Fluentide
Illustration in teal tones representing the HSK 4 Mandarin vocabulary list.
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 11511193 of 1,193 · page 24 of 24

天气tiānqìHSK 1

weather

yǐnHSK 1

smile (archaic)

同学tóngxuéHSK 1

to study at the same school

  • to study at the same school
  • fellow student
  • classmate
  • CL:位,个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
wéiHSK 1

hello (when answering the phone)

HSK 1

I

我们wǒmenHSK 1

we

HSK 1

five

喜欢xǐhuanHSK 1

to like

xiàHSK 1

down

  • down
  • downwards
  • below
  • lower
  • later
  • next (week etc)
  • second (of two parts)
  • to decline
  • to go down
  • to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc)
  • measure word to show the frequency of an action
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
下午xiàwǔHSK 1

afternoon

下雨xiàyǔHSK 1

to rain

先生xiānshengHSK 1

teacher

  • teacher
  • gentleman
  • sir
  • mister (Mr.)
  • husband
  • (dialect) doctor
  • CL:位
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
现在xiànzàiHSK 1

now

xiǎngHSK 1

to think (about)

  • to think (about)
  • to think of
  • to devise
  • to think (that)
  • to believe (that)
  • to desire
  • to want (to)
  • to miss (feel wistful about the absence of)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xiǎoHSK 1

small

小姐xiǎojieHSK 1

young lady

  • young lady
  • miss
  • (slang) prostitute
  • CL:个,位
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xiēHSK 1

classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several

  • classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xiěHSK 1

to write

谢谢xièxieHSK 1

to thank

星期xīngqīHSK 1

week

学生xuéshengHSK 1

student

学习xuéxíHSK 1

to learn

学校xuéxiàoHSK 1

school

HSK 1

one

  • one
  • single
  • a (article)
  • as soon as
  • entire
  • whole
  • all
  • throughout
  • "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1)
  • also pr. for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
衣服yīfuHSK 1

clothes

医生yīshēngHSK 1

doctor

医院yīyuànHSK 1

hospital

椅子yǐziHSK 1

chair

yǒuHSK 1

to have

  • to have
  • there is
  • (bound form) having
  • with
  • -ful
  • -ed
  • -al (as in 有意 intentional)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
yuèHSK 1

moon

再见zàijiànHSK 1

goodbye

zàiHSK 1

to exist

  • to exist
  • to be alive
  • (of sb or sth) to be (located) at
  • (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
怎么zěnmeHSK 1

how?

怎么样zěnmeyàngHSK 1

how?

  • how?
  • how about?
  • how was it?
  • how are things?
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
zhèHSK 1

(pronoun) this

  • (pronoun) this
  • these
  • (bound form) this
  • the (followed by a noun)
  • (bound form) this
  • these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. , esp. in Beijing)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
中国zhōngguóHSK 1

China

中午zhōngwǔHSK 1

noon

zhùHSK 1

to live

  • to live
  • to dwell
  • to stay
  • to reside
  • to stop
  • (suffix indicating firmness, steadiness, or coming to a halt)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
桌子zhuōziHSK 1

table

HSK 1

letter

  • letter
  • symbol
  • character
  • word
  • CL:个
  • courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
昨天zuótiānHSK 1

yesterday

zuòHSK 1

surname Zuo

zuòHSK 1

to make

  • to make
  • to produce
  • to write
  • to compose
  • to do
  • to engage in
  • to hold (a party etc)
  • (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc)
  • to become (husband and wife, friends etc)
  • (of a thing) to serve as
  • to be used for
  • to assume (an air or manner)
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