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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 38013850 of 4,991 · page 77 of 100

安全ānquánHSK 4

safe

  • safe
  • secure
  • safety
  • security
按时ànshíHSK 4

on time

  • on time
  • before deadline
  • on schedule
按照ànzhàoHSK 4

according to

  • according to
  • in accordance with
  • on the basis of
ànHSK 4

variant of 暗

  • variant of 暗
包括bāokuòHSK 4

to comprise

  • to comprise
  • to include
  • to involve
  • to incorporate
  • to consist of
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
保护bǎohùHSK 4

to protect

  • to protect
  • to defend
  • to safeguard
  • protection
  • CL:种
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
保证bǎozhèngHSK 4

guarantee

  • guarantee
  • to guarantee
  • to ensure
  • to safeguard
  • to pledge
  • CL:个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
报道bàodàoHSK 4

to report (news)

报名bàomíngHSK 4

to sign up

  • to sign up
  • to enter one's name
  • to apply
  • to register
  • to enroll
  • to enlist
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
bàoHSK 4

to hold

  • to hold
  • to carry (in one's arms)
  • to hug
  • to embrace
  • to surround
  • to cherish
  • (coll.) (of clothes) to fit nicely
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
抱歉bàoqiànHSK 4

to be sorry

  • to be sorry
  • to feel apologetic
  • sorry!
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
bèiHSK 4

(two, three etc) -fold

  • (two, three etc) -fold
  • times (multiplier)
  • double
  • to increase or multiply
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
本来běnláiHSK 4

original

  • original
  • originally
  • at first
  • it goes without saying
  • of course
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
bènHSK 4

stupid

  • stupid
  • foolish
  • silly
  • slow-witted
  • clumsy
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
笔记本bǐjìběnHSK 4

notebook (stationery) (CL:本)

  • notebook (stationery) (CL:本)
  • (computing) laptop
  • notebook (abbr. for 笔记本电脑)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
毕业bìyèHSK 4

graduation

  • graduation
  • to graduate
  • to finish school
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
biànHSK 4

variant of 遍

标准biāozhǔnHSK 4

standard

  • standard
  • norm
  • criterion
  • (adjective) standard
  • good
  • correct
  • conforming to a standard
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
表达biǎodáHSK 4

to express

表格biǎogéHSK 4

form

表扬biǎoyángHSK 4

to praise

饼干bǐnggānHSK 4

biscuit

并且bìngqiěHSK 4

and

  • and
  • besides
  • moreover
  • furthermore
  • in addition
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
博士bóshìHSK 4

doctor (as an academic degree)

  • doctor (as an academic degree)
  • (old) person specialized in a skill or trade
  • (old) court academician
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
不但bùdànHSK 4

not only (... but also ...)

不得不bùdébùHSK 4

have no choice or option but to

  • have no choice or option but to
  • cannot but
  • have to
  • can't help it
  • can't avoid
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
不管bùguǎnHSK 4

not to be concerned

  • not to be concerned
  • regardless of
  • no matter
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
不过bùguòHSK 4

only

  • only
  • merely
  • no more than
  • but
  • however
  • anyway (to get back to a previous topic)
  • cannot be more (after adjectival)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
不仅bùjǐnHSK 4

not just

  • not just
  • not limited to
  • (as a correlative conjunction) not only (..., but also ...)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
部分bùfenHSK 4

part

HSK 4

to rub

  • to rub
  • to scratch
  • to wipe
  • to polish
  • to apply (lipstick, lotion etc)
  • to brush (past)
  • to shred (a vegetable etc)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
cāiHSK 4

to guess

材料cáiliàoHSK 4

(raw) material

  • (raw) material
  • data
  • (fig.) person who has the potential to do the job
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
参观cānguānHSK 4

to visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory)

  • to visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory)
  • to tour
  • to look around
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
差不多chàbuduōHSK 4

almost

  • almost
  • nearly
  • more or less
  • about the same
  • good enough
  • not bad
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
chángHSK 4

to taste

  • to taste
  • to try (food)
  • to experience
  • (literary) ever
  • once
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
chángHSK 4

threshing floor

  • threshing floor
  • classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
超过chāoguòHSK 4

to surpass

chǎoHSK 4

to quarrel

  • to quarrel
  • to make a noise
  • noisy
  • to disturb by making a noise
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
成功chénggōngHSK 4

Chenggong or Chengkung town in Taitung County 台东县, southeast Taiwan

  • Chenggong or Chengkung town in Taitung County 台东县, southeast Taiwan
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
成熟chéngshúHSK 4

mature

  • mature
  • ripe
  • to mature
  • to ripen
  • Taiwan pr.
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
成为chéngwéiHSK 4

to become

诚实chéngshíHSK 4

honest

乘坐chéngzuòHSK 4

to take (a ship, plane etc)

  • to take (a ship, plane etc)
  • to ride (in a train or other vehicle)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
吃惊chījīngHSK 4

to be startled

  • to be startled
  • to be shocked
  • to be amazed
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
抽烟chōuyānHSK 4

variant of 抽烟

出差chūchāiHSK 4

to go on an official or business trip

  • to go on an official or business trip
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
出发chūfāHSK 4

to set off

  • to set off
  • to start (on a journey)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
出生chūshēngHSK 4

to be born

传真chuánzhēnHSK 4

to fax

  • to fax
  • a fax
  • (literary) to portray vividly in painting
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