Candidates, four semesters, 1,200 common words |
| 5 | Candidates, more than two years, 2,500 common words |
| 6 | Candidates, 5,000 and more common words |
The audience line is the list for that paper
Use the line as the size of the list for the paper you will sit. A stack for this morning is a different choice. Character counts sit on should I learn Chinese characters.
If the job in front of you is a line a person can hear, open how to start learning Chinese and say one sentence-bank line. The oral outline's figures stay on how to practice speaking Chinese.
Questions about the count
How many Chinese words should I learn?
Name the level. Level 1 is for candidates and counts 150 of the most common words and the related grammar.
How many Chinese words should I learn a day?
Name the level. The Level 1 audience line is for candidates, and it counts 150 of the most common words and the related grammar. That line is the size of the list for the paper. Character counts sit on should I learn Chinese characters. If you are at zero, say one sentence-bank line before you choose a stack for today.
How many Chinese characters should I learn?
Character counts sit on should I learn Chinese characters. This page reads the word line on each written HSK outline.
How many words are on the HSK 4 list?
The Level 4 outline names candidates and 1,200 common words, after four semesters at two or three class hours a week.
How many Chinese words do I need to be fluent?
The Level 6 audience line names candidates and 5,000 and more common words. Read the line before you treat the number as fluency.
Sources
- Chinese Testing International, HSK Level 1 outline PDF (read 3 October 2026).
- Chinese Testing International, HSK Level 2 outline PDF (read 3 October 2026).
- Chinese Testing International, HSK Level 3 outline PDF (read 3 October 2026).
- Chinese Testing International, HSK Level 4 outline PDF (read 3 October 2026).
- Chinese Testing International, HSK Level 5 outline PDF (read 3 October 2026).
- Chinese Testing International, HSK Level 6 outline PDF (read 3 October 2026).
Open the outline for the level you will sit. Read the audience line, and see whether it stops at words.
Version 1. Recheck when an HSK outline changes its audience line, or every six months.