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 Hong · Native Mandarin speaker · Updated 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 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 101–150 of 2,491 · page 3 of 50
彻底chèdǐHSK 5thorough
- thorough
- thoroughly
- complete
沉默chénmòHSK 5taciturn
- taciturn
- uncommunicative
- silent
趁chènHSK 5to avail oneself of
- to avail oneself of
- to take advantage of
- old variant of 趁
称呼chēnghuHSK 5to call
- to call
- to address as
- form of address
- appellation
称赞chēngzànHSK 5to praise
- to praise
- to commend
- to compliment
成分chéngfènHSK 5composition
- composition
- ingredient
- element
- component
- one's social status
成果chéngguǒHSK 5result
- result
- achievement
- gain
- profit
- CL:个
成就chéngjiùHSK 5accomplishment
- accomplishment
- success
- achievement
- CL:个
- to achieve (a result)
- to create
- to bring about
成立chénglìHSK 5to establish
- to establish
- to set up
- to be tenable
- to hold water
成语chéngyǔHSK 5Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical quotation
- Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical quotation
- idiom
- proverb
- saying
- adage
- CL:条,本,句
成长chéngzhǎngHSK 5to mature
- to mature
- to grow
- growth
承担chéngdānHSK 5to undertake
- to undertake
- to assume (responsibility etc)
承认chéngrènHSK 5to admit
- to admit
- to concede
- to recognize
- recognition (diplomatic, artistic etc)
- to acknowledge
承受chéngshòuHSK 5to bear
- to bear
- to support
- to inherit
诚恳chéngkěnHSK 5sincere
- sincere
- honest
- cordial
乘chéngHSK 5to ride
- to ride
- to mount
- to make use of
- to avail oneself of
- to take advantage of
- to multiply (math.)
- Buddhist sect or creed
- surname Cheng
- (archaic) four horse military chariot
- (archaic) four
- generic term for history books
- old variant of 乘
程度chéngdùHSK 5degree
- degree
- level
- extent
程序chéngxùHSK 5procedures
- procedures
- sequence
- order
- computer program
吃亏chīkuīHSK 5to suffer losses
- to suffer losses
- to come to grief
- to lose out
- to get the worst of it
- to be at a disadvantage
- unfortunately
池子chíziHSK 5pond
- pond
- bathhouse pool
- dance floor of a ballroom
- (old) stalls (front rows in a theater)
持续chíxùHSK 5to continue
- to continue
- to last
- to persist
尺子chǐziHSK 5ruler (measuring instrument)
- ruler (measuring instrument)
- CL:把
翅膀chìbǎngHSK 5wing
- wing
- CL:只,对
充电器chōngdiànqìHSK 5battery charger
- battery charger
充分chōngfènHSK 5ample
- ample
- sufficient
- adequate
- full
- fully
- to the full
充满chōngmǎnHSK 5full of
- full of
- brimming with
- very full
- permeated
冲chōngHSK 5(of water) to dash against
- (of water) to dash against
- to mix with water
- to infuse
- to rinse
- to flush
- to develop (a film)
- to rise in the air
- to clash
- to collide with
- thoroughfare
- to go straight ahead
- to rush
- to clash
- powerful
- vigorous
- pungent
- towards
- in view of
宠物chǒngwùHSK 5house pet
- house pet
抽屉chōutiHSK 5drawer
- drawer
抽象chōuxiàngHSK 5abstract
- abstract
- abstraction
- CL:种
丑chǒuHSK 5clown
- clown
- 2nd earthly branch: 1-3 a.m., 12th solar month (6th January to 3rd February), year of the Ox
- ancient Chinese compass point: 30°
- shameful
- ugly
- disgraceful
- surname Chou
臭chòuHSK 5stench
- stench
- smelly
- to smell (bad)
- repulsive
- loathsome
- terrible
- bad
- severely
- ruthlessly
- dud (ammunition)
- sense of smell
- smell bad
出版chūbǎnHSK 5to publish
- to publish
出口chūkǒuHSK 5an exit
- an exit
- CL:个
- to speak
- to export
- (of a ship) to leave port
出色chūsèHSK 5remarkable
- remarkable
- outstanding
出席chūxíHSK 5to attend
- to attend
- to participate
- present
初级chūjíHSK 5junior
- junior
- primary
除chúHSK 5to get rid of
- to get rid of
- to remove
- to exclude
- to eliminate
- to wipe out
- to divide
- except
- not including
除非chúfēiHSK 5only if (..., or otherwise, ...)
- only if (..., or otherwise, ...)
- only when
- only in the case that
- unless
除夕chúxīHSK 5lunar New Year's Eve
- lunar New Year's Eve
处理chǔlǐHSK 5to handle
- to handle
- to deal with
- to punish
- to treat sth by a special process
- to process
- to sell at reduced prices
传播chuánbōHSK 5to disseminate
- to disseminate
- to propagate
- to spread
传递chuándìHSK 5to transmit
- to transmit
- to pass on to sb else
- (math.) transitive
传染chuánrǎnHSK 5to infect
- to infect
- contagious
传说chuánshuōHSK 5legend
- legend
- folk tale
- to repeat from mouth to mouth
- they say that...
传统chuántǒngHSK 5tradition
- tradition
- traditional
窗帘chuāngliánHSK 5window curtains
- window curtains
闯chuǎngHSK 5to rush
- to rush
- to charge
- to dash
- to break through
- to temper oneself (through battling hardships)
创造chuàngzàoHSK 5to create
- to create
- to bring about
- to produce
- to set (a record)
吹chuīHSK 5to blow
- to blow
- to play a wind instrument
- to blast
- to puff
- to boast
- to brag
- to end in failure
- to fall through
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.
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 5 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.
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 1 Chinese listening episodes
Showing 12 of 231
HSK 2 Chinese listening episodes
Showing 12 of 232
HSK 3–4 Chinese listening episodes
Showing 12 of 230
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.