Skills · 纲
Which HSK should I study?
The level number names a file. The November 2025 syllabus tags 300 vocabulary rows as level 1.
Written October 3, 2026. Match the level number to the file named on the registration.
Which HSK should I study? The level number is the name of a file: the six-level outlines already cited here are one set, and the syllabus published in November 2025 is another. If you are at zero, say one line on the sentence bank before you pick a list to memorize.
Two files use the same level number
The HSK syllabus PDF writes: “2025-11 发布 2026-07实施”. November 2025 is the publication date on that line, and July 2026 is the implementation date printed on this file. The six-level audience lines stay on how many Chinese words should I learn.
The vocabulary table tags rows
The vocabulary table in the HSK syllabus PDF is indexed from row 1 through row 11000, in order. Rows whose level cell begins with 1 come to 300, and 15 of those cells are written as 1 followed by a parenthesis. The Level 2 band in the same table is 200 rows.
Those 300 rows in the HSK syllabus PDF are a count of cells in the table. The cover dates the file and names it. The 150 on how many Chinese words should I learn stays on that page. A registration names one file, so the two counts stay on the two files.
Levels 7 to 9 are one heading in this file
Levels 1 through 6 each have their own heading. Levels 7 to 9 share one heading in the task, topic, vocabulary, character-recognition, and grammar sections. The writing-character list in the contents is one heading for levels 1 through 9.
Character benchmarks from the 2021 standard stay on should I learn Chinese characters. The character lists inside the 2025 syllabus stay in that file.
The date on the cover is the syllabus date
July 2026 belongs to this syllabus file. The next step is the registration in front of you: use the syllabus that page names. Hour counts for a different ruler stay on how long it takes to learn Chinese.
| File | What this page uses from it |
|---|---|
| Six-level written outlines | Audience lines for those papers, on how many Chinese words should I learn |
| Syllabus published November 2025 | Cover line dated November 2025, with July 2026 printed as the implementation date on that file. The vocabulary table has 300 rows whose level cell begins with 1. |
A spoken line is still the sentence bank
If you are at zero, open how to start learning Chinese and say one sentence-bank line before you memorize either list. The oral papers stay on how to practice speaking Chinese.
Questions about which file
Which HSK should I take?
Open the registration and use the syllabus it names.
Is the new HSK harder?
The cover dates this syllabus and gives its title. The contents include a grammar section, and levels 7 to 9 share one heading in that file. A difficulty ranking is a different question from which file to open. Open the registration and use the syllabus named there.
What is HSK 3.0?
The cover title is HSK考试大纲. The English line on that cover is Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test.
How many words are on the new HSK 1 list?
The vocabulary table in the HSK syllabus PDF has 300 rows whose level cell begins with 1. The 150 on how many Chinese words should I learn stays on that page. These 300 rows stay on this syllabus. A registration names one file.
Sources
- Center for Language Education and Cooperation, HSK syllabus PDF (read 3 October 2026).
- Chinese Testing International, HSK page (read 3 October 2026).
Open the syllabus named on the registration in front of you, and match the level number to that file.
Version 1. Recheck when the syllabus cover date changes, or every six months.