HSK 4 Vocabulary List: 2,000 Words (HSK 3.0)
HSK 4 has 2,000 words in HSK 3.0, 1,000 of them new at this level (the old HSK 2.0 list had 1,200). Fluentide has 302 free stories at the Intermediate (HSK 4) level that use them, with transcript and pinyin.
By Haoshan Hong · Native Mandarin speaker · Updated October 2026
Hear HSK 4 words in a real story
胡迪尼的大象与好奇心
Economist Bartleby Column: Andrew Palmer on the Hidden Costs of Workplace Curiosity
2 min
What is on the HSK 4 word list?
The other 1,000 come from HSK 1–3. They cover opinion, comparison, and evaluation: the words you need to say what you think, not just what happened.
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HSK 4 word list
All 1,978 words from the official HSK 3.0 syllabus, the 990 new at HSK 4 first. The syllabus counts 2,000 because a few words are listed once per reading; here each appears once.
Pinyin from the syllabus, definitions from CC-CEDICT. Tap a word for its other senses.
Showing 851–900 of 1,978 · page 18 of 40
钥匙yàoshiHSK 4key
- key
- CL:把
也许yěxǔHSK 4perhaps
- perhaps
- maybe
叶子yèziHSK 4leaf (CL:片)
- leaf (CL:片)
- (slang) marijuana
夜yèHSK 4night
- night
- variant of 夜
夜晚yèwǎnHSK 4night
- night
- CL:个
一切yíqièHSK 4everything
- everything
- every
- all
一生yìshēngHSK 4all one's life
- all one's life
- throughout one's life
已yǐHSK 4already
- already
- (bound form) to stop
- to cease
- to end
- (literary) thereafter
- afterward
- (literary) too
- excessively
以内yǐnèiHSK 4within
- within
- less than
艺术yìshùHSK 4art
意见yìjiànHSK 4idea
- idea
- opinion
- suggestion
- objection
- complaint
- CL:点,条
因此yīncǐHSK 4thus
- thus
- consequently
- as a result
引起yǐnqǐHSK 4to give rise to
- to give rise to
- to lead to
- to cause
- to arouse
印象yìnxiàngHSK 4impression (sth that stays in one's mind)
- impression (sth that stays in one's mind)
- a memory
应聘yìngpìnHSK 4to accept a job offer
- to accept a job offer
- to apply for an advertised position
赢yíngHSK 4to beat
- to beat
- to win
- to profit
赢得yíngdéHSK 4to win
- to win
- to gain
永远yǒngyuǎnHSK 4forever
- forever
- eternal
勇敢yǒnggǎnHSK 4brave
- brave
- courageous
用来yòngláiHSK 4to be used for
- to be used for
用于yòngyúHSK 4to use in
- to use in
- to use on
- to use for
优点yōudiǎnHSK 4merit
- merit
- benefit
- strong point
- advantage
- CL:个,项
优秀yōuxiùHSK 4outstanding
- outstanding
- excellent
幽默yōumòHSK 4(loanword) humor
- (loanword) humor
- humorous
尤其yóuqíHSK 4especially
- especially
- particularly
由yóuHSK 4by
- by
- from
- because of
- to follow
- from
- because of
- due to
- by
- via
- through
- (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...
由于yóuyúHSK 4due to
- due to
- as a result of
- thanks to
- owing to
- since
- because
油yóuHSK 4oil
- oil
- fat
- grease
- petroleum
- to apply tung oil, paint or varnish
- oily
- greasy
- glib
- cunning
游玩yóuwánHSK 4to amuse oneself
- to amuse oneself
- to have fun
- to go sightseeing
- to take a stroll
友好yǒuhǎoHSK 4friendly
- friendly
- amicable
- close friend
友情yǒuqíngHSK 4friendly feelings
- friendly feelings
- friendship
友谊yǒuyìHSK 4companionship
- companionship
- fellowship
- friendship
有趣yǒuqùHSK 4interesting
- interesting
- fascinating
- amusing
有效yǒuxiàoHSK 4effective
- effective
- in effect
- valid
有着yǒuzheHSK 4to have
- to have
- to possess
于是yúshìHSK 4thereupon
- thereupon
- as a result
- consequently
- thus
- hence
愉快yúkuàiHSK 4cheerful
- cheerful
- happy
- pleasant
- delighted
与yǔHSK 4(formal) and
- (formal) and
- together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases)
- (formal) with
- from (marking the other participant in an interaction, comparison, or contrast, e.g. 与他握手 "shake hands with him", 与去年不同 "different from last year")
- (literary) to give
- to grant
- to bestow
- to take part in
- variant of 欤
语法yǔfǎHSK 4grammar
- grammar
- (computing) syntax
预习yùxíHSK 4to prepare a lesson
- to prepare a lesson
原来yuánláiHSK 4original
- original
- former
- originally
- formerly
- at first
- so, actually, as it turns out
原谅yuánliàngHSK 4to excuse
- to excuse
- to forgive
- to pardon
原因yuányīnHSK 4cause
- cause
- origin
- root cause
- reason
- CL:个
远离yuǎnlíHSK 4to be far from
- to be far from
- to keep away from
院长yuànzhǎngHSK 4the head of an institution whose name ends in 院
- the head of an institution whose name ends in 院
- chair of a board
- university president
- college dean
- premier of the Republic of China
院子yuànziHSK 4courtyard
- courtyard
- garden
- yard
- patio
- CL:个
- (old) servant
约yuēHSK 4to make an appointment
- to make an appointment
- to invite
- approximately
- pact
- treaty
- to economize
- to restrict
- to reduce (a fraction)
- concise
- to weigh in a balance or on a scale
约会yuēhuìHSK 4appointment
- appointment
- engagement
- date
- CL:次,个
- to arrange to meet
月饼yuèbingHSK 4mooncake (esp. for the Mid-Autumn Festival)
- mooncake (esp. for the Mid-Autumn Festival)
月份yuèfènHSK 4month
- month
Stories that use these HSK 4 words
Each one is a Fluentide Intermediate (HSK 4) story, written inside that word band. Press play; the first few need no account.
HSK 2 Chinese listening episodes
HSK 3 Chinese listening episodes
HSK 4 Chinese listening episodes
HSK 5+ Chinese listening episodes
How to actually learn HSK 4 vocabulary
Reading a word on a page and catching it at speed in a sentence are different skills. The HSK listening section tests the second.
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The method in practice
Hear HSK 4 vocabulary in real Mandarin
Each HSK 4 episode uses this word band, with the transcript, pinyin and line-by-line English. Five free episodes after a one-tap magic-link sign-in — no password, no payment.