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Illustration in teal tones representing the HSK 2 Mandarin vocabulary list.
HSK 2 Vocabulary

HSK 2 Vocabulary List: 300 Words

HSK 2 assumes 300 cumulative words — 150 of them new at this level. They cover travel, shopping, weather, health, and simple plans — the first vocabulary that lets you handle a short exchange without English.

By Haoshan HongNative Mandarin speakerUpdated July 2026

Hear HSK 2 words in a real story

黄石公园热泉区清出280多顶帽子

Yellowstone Finds 280 Hats in Hot-Spring Areas

3 min

What is on the HSK 2 word list?

The HSK word lists are published and cumulative, which is what makes the exam a finite target. HSK 2 assumes 300 words in total — 150 of them introduced at this level.

They cover travel, shopping, weather, health, and simple plans — the first vocabulary that lets you handle a short exchange without English.

HSK proficiency ladderThe six HSK levels with cumulative vocabulary requirements: HSK 1 requires 150 words, HSK 2 requires 300, HSK 3 requires 600, HSK 4 requires 1,200, HSK 5 requires 2,500, and HSK 6 requires 5,000 words. Word counts follow the official Hanban HSK 2.0 standard.HSK levels by cumulative vocabularyHSK 1beginner150 wordsHSK 2elementary300 wordsHSK 3pre-intermediate600 wordsHSK 4intermediate1,200 wordsHSK 5upper-intermediate2,500 wordsHSK 6advanced5,000 wordsSource: Hanban HSK 2.0 standard
Cumulative vocabulary required at each HSK level — bar width is proportional to the word count.

HSK 2 word list

All 297 entries below, straight from the official Hanban HSK 2.0 list. The 147 words new at HSK 2 come first, then earlier levels.

Pinyin and definitions come from CC-CEDICT. Tap any word to see its other senses without leaving the list. Words with a full Fluentide entry — character breakdown, usage notes, example sentences — link out from there.

Showing 51100 of 297 · page 2 of 6

jiùHSK 2

(after a suppositional clause) in that case

  • (after a suppositional clause) in that case
  • then
  • (after a clause of action) as soon as
  • immediately after
  • (same as 就是) merely
  • nothing else but
  • simply
  • just
  • precisely
  • exactly
  • only
  • as little as
  • as much as
  • as many as
  • to approach
  • to move towards
  • to undertake
  • to engage in
  • (often followed by 着) taking advantage of
  • (of food) to go with
  • with regard to
  • concerning
  • (bound form) to reach
  • to attain (as in 一蹴而就)
  • (pattern: 就 ... 也 ...) even if ... still ...
  • (pattern: 不 ... 就 ...) if not ... then must be ...
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
觉得juédeHSK 2

to think that ...

  • to think that ...
  • to feel that ...
  • to feel (uncomfortable etc)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
咖啡kāfēiHSK 2

(loanword) coffee

开始kāishǐHSK 2

to begin

考试kǎoshìHSK 2

to take an exam

可能kěnéngHSK 2

might (happen)

  • might (happen)
  • possible
  • probable
  • possibility
  • probability
  • maybe
  • perhaps
  • CL:个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
可以kěyǐHSK 2

can

  • can
  • may
  • possible
  • able to
  • not bad
  • pretty good
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
HSK 2

subject

  • subject
  • course
  • CL:门
  • class
  • lesson
  • CL:堂,节
  • to levy
  • tax
  • form of divination
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
kuàiHSK 2

rapid

  • rapid
  • quick
  • speed
  • rate
  • soon
  • almost
  • to make haste
  • clever
  • sharp (of knives or wits)
  • forthright
  • plainspoken
  • gratified
  • pleased
  • pleasant
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
快乐kuàilèHSK 2

happy

lèiHSK 2

tired

  • tired
  • weary
  • to strain
  • to wear out
  • to work hard
  • to accumulate
  • to involve or implicate (Taiwan pr. )
  • continuous
  • repeated
  • rope
  • to bind together
  • to twist around
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
HSK 2

to leave

  • to leave
  • to part from
  • to be away from
  • (in giving distances) from
  • without (sth)
  • independent of
  • one of the Eight Trigrams 八卦, symbolizing fire
  • mythical beast (archaic)
  • surname Li
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
liǎngHSK 2

two

  • two
  • both
  • some
  • a few
  • tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (old)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
HSK 2

road (CL:条)

