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 1201–1250 of 1,978 · page 25 of 40
经过jīngguòHSK 3to pass
- to pass
- to go through
- process
- course
- CL:个
经理jīnglǐHSK 3manager
- manager
- director
- CL:个,位,名
久jiǔHSK 3(of a period of time) long
- (of a period of time) long
酒jiǔHSK 3wine (esp. rice wine)
- wine (esp. rice wine)
- liquor
- spirits
- alcoholic beverage
- CL:杯,瓶,罐,桶,缸
旧jiùHSK 3old
- old
- opposite: new 新
- former
- worn (with age)
句jùHSK 3sentence
- sentence
- clause
- phrase
- classifier for phrases or lines of verse
- variant of 勾
句子jùziHSK 3sentence
- sentence
- CL:个
决定juédìngHSK 3to decide
- to decide
- to determine
- to make up one's mind
- decision (CL:个,项)
卡kǎHSK 3card
- card
- to get stuck
- to stop
- to block
- (computing) (coll.) slow
- (loanword) card
- CL:张,片
- truck (from "car")
- calorie (abbr. for 卡路里)
- cassette
- to block
- to be stuck
- to be wedged
- customs station
- a clip
- a fastener
- a checkpost
- Taiwan pr.
开花kāihuāHSK 3to bloom
- to bloom
- to blossom
- to flower
- (fig.) to burst
- to split open
- (fig.) to burst with joy
- (fig.) to spring up everywhere
- to flourish
开会kāihuìHSK 3to hold or attend a meeting
- to hold or attend a meeting
开机kāijīHSK 3to start an engine
- to start an engine
- to boot up (a computer)
- to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete
- to begin shooting a film or TV show
开心kāixīnHSK 3to feel happy
- to feel happy
- to rejoice
- to have a great time
- to make fun of sb
看来kànláiHSK 3apparently
- apparently
- it seems that
可kěHSK 3(prefix) can
- (prefix) can
- may
- able to
- -able
- to approve
- to permit
- to suit
- (particle used for emphasis) certainly
- very
- but
- however
- used in 可汗
可爱kě’àiHSK 3adorable
- adorable
- cute
- lovely
可是kěshìHSK 3but
- but
- however
- (used for emphasis) indeed
渴kěHSK 3thirsty
刻kèHSK 3quarter (hour)
- quarter (hour)
- moment
- to carve
- to engrave
- to cut
- oppressive
- classifier for short time intervals
客人kèrénHSK 3visitor
- visitor
- guest
- customer
课本kèběnHSK 3textbook
- textbook
- CL:本
课文kèwénHSK 3text
- text
- CL:篇
空调kōngtiáoHSK 3air conditioning
- air conditioning
- air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode)
- CL:台
哭kūHSK 3to cry
- to cry
- to weep
筷子kuàiziHSK 3chopsticks
- chopsticks
- CL:对,根,把,双
矿泉水kuàngquánshuǐHSK 3mineral water
- mineral water
- CL:瓶,杯
来自láizìHSK 3to come from (a place)
- to come from (a place)
- From: (in email header)
蓝lánHSK 3blue
- blue
- indigo plant
- surname Lan
老lǎoHSK 3old
- old
- always
- very
- prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity
- old (of people)
- venerable (person)
- experienced
- of long standing
- always
- all the time
- of the past
- very
- outdated
- (of meat etc) tough
老人lǎorénHSK 3old man or woman
- old man or woman
- the elderly
- one's aged parents or grandparents
了解liǎojiěHSK 3to understand
- to understand
- to know about
- to learn about
- to find out
离开líkāiHSK 3to depart
- to depart
- to leave
礼物lǐwùHSK 3gift
- gift
- present
- CL:件,份
历史lìshǐHSK 3history
- history
- CL:门,段
脸liǎnHSK 3face
练liànHSK 3to practice
- to practice
- to train
- to drill
- to perfect (one's skill)
- exercise
- to boil and scour raw silk
- (literary) white silk
练习liànxíHSK 3to practice
- to practice
- exercise
- drill
- practice
- CL:个
凉快liángkuaiHSK 3pleasantly cool (weather etc)
- pleasantly cool (weather etc)
- to cool oneself
- to cool off
- (Tw) (slang) (of clothing) scanty
- revealing
- (coll.) to stay out of it
- to butt out
辆liàngHSK 3classifier for vehicles
- classifier for vehicles
聊liáoHSK 3(coll.) to chat
- (coll.) to chat
- (literary) temporarily
- for a while
- (literary) somewhat
- slightly
- (literary) to depend upon
聊天儿liáotiānrHSK 3to chat
- to chat
- to gossip
邻居línjūHSK 3neighbor
留学liúxuéHSK 3to study abroad
- to study abroad
留学生liúxuéshēngHSK 3student studying abroad
- student studying abroad
- returned student
- foreign student
- international student
楼梯lóutīHSK 3stair
- stair
- staircase
- CL:个
路边lùbiānHSK 3curb
- curb
- roadside
- wayside
路口lùkǒuHSK 3crossing
- crossing
- intersection (of roads)
马mǎHSK 3horse
- horse
- CL:匹
- horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess
- knight in Western chess
- surname Ma
- abbr. for Malaysia 马来西亚
马路mǎlùHSK 3street
- street
- road
- CL:条
马上mǎshàngHSK 3at once
- at once
- right away
- immediately
- on horseback (i.e. by military force)
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.