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HSK 4 Vocabulary

HSK 4 Vocabulary List: 1,200 Words

HSK 4 assumes 1,200 cumulative words — 600 of them new at this level. They cover opinion, comparison, and evaluation — the abstract vocabulary you need to say what you think, not just what happened.

By Haoshan HongNative Mandarin speakerUpdated July 2026

What is on the HSK 4 word list?

The HSK word lists are published and cumulative, which is what makes the exam a finite target. HSK 4 assumes 1,200 words in total — 600 of them introduced at this level.

They cover opinion, comparison, and evaluation — the abstract vocabulary you need to say what you think, not just what happened.

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 4 word list

All 1,193 entries below, straight from the official Hanban HSK 2.0 list. The 598 words new at HSK 4 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 651700 of 1,193 · page 14 of 24

地图dìtúHSK 3

map

dēngHSK 3

lamp

HSK 3

low

  • low
  • beneath
  • to lower (one's head)
  • to let droop
  • to hang down
  • to incline
电梯diàntīHSK 3

elevator

电子diànzǐHSK 3

electronic

  • electronic
  • electron (particle physics)
dōngHSK 3

surname Dong

dōngHSK 3

winter

动物dòngwùHSK 3

animal

duǎnHSK 3

short

duànHSK 3

surname Duan

锻炼duànliànHSK 3

to toughen

  • to toughen
  • to temper
  • to engage in physical exercise
  • to work out
  • (fig.) to develop one's skills
  • to train oneself
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
多么duōmeHSK 3

how (wonderful etc)

  • how (wonderful etc)
  • what (a great idea etc)
  • however (difficult it may be etc)
  • (in interrogative sentences) how (much etc)
  • to what extent
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
饿èHSK 3

hungry

而且érqiěHSK 3

(not only ...) but also

  • (not only ...) but also
  • moreover
  • in addition
  • furthermore
耳朵ěrduoHSK 3

ear

  • ear
  • CL:只,个,对
  • handle (on a cup)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
发烧fāshāoHSK 3

to have a high temperature (from illness)

  • to have a high temperature (from illness)
  • to have a fever
  • (fig.) to be fascinated with
  • to obsess over
  • (fig.) flourishing
  • thriving
  • popular
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
发现fāxiànHSK 3

to notice

  • to notice
  • to become aware of
  • to discover
  • to find
  • to detect
  • a discovery
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
方便fāngbiànHSK 3

convenient

  • convenient
  • suitable
  • to facilitate
  • to make things easy
  • having money to spare
  • (euphemism) to relieve oneself
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
fàngHSK 3

to put

  • to put
  • to place
  • to release
  • to free
  • to let go
  • to let out
  • to set off (fireworks)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
放心fàngxīnHSK 3

to feel relieved

  • to feel relieved
  • to feel reassured
  • to be at ease
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
fēnHSK 3

to divide

  • to divide
  • to separate
  • to distribute
  • to allocate
  • to distinguish (good and bad)
  • (bound form) branch of (an organization)
  • sub- (as in 分局)
  • fraction
  • one tenth (of certain units)
  • unit of length equivalent to 0.33 cm
  • minute (unit of time)
  • minute (angular measurement unit)
  • a point (in sports or games)
  • 0.01 yuan (unit of money)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
附近fùjìnHSK 3

nearby

  • nearby
  • neighboring
  • (in the) vicinity (of)
  • neighborhood
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
复习fùxíHSK 3

to review

gǎnHSK 3

to dare

  • to dare
  • daring
  • (polite) may I venture
感冒gǎnmàoHSK 3

to catch cold

  • to catch cold
  • (common) cold
  • CL:场,次
  • (coll.) to be interested in (often used in the negative)
  • (Tw) to detest
  • can't stand
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
干净gānjìngHSK 3

clean

刚才gāngcáiHSK 3

just now

根据gēnjùHSK 3

according to

  • according to
  • based on
  • basis
  • foundation
  • CL:个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
gēnHSK 3

heel

  • heel
  • to follow closely
  • to go with
  • (of a woman) to marry sb
  • with
  • compared with
  • to
  • towards
  • and (joining two nouns)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
gēngHSK 3

to change or replace

  • to change or replace
  • to experience
  • one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided
  • watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
公园gōngyuánHSK 3

park (for public recreation)

  • park (for public recreation)
  • CL:座
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
故事gùshìHSK 3

old practice

guāHSK 3

to scrape

  • to scrape
  • to blow
  • to shave
  • to plunder
  • to extort
guānHSK 3

surname Guan

关系guānxiHSK 3

relation

  • relation
  • relationship
  • to concern
  • to affect
  • to have to do with
  • guanxi
  • CL:个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
关心guānxīnHSK 3

to be concerned about

  • to be concerned about
  • to care about
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
关于guānyúHSK 3

pertaining to

  • pertaining to
  • concerning
  • with regard to
  • about
  • a matter of
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
国家guójiāHSK 3

country

果汁guǒzhīHSK 3

fruit juice

  • fruit juice
过去guòqùHSK 3

(in the) past

  • (in the) past
  • former
  • previous
  • to go over
  • to pass by
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
还是háishiHSK 3

still (as before)

  • still (as before)
  • had better
  • unexpectedly
  • or
害怕hàipàHSK 3

to be afraid

HSK 3

river (CL:条,道)

  • river (CL:条,道)
  • (bound form) the Yellow River
  • (bound form) the Milky Way
  • (bound form) (on restaurant menus) rice noodles 河粉
黑板hēibǎnHSK 3

blackboard

护照hùzhàoHSK 3

passport

huāHSK 3

surname Hua

花园huāyuánHSK 3

garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc)

  • garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc)
  • (landscaped) park
  • yard with decorative plants
  • CL:座
huàHSK 3

to draw

  • to draw
  • to paint
  • picture
  • painting (CL:幅,张)
  • to draw (a line) (variant of 划)
  • stroke of a Chinese character (variant of 划)
  • (calligraphy) horizontal stroke (variant of 划)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
huàiHSK 3

bad

  • bad
  • spoiled
  • broken
  • to break down
  • (suffix) to the utmost
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
环境huánjìngHSK 3

environment

  • environment
  • circumstances
  • surroundings
  • CL:个
  • ambient
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →

How to actually learn HSK 4 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 4 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.

The method in practice

Hear HSK 4 vocabulary in real Mandarin

Every HSK 4 episode is written inside this word band and read at HSK 4 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 4