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HSK 6 Vocabulary

HSK 6 Vocabulary List: 5,000 Words

HSK 6 assumes 5,000 cumulative words — 2500 of them new at this level. They cover chengyu, formal and classical register, and the layered vocabulary of serious written Chinese.

By Haoshan HongNative Mandarin speakerUpdated July 2026

What is on the HSK 6 word list?

The HSK word lists are published and cumulative, which is what makes the exam a finite target. HSK 6 assumes 5,000 words in total — 2,500 of them introduced at this level.

They cover chengyu, formal and classical register, and the layered vocabulary of serious written Chinese.

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 6 word list

All 4,991 entries below, straight from the official Hanban HSK 2.0 list. The 2,500 words new at HSK 6 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 49514991 of 4,991 · page 100 of 100

同学tóngxuéHSK 1

to study at the same school

  • to study at the same school
  • fellow student
  • classmate
  • CL:位,个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
wéiHSK 1

hello (when answering the phone)

HSK 1

I

我们wǒmenHSK 1

we

HSK 1

five

喜欢xǐhuanHSK 1

to like

xiàHSK 1

down

  • down
  • downwards
  • below
  • lower
  • later
  • next (week etc)
  • second (of two parts)
  • to decline
  • to go down
  • to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc)
  • measure word to show the frequency of an action
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
下午xiàwǔHSK 1

afternoon

下雨xiàyǔHSK 1

to rain

先生xiānshengHSK 1

teacher

  • teacher
  • gentleman
  • sir
  • mister (Mr.)
  • husband
  • (dialect) doctor
  • CL:位
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
现在xiànzàiHSK 1

now

xiǎngHSK 1

to think (about)

  • to think (about)
  • to think of
  • to devise
  • to think (that)
  • to believe (that)
  • to desire
  • to want (to)
  • to miss (feel wistful about the absence of)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xiǎoHSK 1

small

小姐xiǎojieHSK 1

young lady

  • young lady
  • miss
  • (slang) prostitute
  • CL:个,位
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xiēHSK 1

classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several

  • classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
xiěHSK 1

to write

谢谢xièxieHSK 1

to thank

星期xīngqīHSK 1

week

学生xuéshengHSK 1

student

学习xuéxíHSK 1

to learn

学校xuéxiàoHSK 1

school

HSK 1

one

  • one
  • single
  • a (article)
  • as soon as
  • entire
  • whole
  • all
  • throughout
  • "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1)
  • also pr. for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
衣服yīfuHSK 1

clothes

医生yīshēngHSK 1

doctor

医院yīyuànHSK 1

hospital

椅子yǐziHSK 1

chair

yǒuHSK 1

to have

  • to have
  • there is
  • (bound form) having
  • with
  • -ful
  • -ed
  • -al (as in 有意 intentional)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
yuèHSK 1

moon

再见zàijiànHSK 1

goodbye

zàiHSK 1

to exist

  • to exist
  • to be alive
  • (of sb or sth) to be (located) at
  • (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
怎么zěnmeHSK 1

how?

怎么样zěnmeyàngHSK 1

how?

  • how?
  • how about?
  • how was it?
  • how are things?
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
zhèHSK 1

(pronoun) this

  • (pronoun) this
  • these
  • (bound form) this
  • the (followed by a noun)
  • (bound form) this
  • these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. , esp. in Beijing)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
中国zhōngguóHSK 1

China

中午zhōngwǔHSK 1

noon

zhùHSK 1

to live

  • to live
  • to dwell
  • to stay
  • to reside
  • to stop
  • (suffix indicating firmness, steadiness, or coming to a halt)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
桌子zhuōziHSK 1

table

HSK 1

letter

  • letter
  • symbol
  • character
  • word
  • CL:个
  • courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
昨天zuótiānHSK 1

yesterday

zuòHSK 1

surname Zuo

zuòHSK 1

to make

  • to make
  • to produce
  • to write
  • to compose
  • to do
  • to engage in
  • to hold (a party etc)
  • (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc)
  • to become (husband and wife, friends etc)
  • (of a thing) to serve as
  • to be used for
  • to assume (an air or manner)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →

How to actually learn HSK 6 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 6 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.

The method in practice

Hear HSK 6 vocabulary in real Mandarin

Every HSK 6 episode is written inside this word band and read at HSK 6 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 6