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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 41514200 of 4,991 · page 84 of 100

rēngHSK 4

to throw

  • to throw
  • to throw away
仍然réngránHSK 4

still

  • still
  • as before
  • yet
日记rìjìHSK 4

diary

  • diary
  • CL:则,本,篇
入口rùkǒuHSK 4

entrance

  • entrance
  • to import
ruǎnHSK 4

soft

  • soft
  • flexible
散步sànbùHSK 4

to take a walk

  • to take a walk
  • to go for a walk
森林sēnlínHSK 4

forest

  • forest
  • CL:片
沙发shāfāHSK 4

sofa (loanword)

  • sofa (loanword)
  • CL:条,张
  • (Internet slang) the first reply or replier to a forum post
伤心shāngxīnHSK 4

to grieve

  • to grieve
  • to be broken-hearted
  • to feel deeply hurt
商量shāngliangHSK 4

to consult

  • to consult
  • to talk over
  • to discuss
稍微shāowēiHSK 4

a little bit

  • a little bit
社会shèhuìHSK 4

society

申请shēnqǐngHSK 4

to apply for sth

  • to apply for sth
  • application form (CL:份)
shēnHSK 4

old variant of 深

  • old variant of 深
甚至shènzhìHSK 4

even

  • even
  • so much so that
生活shēnghuóHSK 4

to live

  • to live
  • life
  • livelihood
生命shēngmìngHSK 4

life (as the characteristic of living beings)

  • life (as the characteristic of living beings)
  • living being
  • creature (CL:个,条)
shěngHSK 4

to save

  • to save
  • to economize
  • to be frugal
  • to omit
  • to delete
  • to leave out
  • province
  • provincial capital
  • a ministry (of the Japanese government)
shèngHSK 4

to remain

  • to remain
  • to be left
  • to have as remainder
失败shībàiHSK 4

to be defeated

  • to be defeated
  • to lose
  • to fail (e.g. experiments)
  • failure
  • defeat
  • CL:次
失望shīwàngHSK 4

disappointed

  • disappointed
  • to lose hope
  • to despair
师傅shīfuHSK 4

master

  • master
  • qualified worker
  • respectful form of address for older men
  • CL:个,位,名
狮子shīzǐHSK 4

Leo (star sign)

  • Leo (star sign)
  • Shihtzu township in Pingtung County 屏东县, Taiwan
湿润shīrùnHSK 4

moist

  • moist
十分shífēnHSK 4

very

  • very
  • completely
  • utterly
  • extremely
  • absolutely
  • hundred percent
  • to divide into ten equal parts
实际shíjìHSK 4

reality

  • reality
  • practice
  • practical
  • realistic
  • real
  • actual
实在shízàiHSK 4

really

  • really
  • actually
  • indeed
  • true
  • real
  • honest
  • dependable
  • (philosophy) reality
食品shípǐnHSK 4

foodstuff

  • foodstuff
  • food
  • provisions
使用shǐyòngHSK 4

to use

  • to use
  • to employ
  • to apply
  • to make use of
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
世纪shìjìHSK 4

century

  • century
  • CL:个
市场shìchǎngHSK 4

marketplace

  • marketplace
  • market
  • bazaar
  • (economics) market
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
shìHSK 4

to test

  • to test
  • to try
  • experiment
  • examination
  • test
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
适合shìhéHSK 4

to fit

  • to fit
  • to suit
适应shìyìngHSK 4

to adapt

  • to adapt
  • to fit
  • to suit
shōuHSK 4

to receive

  • to receive
  • to accept
  • to collect
  • to put away
  • to restrain
  • to stop
  • in care of (used on address line after name)
收入shōurùHSK 4

to take in

  • to take in
  • income
  • revenue
  • CL:笔,个
收拾shōushiHSK 4

to put in order

  • to put in order
  • to tidy up
  • to pack
  • to repair
  • (coll.) to sort sb out
  • to fix sb
首都shǒudūHSK 4

capital (city)

首先shǒuxiānHSK 4

first (of all)

受不了shòubùliǎoHSK 4

unbearable

  • unbearable
  • unable to endure
  • can't stand
受到shòudàoHSK 4

to receive (praise, an education, punishment etc)

  • to receive (praise, an education, punishment etc)
  • to be ...ed (praised, educated, punished etc)
售货员shòuhuòyuánHSK 4

sales clerk

  • sales clerk
  • sales associate
  • retail salesperson
shūHSK 4

to lose

  • to lose
  • to be beaten
  • (bound form) to transport
  • (literary) to donate
  • to contribute
  • (coll.) to enter (a password)
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
熟悉shúxīHSK 4

to be familiar with

数量shùliàngHSK 4

amount

  • amount
  • quantity (CL:个)
  • quantitative
  • (math.) scalar quantity
数字shùzìHSK 4

numeral

  • numeral
  • digit
  • number
  • figure
  • amount
  • digital (electronics etc)
  • CL:个
Character breakdown, usage notes and examples →
shuàiHSK 4

surname Shuai

  • surname Shuai
顺便shùnbiànHSK 4

conveniently

  • conveniently
  • in passing
  • without much extra effort
顺利shùnlìHSK 4

smoothly

  • smoothly
  • without a hitch
顺序shùnxùHSK 4

sequence

  • sequence
  • order

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