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 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 251–300 of 1,193 · page 6 of 24
苦kǔHSK 4bitter
- bitter
- hardship
- pain
- to suffer
- to bring suffering to
- painstakingly
宽kuānHSK 4surname Kuan
- surname Kuan
困kùnHSK 4to trap
- to trap
- to surround
- hard-pressed
- stranded
- destitute
困难kùnnanHSK 4difficult
- difficult
- challenging
- straitened circumstances
- difficult situation
扩大kuòdàHSK 4to expand
- to expand
- to enlarge
- to broaden one's scope
垃圾桶lājītǒngHSK 4rubbish bin
- rubbish bin
- trash can
- garbage can
- Taiwan pr.
拉lāHSK 4to pull
- to pull
- to play (a bowed instrument)
- to drag
- to draw
- to chat
- (coll.) to empty one's bowels
辣làHSK 4old variant of 辣
- old variant of 辣
来不及láibujíHSK 4there's not enough time (to do sth)
- there's not enough time (to do sth)
- it's too late (to do sth)
来得及láidejíHSK 4to have enough time
- to have enough time
- can do it in time
- can still make it
懒lǎnHSK 4variant of 懒
- variant of 懒
浪费làngfèiHSK 4to waste
- to waste
- to squander
浪漫làngmànHSK 4romantic
- romantic
老虎lǎohǔHSK 4tiger
- tiger
- CL:只
冷静lěngjìngHSK 4calm
- calm
- cool-headed
- dispassionate
- (of a place) deserted
- quiet
礼貌lǐmàoHSK 4courtesy
- courtesy
- politeness
- manners
- courteous
- polite
理发lǐfàHSK 4to get a haircut
- to get a haircut
- to have one's hair done
- to cut (sb's) hair
- to give (sb) a haircut
理解lǐjiěHSK 4to comprehend
- to comprehend
- to understand
理想lǐxiǎngHSK 4an ideal
- an ideal
- a dream
- ideal
- perfect
力气lìqiHSK 4physical strength
- physical strength
厉害lìhaiHSK 4(used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfavorable) terrible
- (used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfavorable) terrible
- intense
- severe
- devastating
- amazing
- awesome
- outstanding
- (of a person) stern
- strict
- harsh
- shrewd
- tough
- (of an animal) fierce
- (of a resemblance) striking
- (of liquor or chili pepper) strong
- (of bacteria) virulent
例如lìrúHSK 4for example
- for example
- for instance
- such as
俩liǎHSK 4two (colloquial equivalent of 两个)
- two (colloquial equivalent of 两个)
- both
- some
连liánHSK 4surname Lian
- surname Lian
联系liánxìHSK 4variant of 联系
- variant of 联系
凉快liángkuaiHSK 4pleasantly 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
亮liàngHSK 4bright
- bright
- light
- to shine
- to flash
- loud and clear
- to show (one's passport etc)
- to make public (one's views etc)
聊天liáotiānHSK 4to chat
- to chat
- to gossip
另外lìngwàiHSK 4additional
- additional
- in addition
- besides
- separate
- other
- moreover
- furthermore
流泪liúlèiHSK 4to shed tears
- to shed tears
流利liúlìHSK 4fluent
- fluent
流行liúxíngHSK 4(of a contagious disease etc) to spread
- (of a contagious disease etc) to spread
- to propagate
- (of a style of clothing, song etc) popular
- fashionable
留liúHSK 4old variant of 留
- old variant of 留
留学liúxuéHSK 4to study abroad
- to study abroad
律师lu:4shīHSK 4lawyer
- lawyer
乱luànHSK 4in confusion or disorder
- in confusion or disorder
- in a confused state of mind
- disorder
- upheaval
- riot
- illicit sexual relations
- to throw into disorder
- to mix up
- indiscriminate
- random
- arbitrary
麻烦máfanHSK 4trouble
- trouble
- inconvenience
- inconvenient
- troublesome
- annoying
- to bother sb
- to put sb to trouble
马虎mǎhuHSK 4careless
- careless
- sloppy
- negligent
- skimpy
满mǎnHSK 4Manchu ethnic group
- Manchu ethnic group
毛巾máojīnHSK 4towel
- towel
- CL:条
美丽měilìHSK 4beautiful
- beautiful
梦mèngHSK 4dream (CL:场,个)
- dream (CL:场,个)
- (bound form) to dream
密码mìmǎHSK 4cipher
- cipher
- secret code
- password
- PIN
免费miǎnfèiHSK 4free (of charge)
- free (of charge)
民族mínzúHSK 4nationality
- nationality
- ethnic group
- CL:个
母亲mǔqīnHSK 4mother
- mother
- also pr.
- CL:个
目的mùdìHSK 4purpose
- purpose
- aim
- goal
- target
- objective
- CL:个
耐心nàixīnHSK 4to be patient
- to be patient
- patience
难道nándàoHSK 4don't tell me ...
- don't tell me ...
- could it be that...?
难受nánshòuHSK 4to feel unwell
- to feel unwell
- to suffer pain
- to be difficult to bear
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.
Read the list once, do not memorise it
You are looking for which words feel unfamiliar, not trying to learn them here.
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.
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.
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.