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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 301–350 of 2,491 · page 7 of 50

改正gǎizhèngHSK 5

to correct

  • to correct
  • to amend
  • to put right
  • correction
  • CL:个
盖gàiHSK 5

lid

  • lid
  • top
  • cover
  • canopy
  • to cover
  • to conceal
  • to build
  • surname Ge
概括gàikuòHSK 5

to summarize

  • to summarize
  • to generalize
  • briefly
  • in broad outline
概念gàiniànHSK 5

concept

  • concept
  • idea
  • CL:个
赶紧gǎnjǐnHSK 5

hurriedly

  • hurriedly
  • without delay
赶快gǎnkuàiHSK 5

quickly

  • quickly
  • at once
感激gǎnjīHSK 5

to be grateful

  • to be grateful
  • to appreciate
  • thankful
感受gǎnshòuHSK 5

to sense

  • to sense
  • perception
  • to feel (through the senses)
  • to experience
  • a feeling
  • an impression
  • an experience
感想gǎnxiǎngHSK 5

impressions

  • impressions
  • reflections
  • thoughts
  • CL:通,个
干脆gāncuìHSK 5

candid

  • candid
  • direct and to the point
  • simply
  • just
  • might as well
干活儿gànhuórHSK 5

erhua variant of 干活

  • erhua variant of 干活
钢铁gāngtiěHSK 5

steel

  • steel
高档gāodàngHSK 5

superior quality

  • superior quality
  • high grade
  • top grade
高速gāosùHSK 5

high speed

  • high speed
  • expressway (abbr. for 高速公路)
搞gǎoHSK 5

to do

  • to do
  • to make
  • to go in for
  • to set up
  • to get hold of
  • to take care of
告别gàobiéHSK 5

to leave

  • to leave
  • to part from
  • to bid farewell to
  • to say goodbye to
胳膊gēboHSK 5

arm

  • arm
  • CL:只,条,双
鸽子gēziHSK 5

pigeon

  • pigeon
  • dove
  • various birds of the family Columbidae
革命gémìngHSK 5

to withdraw the mandate of heaven (and transition to a new dynasty) (original meaning)

  • to withdraw the mandate of heaven (and transition to a new dynasty) (original meaning)
  • revolution
  • revolutionary
  • to revolt (against sb or sth)
  • to revolutionize (sth)
  • (separable verb sometimes used in the pattern 革noun的命)
  • CL:次
格外géwàiHSK 5

especially

  • especially
  • particularly
  • even more than usual
  • extra
  • additional
隔壁gébìHSK 5

next door

  • next door
  • neighbor
个别gèbiéHSK 5

individually

  • individually
  • one by one
  • just one or two
  • exceptional
  • rare
个人gèrénHSK 5

an individual

  • an individual
  • oneself
  • (attributive) personal
  • one's own
个性gèxìngHSK 5

individuality

  • individuality
  • personality
各自gèzìHSK 5

each

  • each
  • respective
  • apiece
根gēnHSK 5

root

  • root
  • basis
  • classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings
  • CL:条
  • radical (chemistry)
根本gēnběnHSK 5

fundamental

  • fundamental
  • basic
  • root
  • simply
  • absolutely (not)
  • (not) at all
  • CL:个
更加gèngjiāHSK 5

more (than sth else)

  • more (than sth else)
  • even more
工厂gōngchǎngHSK 5

factory

  • factory
  • CL:家,座
工程师gōngchéngshīHSK 5

engineer

  • engineer
工人gōngrénHSK 5

worker

  • worker
  • CL:个,名
工业gōngyèHSK 5

industry

  • industry
公布gōngbùHSK 5

to announce

  • to announce
  • to make public
  • to publish
公开gōngkāiHSK 5

open

  • open
  • overt
  • public
  • to make public
  • to release
公平gōngpíngHSK 5

fair

  • fair
  • impartial
公寓gōngyùHSK 5

apartment building

  • apartment building
  • block of flats (may be a public housing block or a condominium etc) (CL:套)
公元gōngyuánHSK 5

CE (Common Era)

  • CE (Common Era)
  • Christian Era
  • AD (Anno Domini)
公主gōngzhǔHSK 5

princess

  • princess
功夫gōngfuHSK 5

skill

  • skill
  • art
  • kung fu
  • labor
  • effort
功能gōngnéngHSK 5

function

  • function
  • capability
贡献gòngxiànHSK 5

to contribute

  • to contribute
  • to dedicate
  • to devote
  • contribution
  • CL:个
沟通gōutōngHSK 5

to join

  • to join
  • to connect
  • to link up
  • to communicate
构成gòuchéngHSK 5

to constitute

  • to constitute
  • to form
  • to compose
  • to make up
  • to configure (computing)
姑姑gūguHSK 5

paternal aunt

  • paternal aunt
  • CL:个
姑娘gūniangHSK 5

girl

  • girl
  • young woman
  • young lady
  • daughter
  • paternal aunt (old)
  • CL:个
古代gǔdàiHSK 5

ancient times

  • ancient times
古典gǔdiǎnHSK 5

classical

  • classical
古老gǔlǎoHSK 5

ancient

  • ancient
  • old
  • age-old
股票gǔpiàoHSK 5

share certificate

  • share certificate
  • stock (finance)
骨头gǔtouHSK 5

bone

  • bone
  • CL:根,块
  • moral character
  • bitterness
  • Taiwan pr.

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