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Illustration in teal tones representing the HSK 5 Mandarin vocabulary list.
HSK 5 Vocabulary

HSK 5 Vocabulary List: 2,500 Words

HSK 5 assumes 2,500 cumulative words — 1300 of them new at this level. They cover news, business, academic and literary register — the vocabulary of newspapers, lectures, and film dialogue.

By Haoshan HongNative Mandarin speakerUpdated July 2026

Hear HSK 5 words in a real story

黄石公园热泉区清出280多顶帽子

Yellowstone Finds 280 Hats in Hot-Spring Areas

1 min

What is on the HSK 5 word list?

The HSK word lists are published and cumulative, which is what makes the exam a finite target. HSK 5 assumes 2,500 words in total — 1,300 of them introduced at this level.

They cover news, business, academic and literary register — the vocabulary of newspapers, lectures, and film dialogue.

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 5 word list

All 2,491 entries below, straight from the official Hanban HSK 2.0 list. The 1,298 words new at HSK 5 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 51–100 of 2,491 · page 2 of 50

病毒bìngdúHSK 5

virus

  • virus
玻璃bōliHSK 5

glass

  • glass
  • CL:张,块
  • (slang) male homosexual
脖子bóziHSK 5

neck

  • neck
  • CL:个
博物馆bówùguǎnHSK 5

museum

  • museum
补充bǔchōngHSK 5

to replenish

  • to replenish
  • to supplement
  • to complement
  • additional
  • supplementary
  • CL:个
不安bùānHSK 5

unpeaceful

  • unpeaceful
  • unstable
  • uneasy
  • disturbed
  • restless
  • worried
不必bùbìHSK 5

need not

  • need not
  • does not have to
  • not necessarily
不得了bùdéliǎoHSK 5

desperately serious

  • desperately serious
  • disastrous
  • extremely
  • exceedingly
不断bùduànHSK 5

unceasing

  • unceasing
  • uninterrupted
  • continuous
  • constant
不好意思bùhǎoyìsiHSK 5

to feel embarrassed

  • to feel embarrassed
  • to find it embarrassing
  • to be sorry (for inconveniencing sb)
不见得bùjiàndeHSK 5

not necessarily

  • not necessarily
  • not likely
不免bùmiǎnHSK 5

inevitably

  • inevitably
不耐烦bùnàifánHSK 5

impatient

  • impatient
  • to lose patience
不然bùránHSK 5

not so

  • not so
  • no
  • or else
  • otherwise
  • if not
  • How about ...?
不如bùrúHSK 5

not equal to

  • not equal to
  • not as good as
  • inferior to
  • it would be better to
不要紧bùyàojǐnHSK 5

unimportant

  • unimportant
  • not serious
  • it doesn't matter
  • never mind
  • it looks all right, but
不足bùzúHSK 5

insufficient

  • insufficient
  • lacking
  • deficiency
  • not enough
  • inadequate
  • not worth
  • cannot
  • should not
布bùHSK 5

cloth

  • cloth
  • to declare
  • to announce
  • to spread
  • to make known
  • to announce
  • to spread
  • variant of 布
步骤bùzhòuHSK 5

procedure

  • procedure
  • step
部门bùménHSK 5

department

  • department
  • branch
  • section
  • division
  • CL:个
财产cáichǎnHSK 5

property

  • property
  • assets
  • estate
  • CL:笔
采访cǎifǎngHSK 5

to interview

  • to interview
  • to gather news
  • to hunt for and collect
  • to cover
采取cǎiqǔHSK 5

to adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action)

  • to adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action)
  • to take
彩虹cǎihóngHSK 5

rainbow

  • rainbow
  • CL:道
踩cǎiHSK 5

to step on

  • to step on
  • to tread
  • to stamp
  • to press a pedal
  • to pedal (a bike)
  • (online) to downvote
  • variant of 踩
参考cānkǎoHSK 5

consultation

  • consultation
  • reference
  • to consult
  • to refer
参与cānyùHSK 5

to participate (in sth)

  • to participate (in sth)
餐厅cāntīngHSK 5

dining hall

  • dining hall
  • dining room
  • restaurant
  • CL:间,家
残疾cánjíHSK 5

disabled

  • disabled
  • handicapped
  • deformity on a person or animal
惭愧cánkuìHSK 5

ashamed

  • ashamed
操场cāochǎngHSK 5

playground

  • playground
  • sports field
  • drill ground
  • CL:个
操心cāoxīnHSK 5

to worry about

  • to worry about
册cèHSK 5

book

  • book
  • booklet
  • classifier for books
厕所cèsuǒHSK 5

toilet

  • toilet
  • lavatory
  • CL:间,处
测验cèyànHSK 5

test

  • test
  • to test
  • CL:次,个
曾经céngjīngHSK 5

once

  • once
  • already
  • former
  • previously
  • ever
  • (past tense marker used before verb or clause)
叉子chāziHSK 5

fork

  • fork
  • CL:把
插chāHSK 5

to insert

  • to insert
  • stick in
  • pierce
  • to take part in
  • to interfere
  • to interpose
  • old variant of 插
差别chābiéHSK 5

difference

  • difference
  • distinction
  • disparity
拆chāiHSK 5

to tear open

  • to tear open
  • to tear down
  • to tear apart
  • to open
产品chǎnpǐnHSK 5

goods

  • goods
  • merchandise
  • product
  • CL:个
产生chǎnshēngHSK 5

to arise

  • to arise
  • to come into being
  • to come about
  • to give rise to
  • to bring into being
  • to bring about
  • to produce
  • to engender
  • to generate
常识chángshíHSK 5

common sense

  • common sense
  • general knowledge
抄chāoHSK 5

to make a copy

  • to make a copy
  • to plagiarize
  • to search and seize
  • to raid
  • to grab
  • to go off with
  • to take a shortcut
  • to make a turning move
  • to fold one's arms
朝cháoHSK 5

imperial or royal court

  • imperial or royal court
  • government
  • dynasty
  • reign of a sovereign or emperor
  • court or assembly held by a sovereign or emperor
  • to make a pilgrimage to
  • facing
  • towards
  • morning
  • abbr. for 朝鲜 Korea
朝代cháodàiHSK 5

dynasty

  • dynasty
  • reign (of a king)
吵架chǎojiàHSK 5

to quarrel

  • to quarrel
  • to have a row
  • quarrel
  • CL:顿
炒chǎoHSK 5

to sauté

  • to sauté
  • to stir-fry
  • to speculate (in real estate etc)
  • to scalp
  • to hype up
  • to sack
  • to fire (sb)
车库chēkùHSK 5

garage

  • garage
车厢chēxiāngHSK 5

carriage

  • carriage
  • CL:节

How to actually learn HSK 5 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 5 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.

HSK 5 episodes to hear these words in

Every episode below is written inside the HSK 5 word band and read at HSK 5 speed. Press play — no account needed for the first few.

HSK 5–6 Chinese listening episodes

Showing 12 of 231

The method in practice

Hear HSK 5 vocabulary in real Mandarin

Every HSK 5 episode is written inside this word band and read at HSK 5 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 5

HSK 5 listening practice, test format and timeline · HSK 5 grammar points · All six HSK levels compared