Fluentide
Illustration in teal tones representing the HSK 6 Mandarin vocabulary list.
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 41014150 of 4,991 · page 83 of 100

能力nénglìHSK 4

capability

  • capability
  • ability
  • CL:个
年龄niánlíngHSK 4

(a person's) age

农村nóngcūnHSK 4

rural area

  • rural area
  • village
  • CL:个
lòngHSK 4

lane

暖和nuǎnhuoHSK 4

warm

  • warm
  • nice and warm
偶尔ǒuěrHSK 4

occasionally

  • occasionally
  • once in a while
  • sometimes
排列páilièHSK 4

to arrange in order

  • to arrange in order
  • (math.) permutation
判断pànduànHSK 4

to judge

  • to judge
  • to determine
  • judgment
péiHSK 4

to accompany

  • to accompany
  • to keep sb company
  • to assist
  • old variant of 赔
批评pīpíngHSK 4

to criticize

皮肤pífūHSK 4

skin

  • skin
  • CL:层,块
脾气píqiHSK 4

character

  • character
  • temperament
  • disposition
  • bad temper
  • CL:股
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
piānHSK 4

sheet

  • sheet
  • piece of writing
  • bound set of bamboo slips used for record keeping (old)
  • classifier for written items: chapter, article
piànHSK 4

to cheat

  • to cheat
  • to swindle
  • to deceive
  • to get on (a horse etc) by swinging one leg over
乒乓球pīngpāngqiúHSK 4

table tennis

  • table tennis
  • ping-pong
  • table tennis ball
  • CL:个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
平时píngshíHSK 4

ordinarily

  • ordinarily
  • in normal times
  • in peacetime
瓶子píngziHSK 4

bottle

  • bottle
  • CL:个
HSK 4

broken

  • broken
  • damaged
  • worn out
  • lousy
  • rotten
  • to break, split or cleave
  • to get rid of
  • to destroy
  • to break with
  • to defeat
  • to capture (a city etc)
  • to expose the truth of
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
普遍pǔbiànHSK 4

universal

  • universal
  • general
  • widespread
  • common
其次qícìHSK 4

next

  • next
  • secondly
其中qízhōngHSK 4

among

起飞qǐfēiHSK 4

(of an aircraft or rocket) to take off

  • (of an aircraft or rocket) to take off
  • to lift off
  • (fig.) (of an enterprise etc) to start to develop rapidly
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
起来qǐlaiHSK 4

to stand up

  • to stand up
  • to get up
  • also pr.
气候qìhòuHSK 4

(meteorology) climate

  • (meteorology) climate
  • (fig.) climate
  • prevailing conditions (in human affairs)
千万qiānwànHSK 4

ten million

  • ten million
  • countless
  • many
  • one must by all means
签证qiānzhèngHSK 4

visa

  • visa
  • to issue a visa
qiángHSK 4

variant of 墙

  • variant of 墙
qiāoHSK 4

to hit

  • to hit
  • to strike
  • to tap
  • to rap
  • to knock
  • to rip sb off
  • to overcharge
qiáoHSK 4

bridge

  • bridge
  • CL:座
巧克力qiǎokèlìHSK 4

(loanword) chocolate

  • (loanword) chocolate
  • CL:块
亲戚qīnqiHSK 4

a relative (i.e. family relation)

  • a relative (i.e. family relation)
  • CL:门,个,位
qīngHSK 4

light

  • light
  • easy
  • gentle
  • soft
  • reckless
  • unimportant
  • frivolous
  • small in number
  • unstressed
  • neutral
  • to disparage
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
轻松qīngsōngHSK 4

light

  • light
  • gentle
  • relaxed
  • effortless
  • uncomplicated
  • to relax
  • to take things less seriously
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
情况qíngkuàngHSK 4

circumstances

  • circumstances
  • state of affairs
  • situation
  • CL:个,种
请假qǐngjiàHSK 4

to request leave of absence

请客qǐngkèHSK 4

to give a dinner party

  • to give a dinner party
  • to entertain guests
  • to invite to dinner
qióngHSK 4

poor

  • poor
  • destitute
  • to use up
  • to exhaust
  • thoroughly
  • extremely
  • (coll.) persistently and pointlessly
区别qūbiéHSK 4

difference

  • difference
  • to distinguish
  • to discriminate
  • to make a distinction
  • CL:个
HSK 4

to take

  • to take
  • to get
  • to choose
  • to fetch
全部quánbùHSK 4

whole

  • whole
  • all
缺点quēdiǎnHSK 4

weak point

  • weak point
  • fault
  • shortcoming
  • disadvantage
  • CL:个
缺少quēshǎoHSK 4

lack

  • lack
  • shortage of
  • shortfall
  • to be short (of)
  • to lack
quèHSK 4

old variant of 却

  • old variant of 却
确实quèshíHSK 4

indeed

  • indeed
  • really
  • reliable
  • real
  • true
qúnHSK 4

variant of 群

然而ránérHSK 4

however

  • however
  • but
  • yet
热闹rènaoHSK 4

bustling with noise and excitement

  • bustling with noise and excitement
  • lively
人民币rénmínbìHSK 4

Renminbi (RMB)

  • Renminbi (RMB)
  • Chinese Yuan (CNY)
任何rènhéHSK 4

any

  • any
  • whatever
  • whichever
任务rènwuHSK 4

mission

  • mission
  • assignment
  • task
  • duty
  • role
  • CL:项,个

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