  • road (CL:条)
  • journey
  • route
  • line (bus etc)
  • sort
  • kind
  • surname Lu
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
旅游lu:3yóuHSK 2

trip

  • trip
  • journey
  • tourism
  • travel
  • tour
  • to travel
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
màiHSK 2

to sell

  • to sell
  • to betray
  • to spare no effort
  • to show off or flaunt
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
mànHSK 2

slow

mángHSK 2

busy

měiHSK 2

each

妹妹mèimeiHSK 2

younger sister

ménHSK 2

gate

  • gate
  • door
  • doorway
  • gateway
  • opening (CL:扇)
  • valve
  • switch
  • other door-like or gate-like structure
  • way to do sth
  • knack
  • method
  • approach
  • family
  • household
  • lineage
  • (bound form) sect
  • school
  • faction (religious or academic)
  • (bound form) class
  • category
  • division
  • phylum
  • classifier for courses, fields of study, branches of technology, relatives by marriage, guns etc
  • (suffix) -gate (scandal)
  • surname Men
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
男人nánrénHSK 2

a man

  • a man
  • a male
  • men
  • CL:个
nínHSK 2

you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你)

  • you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
牛奶niúnǎiHSK 2

cow's milk

女人nu:3rénHSK 2

woman

  • woman
旁边pángbiānHSK 2

side

跑步pǎobùHSK 2

to run

  • to run
  • to jog
  • (military) to march at the double
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
piàoHSK 2

ticket

  • ticket
  • ballot
  • banknote
  • CL:张
  • person held for ransom
  • amateur performance of Chinese opera
  • classifier for groups, batches, business transactions
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
妻子qīzǐHSK 2

wife and children

起床qǐchuángHSK 2

to get out of bed

qiānHSK 2

thousand

qíngHSK 2

clear

去年qùniánHSK 2

last year

ràngHSK 2

to yield

  • to yield
  • to permit
  • to let sb do sth
  • to have sb do sth
  • to make sb (feel sad etc)
  • by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
上班shàngbānHSK 2

to go to work

  • to go to work
  • to be on duty
  • to start work
  • to go to the office
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
身体shēntǐHSK 2

the body

生病shēngbìngHSK 2

to fall ill

生日shēngrìHSK 2

birthday

时间shíjiānHSK 2

(concept of) time

  • (concept of) time
  • (duration of) time
  • (point in) time
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
事情shìqingHSK 2

affair

  • affair
  • matter
  • thing
  • business
  • CL:件,桩
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
手表shǒubiǎoHSK 2

wristwatch

手机shǒujīHSK 2

cell phone

sòngHSK 2

to send

  • to send
  • to deliver
  • to transmit
  • to give (as a present)
  • to see (sb) off
  • to accompany
  • to go along with
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
所以suǒyǐHSK 2

therefore

  • therefore
  • as a result
  • so
  • the reason why
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
HSK 2

it

HSK 2

to kick

  • to kick
  • to play (e.g. soccer)
  • (slang) butch (in a lesbian relationship)
HSK 2

topic

  • topic
  • problem for discussion
  • exam question
  • subject
  • to inscribe
  • to mention
  • CL:个,道
  • surname Ti
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
跳舞tiàowǔHSK 2

to dance

wàiHSK 2

outside

  • outside
  • in addition
  • foreign
  • external
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
wánHSK 2

to finish

  • to finish
  • to be over
  • whole
  • complete
  • entire
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →

How to actually learn HSK 2 vocabulary

A word list is a checklist, not a method. Recognising a word on a page is a different skill from catching it at speed in a sentence — and the HSK listening section only tests the second one.

1

Read the list once, do not memorise it

You are looking for which words feel unfamiliar, not trying to learn them here.

2

Listen at your level daily

Fluentide's HSK 2 episodes are written inside this vocabulary band, so the words arrive in sentences instead of flashcards.

3

Look a word up only after you have heard it

A word you have already met in audio sticks in one reading. A word you meet cold takes many.

4

Come back to this list monthly

Use it as a progress check, not a study plan. The gaps you find are what to listen for next.

HSK 2 episodes to hear these words in

Every episode below is written inside the HSK 2 word band and read at HSK 2 speed. Press play — no account needed for the first few.

HSK 2 Chinese listening episodes

Showing 12 of 232

The method in practice

Hear HSK 2 vocabulary in real Mandarin

Every HSK 2 episode is written inside this word band and read at HSK 2 speed, so words stick because you have heard them in a sentence. Full transcript, pinyin toggle, and line-by-line English on every episode. Five free episodes after a one-tap magic-link sign-in — no password, no payment.

More HSK 2