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.

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 51–100 of 4,991 · page 2 of 100

薄弱bóruòHSK 6

weak

weak
frail

饱和bǎohéHSK 6

saturated

saturated
filled to capacity

饱经沧桑bǎojīngcāngsāngHSK 6

having lived through many changes

having lived through many changes

保管bǎoguǎnHSK 6

to hold in safekeeping

to hold in safekeeping
to have in one's care
to guarantee
certainly
surely
custodian
curator

保密bǎomìHSK 6

to keep sth confidential

to keep sth confidential
to maintain secrecy

保姆bǎomǔHSK 6

nanny

nanny
babysitter
housekeeper

保守bǎoshǒuHSK 6

conservative

conservative
to guard
to keep

保卫bǎowèiHSK 6

to defend

to defend
to safeguard

保养bǎoyǎngHSK 6

to take good care of (or conserve) one's health

to take good care of (or conserve) one's health
to keep in good repair
to maintain
maintenance

保障bǎozhàngHSK 6

to ensure

to ensure
to guarantee
to safeguard

保重bǎozhòngHSK 6

to take care of oneself

to take care of oneself

报仇bàochóuHSK 6

to take revenge

to take revenge
to avenge

报酬bàochouHSK 6

reward

reward
remuneration

报答bàodáHSK 6

to repay

to repay
to requite

报到bàodàoHSK 6

to report for duty

to report for duty
to check in
to register

报复bàofùHSK 6

to make reprisals

to make reprisals
to retaliate
revenge
retaliation

报社bàoshèHSK 6

newspaper (i.e. a company)

newspaper (i.e. a company)
CL:家

报销bàoxiāoHSK 6

to submit an expense account

to submit an expense account
to apply for reimbursement
to write off
to wipe out

抱负bàofùHSK 6

aspiration

aspiration
ambition

抱怨bàoyuànHSK 6

to complain

to complain
to grumble
to harbor a complaint
to feel dissatisfied

暴力bàolìHSK 6

violence

violence
force
violent

暴露bàolùHSK 6

to expose

to expose
to reveal
to lay bare
also pr.

爆发bàofāHSK 6

to break out

to break out
to erupt
to explode
to burst out

爆炸bàozhàHSK 6

explosion

explosion
to explode
to blow up
to detonate

卑鄙bēibǐHSK 6

base

base
mean
contemptible
despicable

悲哀bēiāiHSK 6

grieved

grieved
sorrowful

悲惨bēicǎnHSK 6

miserable

miserable
tragic

北极běijíHSK 6

the North Pole

the North Pole
the Arctic Pole
the north magnetic pole

贝壳bèikéHSK 6

shell (of a mollusk)

shell (of a mollusk)

备份bèifènHSK 6

backup

backup

备忘录bèiwànglùHSK 6

memorandum

memorandum
aide-memoire
memorandum book

背叛bèipànHSK 6

to betray

to betray

背诵bèisòngHSK 6

to recite

to recite
to repeat from memory

被动bèidòngHSK 6

passive

passive

被告bèigàoHSK 6

(law) the defendant

(law) the defendant
the accused

奔波bēnbōHSK 6

to rush about

to rush about
to be constantly on the move

奔驰bēnchíHSK 6

Mercedes-Benz, German car maker

Mercedes-Benz, German car maker

本能běnnéngHSK 6

instinct

instinct

本钱běnqiánHSK 6

capital

capital
(fig.) asset
advantage
the means (to do sth)

本人běnrénHSK 6

I
me
myself
oneself
yourself
himself
herself
the person concerned

本身běnshēnHSK 6

itself

itself
in itself
per se

本事běnshìHSK 6

source material

source material
original story

本着běnzheHSK 6

based on...

based on...
in conformance with..
taking as one's main principle

笨拙bènzhuōHSK 6

clumsy

clumsy
awkward
stupid

崩溃bēngkuìHSK 6

to collapse

to collapse
to crumble
to fall apart

甭béngHSK 6

contracted form of 不用

contracted form of 不用

迸发bèngfāHSK 6

to burst forth

to burst forth

蹦bèngHSK 6

to jump

to jump
to bounce
to hop

逼迫bīpòHSK 6

to force

to force
to compel
to coerce

鼻涕bítìHSK 6

nasal mucus

nasal mucus
snivel
snot

Prev1234…100Next

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.

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 6 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 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

HSK 6 listening practice, test format and timeline · HSK 6 grammar points · All six HSK levels compared