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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 51100 of 1,193 · page 2 of 24

出生chūshēngHSK 4

to be born

传真chuánzhēnHSK 4

to fax

  • to fax
  • a fax
  • (literary) to portray vividly in painting
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
窗户chuānghuHSK 4

window

词典cídiǎnHSK 4

dictionary

  • dictionary
  • also written 辞典
  • CL:部,本
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
从来cóngláiHSK 4

always

  • always
  • at all times
  • never (if used in negative sentence)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
粗心cūxīnHSK 4

careless

答案dáànHSK 4

answer

打扮dǎbanHSK 4

to decorate

  • to decorate
  • to dress
  • to make up
  • to adorn
  • manner of dressing
  • style of dress
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
打扰dǎrǎoHSK 4

to disturb

打印dǎyìnHSK 4

to affix a seal

  • to affix a seal
  • to stamp
  • to print out (with a printer)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
打折dǎzhéHSK 4

to give a discount

打针dǎzhēnHSK 4

to give or get an injection

大夫dàfūHSK 4

senior official (in imperial China)

  • senior official (in imperial China)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
大概dàgàiHSK 4

roughly

  • roughly
  • probably
  • rough
  • approximate
  • about
  • general idea
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
大使馆dàshǐguǎnHSK 4

embassy

大约dàyuēHSK 4

approximately

代表dàibiǎoHSK 4

representative

  • representative
  • delegate
  • CL:位,个,名
  • to represent
  • to stand for
  • on behalf of
  • in the name of
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
代替dàitìHSK 4

to replace

dàiHSK 4

surname Dai

dànHSK 4

crossball

dāngHSK 4

(onom.) dong

当地dāngdìHSK 4

local

当时dāngshíHSK 4

then

dāoHSK 4

surname Dao

导游dǎoyóuHSK 4

tour guide

  • tour guide
  • guidebook
  • to conduct a tour
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
到处dàochùHSK 4

everywhere

到底dàodǐHSK 4

finally

  • finally
  • in the end
  • when all is said and done
  • after all
  • to the end
  • to the last
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
道歉dàoqiànHSK 4

to apologize

得意déyìHSK 4

proud of oneself

  • proud of oneself
  • pleased with oneself
  • complacent
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
地球dìqiúHSK 4

the earth

地址dìzhǐHSK 4

address

děngHSK 4

to wait for

  • to wait for
  • to await
  • by the time
  • when
  • till
  • and so on
  • etc.
  • et al.
  • (bound form) class
  • rank
  • grade
  • (bound form) equal to
  • same as
  • (used to end an enumeration)
  • (literary) (plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
deHSK 4

(equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)

  • (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
调查diàocháHSK 4

investigation

  • investigation
  • inquiry
  • to investigate
  • to survey
  • survey
  • (opinion) poll
  • CL:项,个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
diàoHSK 4

to fall

  • to fall
  • to drop
  • to lag behind
  • to lose
  • to go missing
  • to reduce
  • fall (in prices)
  • to lose (value, weight etc)
  • to wag
  • to swing
  • to turn
  • to change
  • to exchange
  • to swap
  • to show off
  • to shed (hair)
  • (used after certain verbs to express completion, fulfillment, removal etc)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
diūHSK 4

to lose

动作dòngzuòHSK 4

movement

  • movement
  • motion
  • action (CL:个)
  • to act
  • to move
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
堵车dǔchēHSK 4

traffic jam

  • traffic jam
  • (of traffic) to get congested
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
肚子dùziHSK 4

belly

duànHSK 4

to break

  • to break
  • to snap
  • to cut off
  • to give up or abstain from sth
  • to judge
  • (usu. used in the negative) absolutely
  • definitely
  • decidedly
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
duìHSK 4

right

  • right
  • correct
  • towards
  • at
  • for
  • concerning
  • regarding
  • to treat (sb a certain way)
  • to face
  • (bound form) opposite
  • facing
  • matching
  • to match together
  • to adjust
  • to fit
  • to suit
  • to answer
  • to reply
  • to add
  • to pour in (a fluid)
  • to check
  • to compare
  • classifier: couple
  • pair
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
对话duìhuàHSK 4

to talk (with sb)

  • to talk (with sb)
  • dialogue
  • conversation
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
对面duìmiànHSK 4

(sitting) opposite

  • (sitting) opposite
  • across (the street)
  • directly in front
  • to be face to face
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
dùnHSK 4

to stop

  • to stop
  • to pause
  • to arrange
  • to lay out
  • to kowtow
  • to stamp (one's foot)
  • at once
  • classifier for meals, beatings, scoldings etc: time, bout, spell, meal
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
duǒHSK 4

flower

  • flower
  • earlobe
  • fig. item on both sides
  • classifier for flowers, clouds etc
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
儿童értóngHSK 4

child

  • child
érHSK 4

and

  • and
  • as well as
  • and so
  • but (not)
  • yet (not)
  • (indicates causal relation)
  • (indicates change of state)
  • (indicates contrast)
HSK 4

to send out

  • to send out
  • to show (one's feeling)
  • to issue
  • to develop
  • to make a bundle of money
  • classifier for gunshots (rounds)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
发生fāshēngHSK 4

to happen

  • to happen
  • to occur
  • to take place
  • to break out
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
发展fāzhǎnHSK 4

development

  • development
  • growth
  • to develop
  • to grow
  • to expand
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